A Strange Week

It was a week full of strange episodes. I am doing a library forum soon and Thursday evening someone called, sounded very strange wanting to confirm that I would indeed be doing it at that time and place. I thought he was fingering me for a rub-out and told him so, since I had no idea who he was or how he got my phone number. When I sounded a bit too paranoid, he hung up on me, which prompted my calling him back. We spoke for 30 minutes and it turns out he was trying to "help, by videotaping the lecture and then advising me on what I did wrong." Imagine that a former assistant principal and college professor and a guy who has his own cable TV show being told what to do to reach people ! I spoke with him long enough to determine that I was not in any danger, and then invited him to try to make it Tuesday evening, because now I wanted to meet him.  Then around that time I had a verbal issue with a "friend" on Facebook. I am always getting myself into trouble on Facebook which is why I love writing this blog. I can pretty much say whatever I want, and know nobody will get mad at me. After deactivating my account for 72 hrs, I found myself missing it, so I'm back, but one friend less.

A few other issues came up last week, including, for this blog audience, the possibility of giving up everything related to Alan's Italy, and getting some kind of job that pays real money ! For a couple of days I actually felt a strong compulsion to give up the TV show. That seems to have passed and everything is now "normal." I have decided tentatively to go back to work as a college teacher in the Fall, and started to make the necessary connections and arrangements. I miss teaching mathematics to young adults, so the 3 years I will have taken off, actually will have served a very useful purpose, i.e. making me miss my former life. I am happy about that, but having a slightly difficult time waiting until late August to begin. I even volunteered to do substitute teaching at the college this semester, getting my feet wet. I might be able to start right away for the spring, but I have many commitments made before my big decision, so that would probably not work that well. I have 2 library forums, and an 8 week continuing education course I am teaching at New Paltz College, plus, of course, our trip we are planning for late May into early June in Italy.

Now the show, Alan's Italy Show # 51 in which my friend, Franc Palaia did his usually wonderful job of explaining his work. Ellen had the usual difficulty getting on the air, this time portending a possible cancellation of the entire show. I never cancelled a show when I had a guest; since Franc traveled a long way to get there, I would have been very upset. Nonetheless, I tried to maintain my calm with him, telling him, quite truthfully, that she usually figures out the problem. That is exactly what happened and off we went into a great time, as you would see if you watched the show. My wife pointed out when I got home that the show had little to do with Italy - except for the ten minute segment at the beginning and the photos in the opening montage. I said well, some of his work had to do with it, but hey, I like it so that's my show. When the show actually comes to a close, I may never again have the chance to do something completely in my control, so whatever I wish to do, this is the chance to do it. When the show ended Ellen told us that the DVD didn't make a second copy. When I got home and looked at it, I saw that the DVD showed only Franc and me and no images. It even showed us fooling around passing notes back and forth during the opening which lasts for 2 1/2 minutes. Once Ellen indicates, "Quiet on the set," everything stops except for the music and images. I usually just sit back and relax, but with Franc there I got a little goofy. I insisted to Ellen that I take the "bad dvd" home, and now have archived it with all the others.

Next week I am revisiting Venice for the first time in over a year. The first show was Venice and then I just did other things, but now we are back to Venice, setting the stage for our trip coming up in 3 1/2 months to La Serenissima. I will show basically the same photos, but grouped by category and probably a much better production overall. I just saw the first show and it was pretty crude, so this should be much better, and, of course, it is Venice, a stunning location.

In the meantime one of my friends, and perhaps among the finest five people I ever knew had a terrible tragedy; his wife of 24 years passed away after a very long illness. She fought courageously for years, and finally succumbed. She too was sweet and wonderful, and I along with everyone who knew her will miss her. My hope is that dear friend has the strength to deal with this terrible event, and eventually comes to realize how so very lucky he was to have had such an extraordinary marriage. Life deals us horrible blows, and he and she were lucky to have had such a great relationship for a quarter century. May he eventually enjoy the incredible memories of their romance, and carry on as I know she would wish him to do. My very warmest wishes and love go out to him and his family during this dreadful time. Alan's Italy Show # 52, with his permission, will be dedicated to her memory.

The Elusive Perfect Show

It is nice to have had the experience of not having to be apprehensive about whether there will be a show as the minutes count down to air-time. This was it !!!!! Ellen and I went through the series of steps that precede the beginning, connecting cables, pressing the right buttons, sound checks, etc. flawlessly. Although shocked by the incredible smoothness, I was nonetheless waiting for the other shoe to drop, but there were at 5 PM, with Ellen whispering, "The DVD is in. Quiet on the set." Wow. Well maybe the second DVD player won't work as has occurred several times. For this part there would be no way to determine until later.

The show was devoted to the interviews of Americans I have conducted over the past several months, and came off perfectly. One lady even went to the show not aware she was on it, and was delighted to see her interview. Everyone came off very well, and even I was pleased with my own performance. It is good stuff to interview people without a lot of Italian travel experience. I would certainly like to do more, but with the poor results I have gotten from people who promised to do it, and then backed out, I have become reluctant to approach people. I would surely love to do more, and maybe I will continue to try. Anyway that part of the show was fine.

I spoke about my first Library Forum which I did last Monday. Despite the presence of only five people, it was a lot of fun. They even asked me to lead a tour, which I have done several times for friends and family, but never for "strangers". My next forum is Tues Jan 29 in Kingston. I also gave additional information about the relief sculpture Laura photographed in the Jewish Ghetto of Rome last May, making mention of it. Then after the show Ellen told me there was a date on it which could have some meaning. When I got home I researched the date and found that October 16, 1943 was the date that over 2,000 Jews were deported to Auschwitz, with only a handful returning home, so I now I will make mention of that on next week's show. We must continue to remind everyone of the absolute nightmare that Jews experienced in those horrible years, truly a holocaust.

The show ended perfectly, both DVD players worked fine, I downloaded to my computer, uploaded to Youtube, all in a period of a couple of hrs, and then today realized I had forgotten something I wished to do - acknowledging my mother's and father's 82 wedding anniversary. They were both gone now, but some mention would have been nice, and I will yet again pick up the pieces next week.

Thanks for reading and have a great week.

An Art History Lesson by Ric Hirst

I very much enjoy taking art history courses at Bard College, so tonight's show was wonderful. Ric Hirst, my friend and fellow Italophile, was brilliant in his analysis of the art of Marino Marini. The museum in his honor is one of my favorite museums in Florence located right near my favorite restaurant, La Spada, along the street, via dell Spada. Ric to me is quite mesmerizing, and his presentation was worthy of an art history professor. The show itself went quite smoothly as Ellen did her usual fabulous job of camera work and videography.

I again reminded the audience about my book, Alan's Italy: My Personal Journey, which can be reached at my website, Alansitaly.com, Xlibris website, or amazon among many other internet sites. All profits will be donated to the Town of Woodstock to be used to help support the TV studio. Also the book is now on sale at the Woodstock Venue, Jean Turmo, a lovely store on Tinker Street right in the center of town.

I will be doing a library forum in Saugerties 6 PM, Monday evening, Jan 14, to promote the book. I have been creating and re-creating my presentation for quite some time, and now seem to have arrived at a vehicle I feel comfortable with. I will trace my life of Italian travel going through the six Parts of the book through stunning photos, all very personal, including images of the times I have spent with the inspirations for the book, my friends the influential people in my life. There will be photos of me with Lidia, Luca, Franco, of course Laura, my TV engineer, Ellen, and the final Part, just about my past year of amazing experiences. I may do a book reading of a couple of passages that are the most meaningful to me. I hope if you are in this area, you will stop by at 6 PM.

Meanwhile I have moved closer to returning to my real passion to continue teaching mathematics at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. I have been away for almost three years, and am very eager to return.

Next week I will show several video taped interviews of people with whom I am friends. They will talk about their experiences traveling in Italy. The name of the show is Italy in Their Own Words, Part 3, completing the three-part series I started back last spring. I have several more possibilities for interviews in the wings, but right now, this is it. Hope you take a look. Ciao for now !

Return to the Fold

When I began to write this blog it was my intention to only write about my experiences producing the TV show. It has evolved into a lot of things related to my many projects, the books I have written, lectures I have given, classes, library forums, and of course the show itself. Then it transformed itself into me basically thinking out loud, and I haven't felt completely comfortable with that. I am known as a pretty opinionated guy, and who wears his heart on his sleeve, so if there is anyone out there in cyber land who actually knows me, then you certainly understand what I am saying.

Nonetheless, since my favorite things to do are to write and talk about myself (i.e. my very "successful" TV show), here is a tidbit you might find interesting. As many of you might know, ten years ago I retired as a high school assistant principal (Chairman of Mathematics), and then 2 1/2 years ago from my other job as a college lecturer. Well I have made the preliminary feelers out to my old college in Manhattan to possibly return in Fall 2013. This decision has been a long time coming. I tried retirement, filling up my time swimming, walking, guitar playing, reading, watching TV, producing a TV show on public access, writing books and blogs, lecturing and "teaching" about Italy, and of course planning trips there. The past year has been exciting, but when people attempt to tell me that I have successfully "redefined" myself as an Italian Guru, I feel uncomfortable to a certain degree. I would like to believe that, but frankly I miss the old jobs a lot, especially making some money along the way, which I did very successfully for 41 years.

I would love to become a high school principal. I think I would be good after 26 years as middle level supervisor. Going from total 7 day a week freedom to working my ass off, is hard to imagine, albeit very, very tempting. I think I could be very effective. There is so much that needs to be done in education. So I will mull that concept of trying to move in that direction or the much less taxing role as a college teacher of mathematics, which would be 2 days a week, although very difficult days for a guy who has not done much for almost 3 years.

Probably I will return to college teaching in NYC, possibly, but unlikely, up around here. I was very, very good (pardon my immodesty) at teaching math, so that would work, and I would be finally making some money again to feed the beast, i.e. Italy. Meanwhile I promise to write my regular blog after the Friday show, with guest appearance by Ric, about Marino Marini.

Have a great day.

Not Many Pieces to Pick Up

At the end of the blog I wrote yesterday just before leaving for the studio, I wrote that I will only write one today if there are pieces to pick up. Well, thankfully, the studio experience was uneventful. I arrived, set up, checked the systems with Ellen and then did a show where the only thing I regretted was attempting to pronounce some Italian words that sometimes throw me for a loop. Other than that the show was extremely enjoyable for me, but as I move foreword into my second year, I seem to be unable to stop talking. That is not a problem, because after all this is my show, and I do what I want, but the video I wanted to show of the the people Laura and I met in Rome on the day before we left Italy, which was over 6 minutes long had to be squeezed in. I even shortened it by just a few seconds, which did not take away from the video at all. The result was a show that lasted 1 hr 2 minutes and a few seconds, a bit longer than Ellen and I are comfortable with. I hope the five people got my e mail telling them to visit  themselves on Youtube, because I never got a response. I really enjoyed that romp through Rome on a stunning May afternoon filled with excitement and outstanding sights. You have to see it in full to appreciate the whole concept.

Other than that, Ric Hirst has agreed to do Marino Marini next Friday, Jan 11, and I am looking forward to that very much. Then I will show my several interviews with the people I know very well whom I interviewed a few months ago in the show titled, Italy in Their Own Words Part 3. Then back to Franc and on and on.....

Any Questions ?

A Little Variety in Presentation. The Blog, Not the Show.

I never have written a blog BEFORE a show, only after, and then usually the next day, but here is the exception. Sixty-four people have gone to this site to read my blog since last Saturday. I always wonder if people read them through from beginning to end, or just take a look, sort of like TV channel surfing, except on the internet. Web browsing, right ? Isn't that what it's called. I am mulling the idea of presenting a prize to the first one who reads this and emails me some kind of response, anything to let me know who you are. Like you get a free ticket on our plane to Italy if you contact me within the next 48 hrs. Be the first on your block to receive a free ticket to Rome with Alan's Italy !!!!

So to the issue at hand. I spent the week looking back over past shows, not all of them, of course, but a few of the first and then a few of the most recent. There is a marked difference. First, of all I have gained about ten pounds in reality and it is obvious from the photos. Second,  it is clear what my thinking was back then. I never knew what to do with my hands. At first they were all over my face. Then when friends told me, I kept them at my side, but that made me look like I was tied to the chair. Then I tried folding them on the desk or playing with my pen. That is the most acceptable. Third, the presentation on the computer has changed. There are more graphics, writing, especially in the conclusion. Fourth, Ellen seems to be producing clearer images even using the "focus" which I always thought produced poorer images. Fifth, and most importantly, I look and act much more relaxed. It has finally gotten through to me that I am not making the famous "King's Speech" that required so much prep by Edward VI or Roosevelt's "Today is the day that will live in infamy," or Lincoln's "Four score and seven year ago." (The latter, Gettysburg Address, I know by heart. Yeah I know crazy. Also while I am here, I should tell you that I know every American President and when they served. Trivia.) I think I have finally truly relaxed, and perhaps even kept this thing in perspective.Who knows. Tonight I may self-destruct right before my audience. I never know with me.

My friend and former colleague Sima who has never seen my show and is one of the fifteen people in the USA who does not have a computer, has requested to see the show. She does have a DVD player, so I will send her three old shows, and copies of both books. One show I happen to have a copy of Rome Part 2, Show # 8. Then I will send # 41 with Ric Hirst doing the Museum of the Duomo Part 2 to show her a broadcast with a guess appearance. And finally either the Florence Church Show or Piazza show I did recently. Those are arguably my favorites. I'll make that decision when I finish this. For those shows I need to burn a DVD from my computer. The computer which used to take 2 hrs to burn a DVD of a show now takes 3 1/2 hrs and scares me, like is my computer getting worn out. So Ellen, my engineer, will do the copying on better equipment.

Tonight's show Alan's Italy Show # 48 will focus on my amazing last day of our trip back in May, when we spent the day simply strolling around Rome. We had originally planned to visit the MAXXI Museum, but when we saw how beautiful the weather was and how many people were out and about, we decided to join the multitude and right there at our lunch table at Ristorante La Grotta Teatro di Pompeo, I drew up an alternate plan. Tune in for the show. The images are very mundane shots of just about everywhere in Rome including a place at which I have spent precious few minutes, the Jewish Ghetto.

Probably I will write a blog afterward to pick up the pieces. See ya later, or tomorrow.