Pins galore!

Luigi gave me IN pins for China, and I brought back some great ones to share with him and the family!  I picked up some more, and I'll post them soon.  Of course, I didn't trade for all of them.  I had to pay for some of the more amazing ones.  That German one from 1936 was forged for members of the British Royal Family, so that is no joke.

What's Cookin in Brooklyn?

So as I pulled up to my house: late, frazzled, and bemused by the happenings on the train, there on my porch stood the man himself, Luigi Vitrone.

"Chief!" I exclaimed. "It's been a few months since our paths last crossed."

Luigi smiled, extended his hand, and said "my good friend Johnny, it's good to see you brother."

I laughed at myself, having instinctively called him "Chief."

I call everyone Chief, and on that very same night that Luigi and I met back in Baltimore, as we cruised the town late into the night, I sad to him "You know Chief, this town ain't so bad after all." Luigi grinned wide at this, and told me:

"You know, Johnny, if my father were here right now, instead of in Brooklyn, he would find it very funny that you called me Chief right then. You see, my father only uses two name for people he is speaking with casually. If he doesn't know their real name, and even sometimes when he does, he calls them either "Chief" or "Johnny."

He continued "and here I am in Baltimore, hanging out with a complete stranger, who happens to be named Johnny, and who apparently just called me Chief."

Luigi really got a kick out of this, and it served to strengthen our friendship right from the start. Like Luigi's father, I call almost everybody "Chief," whether I know them or not.
Flashing back to the present:
I welcomed Luigi into our home, but had to almost immediately apologize. "Listen, Lew, Frankie and are I leaving for Asia TONIGHT. So while it is great to see you, I don't have any time to play host to you. I can offer you something to drink, but I only have a few minutes before I have to go upstairs and finish packing."

Luigi told me he understood. He knew I was leaving, and he just wanted to drop off a couple of things for the family. He had a bottle of his famous pasta sauce and a big tub of homemade pasta for the kids.

"I know your borther and his wife are taking care of the girls, but I wanted to make their lives a little bit easier and give them a night or two of dinner."

I thanked him profusely, as he is always so thoughtful.

"I have something for you as well, Johnny." Luigi continued. I was speaking with Mayor Baker last week, and he gave me a box of pins for the Wilmington IN Campaign.


"He wants me to distribute them at the restaurant, and I plan to. But, knowing that you and Frankie are going to be in China for the Olympics, and knowing how popular "pin-trading" is at the Olympic Games, I was hoping you could bring some IN pins with you and use them for trading fodder. What do you think?"

Beijlympics

My apologies for the lack of a recent post.

Even though I carry my laptop with me everywhere, I just can't seem to write when I am on vacation. Frankie and I took a three month Pacific Asian tour, taking in Australia, Malaysia, Tokyo, Singapore, Seoul, Moscow, Mongolia, Nepal, Mumbai, Bankok, Hanoi, Da Nang, and, obviously, Beijing.

We visited the Olympics in the middle of our trip, and we took in some magical experiences. We saw Michael Phelps win his fifth gold medal, and we watched the US Women's Gymnasts win the team silver. We spent a week traveling (where we were allowed) in China, and I have to say, it is much, much different than it was the last time I was there, in 1994.


The Olympic architecture was spellbinding. I especially loved the "bird's nest" (where we were lucky enough to catch the Closing Ceremonies) and Frankie was enthralled with the "beehive." The entire Olympic Village, though at times sparsely attended, was a testament to the optimistic future China and the world hopes for. I did manage to use my influence to squeeze outside of the approved boundaries for a day and a half, and the bleak world I came across served as a dark portent to an untended future.



But we had a great time on our trip, and I look forward to regaling you, dear reader, with more stories about our trip in the coming weeks.

We were thrilled to see the girls and the pets upon our return, though I can't say they were as thrilled to see us. They feigned excitement, mostly in appreciation of the numerous gifts and trinkets we sent back throughout the trip.