August 2017 – September 2023 Preliminaries Short time after I finished with my Father’s memorial services, and I was settling into my new life as an orphan, Mr. Mișu (a Danube Delta aficionado) called me and threw me a curve, inviting me in a Once In A Lifetime Trip, and offered to pick me up…… Continue reading Two Men In A Boat (The Sponge and The Mechanic)
Category: English
Don Steffano – Confessions Of A Romanian Chatterbox
Covid – Episode 3
This post will be updated daily, until I either get well, or I end up in the hospital.And, as the musical titan Roger Waters once said:”Goodbye, cruel world, I’m leaving you today / Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.”So… better not. August 11, 2023 I’ve got Covid. Third time.The first was in January 2021.The second was so mild…… Continue reading Covid – Episode 3
The naked truth about long-forgotten times
Note: Versiunea in Romaneste este aiciDisclaimer: kind of NSFW IntroductionThe Nude BeachesVama VecheThe New Vama VecheThe Last Day of FreedomAcross the Pond – Atlantic City Introduction I hadn’t even finished my masterpiece on clotheslines, ropes, and strings when I realized that I had forgotten many places I had been to when I was a young…… Continue reading The naked truth about long-forgotten times
The Clothesline
Initially, I wanted to get my doctorate in clothesline studies – something like “Clothesline – an integral part of Romanian history”. … I realized that line-drying has been done since ancient times, in the countryside and in the city, in all cultures, all countries, by people from all walks of life.
The Long Hair Diet (LHD)
Some of the greatest inventions of the last century were born either in a garage or scribbled on a napkin in a restaurant. Sometime during the month of July 2023, I watched a good friend of mine eating a huge sandwich at a restaurant. The lady is very fit even though she is eating five…… Continue reading The Long Hair Diet (LHD)
Me, The Veteran
A while ago I spoke with a friend of mine about senior discounts at grocery stores. The same discount is also available for veterans, at least at one of the stores I frequently go to. Every Tuesday, seniors and veterans get a 10% discount. I was doing my shopping this past Tuesday and, while checking…… Continue reading Me, The Veteran
Baloo’s Wild Morning
This morning the Aussie part of my giant dog started acting up as soon as I let him out at 5:30 am. Usually the Pyr and the Newf are the dominant breeds, but once in a while he gets the zoomies. Like today. He started running like crazy from one side of the backyard to…… Continue reading Baloo’s Wild Morning
THE Monument
UPDATE : at the end of this post are the pictures of the monument, installed. …. After Irina’s at least three-month of relentless research, emails from New Zealand to Canada, via Italy and Los Angeles, three nervous breakdowns, two days off from work (me), and a river of tears, we finally decided on the design,…… Continue reading THE Monument
Three Generations Go To Spain – in 2009
Stefan’s Dilemma Where should we go on vacation this year? In Romania, obviously, to see Mon Pere, but for how long can you stay in Romania without getting bored out of your mind? How much can you and your friends drink without damaging one’s liver? (Well, we still research this one). After traveling ten thousand…… Continue reading Three Generations Go To Spain – in 2009
May 21st, 2023
Because FOMO is a real thing, Popescus’ lady of the house quickly jumped into the spinners bandwagon and, for 2 weeks she researched wind spinners. We almost got one from Amazon (sold out in the nick of time), then another one also from Amazon (too big), before deciding in 2 identical from Hobby Lobby, small and delicate, just like him.
Unexpected Visitors
Today, May 20th, 2023, while doing our daily routine at Cosmin’s resting place, we had an unexpected visit from a family of Hawks. Three Harris Hawks Usually there are some small, singing birds, and lots of crows. But this was a first. They came, looked at us, and when we left, they left, too. If…… Continue reading Unexpected Visitors
Memory
In October of ’22, at a restaurant in Bucharest, it was our High School reunion, with the majority of the guys actually attending, and the out-of-towners connecting via Zoom. I had been part of some other get-togethers in the past, so there was no news from this guy, but one newcomer was a lady from…… Continue reading Memory
Mother’s Day
Somehow we survived Mother’s day. With the help of a bottle of rum from OSHO Distillery and a bottle of chianti. But mostly the rum. “Here’s to the ones that we gotCheers to the wish you were here, but you’re not’Cause the drinks bring back all the memoriesOf everything we’ve been throughToast to the ones…… Continue reading Mother’s Day
An amazingly messed up birthday
I did it to myself: I turned off the Show Birthday on Facebook. I have 253 friends, i wanted to see how many of them will remember.
Eggplant Spread by Don Steffano
I bought four very big, ripe, perfect eggplants from the friendly corner store for a buck a piece. I also got a black label Texas sweet onion, and some Shiner beer: a six pack of beer flavored beer and a six pack of grapefruit ginger and other natural flavors beer, just because I was curious.
One Morning, Like Many Others
This melting pot named US of A… one morning, in the sleepy town of Tempe, Arizona, hysterical dogs and chicken running around, letting out screeching cackles, in full panic mode for unknown reasons: “Yo, Roscoe, shut the fuck up! Mister Jones, quiet! Smaranda, keep your beak closed, you old horse! Bibi, come to mama, good…… Continue reading One Morning, Like Many Others
Cantaloupes and Other Stuff
Today I experienced a wide range of emotions, from reminiscing about my youth to laughing about … well, I forgot about what. Everything started with smelling a cantaloupe at the farmers market. Actually, cantaloupes. Actually, cantaloupes and roasted chile peppers, but let’s stay only with cantaloupes for now. Honestly, I wanted the one with the…… Continue reading Cantaloupes and Other Stuff
Quick Unleavened Bread
No fancy introductions, just straight to the recipe. The ingredients are given using the metric system due to international cooking conventions, except for the temperature, which I have already converted to Fahrenheit to avoid any confusion. Ingredients 1 kg all-purpose flour700 ml lukewarm water20 grams sugar14 grams dry yeast or 50 grams fresh yeast20 grams…… Continue reading Quick Unleavened Bread
How Did We End Up With Baloo
…she shows me three dogs, two I don’t even know what breed they were, and Baloo, in all his splendor, a picture of him on 2 paws, as tall as his human. And I say, “The big one, monstruella.”
How Did We End Up With GeeCoo (Gicu)
First one was Indie. They (Indie and The Foster Mom) came to us and we met in the small park near our house. She was much, much smaller than on the website description. They said she is twenty pounds, she was barely ten. At the age of two and a half years she was still…… Continue reading How Did We End Up With GeeCoo (Gicu)
Nea Fane - Un Biet Român Pripășit în America / A Hapless Romanian Stuck in The US 