A view by yours truly, in regards to NBC’s broadcasting style The American Athlete is perfect and always deserves a gold medal. Sometimes mistakes are made, and the American athlete loses said gold, not because he or she is not the best, but by mistake, of course, never because a competitor was better. The only…… Continue reading The American Athlete
Category: English
Don Steffano – Confessions Of A Romanian Chatterbox
A Day That Refused to Be Boring
Dear Diary, Today was one of those days. Good and bad. Mostly both. At the same time. It started at 3 a.m., when I woke up to go to the bathroom. Which is a good thing: better to wake up than the alternative. But, stupid me, I checked my email because that bloody phone is…… Continue reading A Day That Refused to Be Boring
Water Fit Class
Alma was rippling with enthusiasm: “Oh my Gooood, water aerobics feels amazing.”Tanti Cici, buried in snow somewhere in Canada: “I’m going, so why aren’t you going?”Irina, at me, with her verdict-delivery tone: “You need it. You’re going!”And me, defeated by the Anvil Chorus of demand: “Fine, fine, I’ll go. Just leave me alone.” It took…… Continue reading Water Fit Class
Friends, Farewells, and Running with Toddlers
On a Saturday, at 12:30 p.m., we got invited to a parastas scheduled for 1 p.m. (a memorial service held in remembrance of the departed.) It was for a lady of only 50, taken far too early by cancer. That is all I will say because it is not my story to tell. Her closest…… Continue reading Friends, Farewells, and Running with Toddlers
Kitchen mishaps
Our kitchen remodel has turned into what some might call an expensive, chaotic ordeal, filled with contractors, blunders, and surprising delays. The so-called “kitchen apocalypse” is supposedly chronicled in a separate post (click on post to see it). What I have here is merely a questionable summary with a few main points. What we supposedly…… Continue reading Kitchen mishaps
Turmeric Baguette
For Rita Like any “serious” culinary blog, a recipe always begins with an epic tale, because who doesn’t love a good yarn while waiting for the dough to rise? As I ponder a riveting story that might put you to sleep, here’s the recipe. Ingredients for 4 baguettes 800 g Organic King Arthur Bread Flour…… Continue reading Turmeric Baguette
Playing With AI
I eagerly dove into the captivating world of AI-generated images, and here’s the wonderful journey I’ve experienced! (Intro generated by AI) While “wonderful” might be a stretch, it’s definitely been funny and intriguing! Yours truly, joyfully celebrating the delight of pencil sketches! Well, the doodle may be a stretch to call it a sketch, but…… Continue reading Playing With AI
A Very Romanian Christmas in the Land of the Free
Ladies and gentlemen, Christmas is right around the corner, and The Local Romanian is putting on his game face. The American neighbor is out there too, cranking up the fire pits and creating a ton of smoke, even if the City declares “no burn days.” The American neighbor doesn’t care, he knows better. The whole…… Continue reading A Very Romanian Christmas in the Land of the Free
Bulgaria – Chapter 5
The Mixed Bag – Everything Was Under Control Chapter 5 will be a totally mixed bag: from the self-service grocery store in the first village, on the right side of the main street, where you can’t even curse a little bit and you can’t formulate any sort of food strategy because everyone is staring at…… Continue reading Bulgaria – Chapter 5
Bulgaria – Chapter 4
The Watercraft As my father would say, “let’s get things straight” with some official definitions: Kayak – a light, narrow boat, usually propelled by a double-bladed paddle. It has an elongated shape, sits low in the water, and can be open or closed (with a cockpit). Kayaks are used for recreation, sports, expeditions, and navigation…… Continue reading Bulgaria – Chapter 4
Bulgaria – Chapter 3
Washing Away the Blues As everyone knows – or maybe not, but it hardly matters – I was let go from the company where I’d worked for twenty-five years. The news came right before I was set to leave for vacation, which did nothing but bury my morale even deeper, a disposition already collapsed after Cosmin’s passing.…… Continue reading Bulgaria – Chapter 3
Bulgaria – Chapter 2
The Departure My comments from last year about the car and the caravan were taken very seriously. The trip was officially declared a Test Run, and a list was made of everything that needed fixing and/or improving. But as with any list for a caravan (or camping in general), it started multiplying on its own,…… Continue reading Bulgaria – Chapter 2
Bulgaria – Chapter 1
Introducere I’ve been told my texts are too long. I know they are. That’s why my blog is called Nea Fane Bate Câmpii (Old Man Fane Rambles On). It’s because I write a lot and, as some say, often to no particular purpose, but since no one is forced to read, I just keep doing…… Continue reading Bulgaria – Chapter 1
The Nail
Journal of The Kitchen Apocalypse
This is a fluid post; it will be updated every time something else happens. And many things happened … so many things …
Romanian Culinary Adventures
The “sister” post, in Romanian, is here. Day one, landing in the middle of the night in Bucharest, followed by the early morning pilgrimage to Hulubești, to pay respects to my parents at their resting place. Back to Bucharest in the afternoon, The Great Hunger led us to a trip to Ciorbărie for ciorbă de burtă (tripe soup). I love ciorbă de burtă.…… Continue reading Romanian Culinary Adventures
Joke
My wife came home with four cases of beer, three boxes of wine, two bottles of whiskey and two loaves of bread. “Are we expecting guests?” I asked. “No,” she replied. “Then why did you buy so much bread?”
The Survivor
For more than sixty years, Nea Fane has been tripping through life with his awkward little steps, just wandering along those wild paths that like to throw him a curveball. He spent 33 years living under a communist regime that turned into a dictatorship, quietly chuckling at the ridiculousness of the leaders, sharing those off-the-wall…… Continue reading The Survivor
Torpedo Sandwiches
Last night I had only a few hours of bad sleep. Around 3 a.m., I woke up hungry and needing to pee. Instead of choosing, I took care of both and ate my first giant torpedo sandwich. A glorious decision, since everyone knows that eating at night is the pinnacle of health. Five hours of…… Continue reading Torpedo Sandwiches
Life with dogs – Episode 192
Ladies and gentlemen, as you already know, I’m slow. Not mentally, not emotionally. Physically slow. My Lady says she can’t walk the dogs with me because my pace makes her tired and nervous. Nervous! Imagine walking so slow you cause anxiety. My buddy Mișu isn’t any better. I told him twice to drag his butt out of the…… Continue reading Life with dogs – Episode 192
The White Swimming Cap
🇷🇴 Today at the pool I had a memorable encounter. I was diligently swimming breaststroke, lap after lap, nice and easy so I wouldn’t wreck my joints (again). Next to me, however, was a speed demon. For every one of my lengths, he did four of his. I know I’m not a fast swimmer, but…… Continue reading The White Swimming Cap
Nea Fane - Un Biet Român Pripășit în America / A Hapless Romanian Stuck in The US 