FORZA AZZURRI!!!

I know I'm a few days late with this post, but WOO HOO!!! YAY ITALIA!!!!!
I won't bore you with a post-game synopsis/analysis because I know they're currently ubiquitous, but I will make comment on some recurring words from upset France fans. Now I understand the urge of dedicated Les Bleus fans to whine about how they felt that Italy was not the superior team of the match and did not deserve to win it all, but I just want to put out the reminder that Italy was UNDEFEATED throughout the entire tournament. I know France was also "undefeated", but they left group G in second place with only one win, two draws and 5 points. Italy finished atop their group with 7 points, two wins and only one draw. Superior playing? I think so. Enough of that....on to the gloating.
I took the quick trip down to Niagara Falls to watch the World Cup final with my family (for those of you who don't know, my dad's side of the family is hardcore Italian), and as soon as Grosso reached the back of the net with that beautifully stuck ball we were out the door, in the car, and destroying the Niagara noise bylaw. We drove straight to the intersection of Victoria Ave and Clifton Hill where there was already a sea of green, white, and red marching up and down the streets. I had a blast riding out the top of my Zia's (that's "aunt" in Italian) sunroof wearing my blue Italia shirt and waving my partiotic flag. The spirit abound was that of triumph and unbelievable passion for the game, and for the Italian culture. Here are a few pics taken that day:



My cousin Luca proudly waving a flag while riding out the top of the sunroof.







My twin cousins with their father, celebrating at our gelato cafe.









My cousin Nick, posing with the Pope who quite liked our large flag.









And just for good measure, the boys relaxing after the game:




Ah, a beautiful game indeed.

Life is a Highway....with some Sweet Wheels!

I've never really been the type of girl to swoon over the suave guy that drives a hot car, or the bad-ass boy that rides a motorcycle, but on Saturday night I was taken for a spin in a brand new silver Nissan 350z coupe and suddenly understood why it drives some women crazy. First off, the car is so low to the ground that when you sit in it, you feel as if you're only inches from the ground. That's because you are. The first thing I noticed about the interior (other then the soft plush black leather), was that it was a stick shift. Hot. I don't know what it is about a guy that drives standard, but I gotta say - loves it!
So, into reverse and out of the driveway we go. We happend to be in a part of Dundas that has some fairly long, deserted roads (alright, it was 12:30am and ALL streets in Dundas are deserted by this time) so we were able to take full advantage of the car's 300 HP and 250lb-ft torque. I'm not gonna lie - it was a ton of fun - takin' the corners at speeds I dare not come close to in my mum's '97 Ford Escort. Fishtailing has never felt so good. I think I now have a thing for hot cars.
Additionally, the same night, I was offered a ride on a motorcycle. This I declined. Partly because I'm a wuss and too scared of all the potential dangers, and partly because I didn't trust the guy with the bike as I had just met him that night. Perhaps at some point I'll muster up the courage to hop on the back of a hog, but for now I'm content with my new-found admiration for sweet rides.



Pic of the Nissan 350z coupe, courtesy of www.nissan.ca


On a side note, Italy totally kicked ass in World Cup semi-final action today defeating Germany by a score of 2 - nil in a game that lasted two overtime periods for a total of 120 minutes on the pitch. ITALY ALL THE WAY!!!! VIVA ITALIA!!!



#7, Italy's Del Piero


Pic courtesy of www.fifaworldcup.yahoo.com