Because I had some pasta I wanted to try, my next travel from home destination was Italy. I had planned to “travel” last Saturday, but the movie I had ordered from Netflix DVD did not arrive when it was supposed to.
My First Trip
Because I had been looking forward to the fake trip, I had a mini trip that night instead. I asked my BookCrossing group for recommendations and got so many! I ended up choosing two books from my To Be Read mountain. The first book has been on my TBR shelf for about twelve years now (it was on my friend’s Italy list in Goodreads) and the second is an audiobook I also got through BookCrossing and hadn’t even realized was set in Italy.
I also found a generic Italian dinner music playlist on Amazon Prime, had a small dinner (Amy’s Pesto Tortellini) and dessert (Lindy’s Italian Ice), and watched a movie (Letters to Juliet). Technically, that qualifies as a trip under my requirements, but it was not at all what I originally had planned.
My Second Trip
When the DVD finally arrived, I decided to go on another adventure. I am still working through the books, but I did a little reading that day around all the other things I had going on. Then I played the same album while prepping dinner. I wanted to try out the Public Goods tortellini, because it’s shelf stable for more than a year and might make a good addition to my emergency supplies. Turns out, it’s just okay. I think I cooked it a little too long. I couldn’t add sauce, because of my dietary restrictions, and I could have lived without the fake vegetarian beef flavoring. But it was all right, especially with bread sticks. One packet of the tortellini seems to be enough for three or four meals, so that’s pretty cost effective.
The movie that caused this whole scheduling issue is Call Me By Your Name. I had been wanting to see it for more than a year now, so this fake trip was a great excuse. It was gorgeous in so many ways. I ate dinner and dessert while watching and was finished long before I reached for the tissue box at the end of the movie.
My Choices
Book(s): Galileo’s Daughter by Dava Sobel and (in my car, on audio) The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark (I have not yet finished reading either of them)
Meals: Amy’s Pesto Tortellini, Public Goods Tortellini Soup, Stella D’oro Bread Sticks
Desserts: Lindy’s Italian Ice, Steve’s Sicilian Chocolate Cannoli Ice Cream (this one pint is going to last me months, the way I eat, but it is incredibly delicious)
Music: Italian Dinner Music album on Amazon Music
Movies: Letters to Juliet (charming, and full of beautiful shots of the countryside) and Call Me By Your Name (absolutely amazing and just as beautiful)