Aria Giovanni’s Blog

So, I am in Europe now and it is my fifth time being here in the last 2 years. I remember being in London on one of these trips after a night on the town with friends following a shoot and all I wanted was some breakfast. I didn’t care that it would come with sauteed mushrooms, broiled tomatoes, and baked beans. I would eat around it. But, like every time that I ordered tea in London, I forgot to tell them no milk in my tea. It arrived with my breakfast and I was teetering on sending it back.  Finally I said “fuck it…drink the damn tea the way they want to serve it to you and like it.” At least that is what went through my head. I like to have my food a certain way. I am known for this in the states to go into a restaurant and change the menu according to the way I want it. Well, that doesn’t really fly here in Europe. It isn’t Burger King and you can’t always have it your way. So, I drank the tea and got over it. The funny thing though is that when I got back to the states on one of my regular trips to coffee bean in the morning I added some nonfat milk to my tea. I started to like it and I pretty much always add milk to my hot and iced tea when I order it now. I had the same problem with salami sandwiches I would get in Paris. They come on a baguette with butter and salami. I would order one and scrape off the butter which was a pain in the butt. Now, I just eat them the way they come and actually I was craving one on the plane ride over to Europe this time. I have a few more weeks here and I know I will have Bratwurst in Munich and maybe even I can make myself try french fries with mayonnaise in Amsterdam. One thing is for sure, nobody has to twist my arm to try Guinness in Ireland. I am definitely looking forward to that experience.

So, I woke up this morning and realized I was out of milk and had nothing to make my wonderful protein shake with. I went off to Ralphs and decided to pick up a few more items while I was there. I browsed the produce and grabbed some broccoli, asparagus, a sweet potato, a peach, some cherries, a tangelo, a couple of bananas and some grapes. I swung around the diary section and grabbed a gallon of organic non-fat milk. I picked up two tubs of hummus and some double fiber whole wheat bread. I wanted some Ito En green tea in a can but they were out. As I am swinging around to pick up a lemon herb rotisserie chicken for lunch I noticed this section of the grocery store. I hadn’t paid attention to it in ages, but I noticed it because a women with her 2 kids were going through the shelves and the little boy found some muffins there. Now, I bet most of you have never realized that there is this section in all major grocery stores, at least in the states, that has outdated food. The food is marked down and often hidden almost that if you didn’t pay attention you would never know that it existed. If you don’t believe this section exists ask someone the next time you are at the grocery store. I remember as a kid always loving this section. I liked when I found a surprise there of some sort that we could not normally afford but we would get if it was marked down enough. It made me stop and think how different life is now than when I was a kid. It almost seems like another life that I lived then. It makes me stop and remember how lucky I am and I appreciate all that my family has now. We have come a long way.

I have been sick for the last week and almost every time I catch a cold I get bronchitis. No need to go to a doctor to tell me so for I have asthma and ever since I was a kid the same thing happens the same way each time. Now I know I sound pretty bad when I cough but I guess I am used to it. To other people’s ears around me I must sound like I am dying. I don’t feel like I am dying I just have a cough. A bad one at that. Now a few of my friends have asked me if I have seen a doctor and of course I say no. They ask why not and I say because all they are going to do is tell me that I have bronchitis and give me antibiotics. They say that if you take antibiotics it will go away sooner and I say no thank you. I don’t like the idea of taking medicine that I don’t need. I believe that my body is well equipped to fight the infection itself. It might take longer than a few days but it will happen and I will be back to normal without messing up the balance of my system. I am not stubborn to the point of being ridiculous though. I do admit that there are times that I will succumb to the need of taking antibiotics. For instance, if a secondary infection occurs that shows me my body is not strong enough to fight on its own, anything in the “female” department, uti’s, and in case of a major surgery I would agree to take preventive antibiotics. So, I guess my question is antibiotics: what do you think, yeah or nay?

Why is that? You are out in public and you see someone across the room that you think is attractive until they open there mouth. You cannot believe what an idiot they become. Within 30 seconds they go from an 8 to a 2 just by talking. Unfortunately it does not work the other way around. If you see a guy that is a 2 on the attractive scale he doesn’t turn into an 8 by talking no matter how humorous and intelligent he may be. Of course he gains a few points but there is something about the initial attraction that is either there or not. I guess it works the other way too. I have had guy friends say they met a 10 and asked her out. On the date she can’t seem to carry a conversation and has a preoccupation with topics such as the new nail polish color that is out for the Spring collection. I guess there is someone for everyone but my friends have complained of a girl loosing all her points too from the same problem. It is always a bummer when this happens.