Post All-Star Game Pose & Mid-Month Flows

I'm not much for social networking at the digital destinations these days. In fact, I can hardly answer old-fashioned e-mail with any regularity, so don't take it personally if I'm not responding to your inquiries in those places. Frankly, I'd like to do more of the old-fashioned face-to-face social networking—the kind many of us practiced before we were eBaying or role-playing or creating avatars or blogspotting or whatever.

Baseball's 79th All-Star game last night was the longest one of its kind in terms of both innings and minutes, and I watched most of it, aside from a quick trip to Baskin-Robbins for our usual Tuesday-night $1 scoops. Speaking of ice cream, I don't get too excited about all of the hybrid flavors named after cookies and candy bars. I still like Rocky Road and Gold Medal Ribbon. Whatever happened to rainbow sherbet?

Angela, Vito and Papacito have done quite a few things since the last post (at least, it feels like we have), but it seems awkward, now, to try and recap them all. Best to just move on...

Summer school is nearing completion and the three of us can smell a real vacation less than two weeks away. It's frightening to think how much money will be spent on gas, but we'll try to keep that under control.

The air is still a little smoky, but it hasn't been as hot over the past few days so we've been going outside for longer stretches, if only to walk around the block in the evening. Hopefully, the fires will continue to subside and the air will continue to improve.

Vito & the Giant Redwood

From the fires, we had been trapped indoors all of last week due to the smoky air that has been suffocating Northern California. Before things got hot, we had taken a day trip down to Muir Woods and Stinson Beach, which was relaxing tonic. It was especially nice to escape the heat in Vacaville for a little while. We're planning a more serious adventure in nature at Yosemite around the end of the month. I haven't gone camping in more than six years so I'm really looking forward to it.

Thankfully, the weather has improved over the past couple of days, and we're hoping to make a visit to the neighborhood park this evening after it cools down a little so Vito can get a little swing time.

Speaking of Vito, he continues to develop and charm us. He likes to hide under the kitchen table and imitate animal sounds. Peekaboo behind chair backs and couch cushions is not uncommon. Books are among his favorite toys, which makes mom and dad happy! When he thinks of it, he hobbles to his little bookshelf, picks out something, and brings it to either his mother or myself. After reading a few pages to him, he leaves to get a different book. This can go on for hours until there are books in every room in the apartment.

Father's Day in America & Catch-Up

My first Father's Day in America and, truth be told, my first real Father's Day. Last year, I was in Italy and Father's Day is celebrated on St. Joseph's Day there, which, if I'm not mistaken, is on the 19th of March. Vito was still a few months from seeing daylight so I didn't really have much of a Father's Day.

This morning, I woke up a little before seven, happy that I had awoken to a quiet apartment. Then I heard Vito's "Dadda" from his bedroom and got up to see what he was doing. He was just standing up in his crib with his arms over the side wide awake. I picked him up and he pointed to a kite hanging in one corner of his room and said: "Duhdah." Then he pointed to a picture on the wall and said the same thing. In the kitchen, he dubbed the light and the clock in the same manner with the same gesture. Despite the fact that he has a larger vocabulary and even though he can distinguish various different objects, he points and utters this variation on "Dadda" at nearly every opportunity. It's funny.

Anyway, aside from Father's Day, for which there was a BBQ at my cousin's, today is also Vito's onomastico or name day, as well as Angela's birthday. We all three had a reason to celebrate and, for good measure, I purchased a couple SuperLotto Plus tickets.

On a more mundane note, I enlisted to teach summer school and that begins tomorrow. *sighs* I probably should be working on lesson plans or something more preparatory than blogging, but I'm not.

With only one week off between the end of the regular school year and summer school, we drove up to Reno last Sunday and spent the next four days with my parents who recently relocated there. We had a great time visiting Lake Tahoe and Virginia City with Grandma and Grandpa Marcacci! One of the most memorable attractions I saw was the tiny Gambling Museum in Virginia City. Some of the old slot-machines awarded players gum balls or cigarettes instead of coins. Virginia City was also, for almost two years, the former residence of Mark Twain, and many of the local attractions were named after him.

Well, it has taken me nearly an hour to complete this post—more time than I had wanted to spend on it—but you're all caught up and I can rest easy until my next post.

Vito Walks

Angela surfed across this clip a couple weeks ago. Obviously, with a baby around Jack-Jack's age, we thought this was hilarious. It might not make much sense, thought, if you're not familiar with The Incredibles, an animated movie about a family of superheroes.

Otherwise, on Monday afternoon, Vito started traversing the apartment on two limbs rather than four. Mama and me were excited. Vito looked pretty thrilled about it, as well, a big smile on his face as he plodded around the house with his arms held out.

Marcacci Progeny & the Apple

I haven't been, obviously, posting as much since the joyful creation and discovery of Marcacci progeny almost one year ago, but I've been receiving many more comments on the blog, despite my lack of attention, which is nice. It could be that I receive just as many comments as I did before, but they're just not as spread out.

Before it slips my mind again, my Dusie chapbook, Imagining a Baby, which you can download and e-read by perusing your choices in the handy sidebar at left, was reviewed at Galatea Resurrects, a poetry review website.

The three of us took sick this weekend, starting with Vito who really only ran a slight fever for a few days and then seemed relatively fine. After that, Angela came down with a cold and, now that it has run its course on her, seems to have found new life in me who, at this moment, would rather be sleeping. Nevertheless, I'm not far from it, and temporarily sacrifice myself for the betterment of the blogsphere, if you can call this that.

Vito continues to do his growing thing. He can get in, perhaps, a dozen steps before hitting the turf or the waiting arms of parentage. Mama is also becoming a more distinct utterance in his lexicon, up till now largely comprised of its natural complement.

Tonight, Vito was playing quietly in the corner near his toy box when I started eating an apple. It's difficult to eat an apple without disturbing the peace, at least the way I eat apples, but he didn't seem to notice, so concentrated as he was on one or other of his blocks.

After a few more crunchy bites, Vito noticed what I was doing and crawled over to the couch, where I was lying, to investigate. He made loud attempts to acquire the apple and, seeing every effort thwarted, turned toward that old standby, the tantrum. "OK. You want some apple?" I asked, getting up from the couch and walking to the kitchen to get a knife. Feeling abandoned, he only increased his tantrum. "Come here," I said, cutting off a small piece of the apple and removing the skin, and he did just that, sensing, possibly, that he'd won.

Well, he wouldn't have anything to do with the little naked apple bit I presented to him. He indicated that he wanted the apple, just not the doctored bit that was in my hand. I held the apple near his mouth and he clamped onto it, really scraping off a piece more than taking a bite, but happy. He chewed for a while and then readied for a second take. He repeated the activity a dozen times, maybe, and then crawled off toward his mother when she entered the room.

Old Sacramento and Such

We found out last week that our summer plans would be dashed against rocks of immigration and that we, to avoid any further strife or unpleasantness, should remain in this country until we have all the necessary documents in hand. We learned that we had failed to submit all of the proper forms for Angela to gain residency and, now that we know better, are welcome to submit the remaining forms (with the additional fees!) and await the merciful hand of bureacracy.

Part of our unhappy journey of discovery included a trip to California's capital, Sacramento, on a gorgeously cloudless Friday afternoon. I hadn't ever really explored Sacramento much, despite having grown up in the area and, before getting back on the highway to return to Vacaville, we stopped in Old Sacramento to look around, which was a surprise. Old Sacramento, designated as a State Historic Park, is a restored Gold Rush-era town along the Sacramento River with many shops, museums and restaurants to explore. A beautiful site, we were overwhelmed by the unusual architecture, wooden sidewalks and cobblestone streets, and plan to return soon when we are better prepared to spend more time there.

Anyway, we had been well into Spring here with teasing glimpses of summer, and then things took a turn for the cold this weekend with rough wind swirling pollen and dust into the icy mix, extending, unhappily, into today. The surrounding hills have lost their verdancy, and are beginning to take on a burnt hue as the sun continues to bake us, despite the wind and cooler temperatures. Spring's last gasp, perhaps, before summer takes hold completely.

School is winding down, though it can't get here fast enough for me. I spent most of the weekend grading papers, but we snuck out for a peep at the Fantasy/Medieval Festival taking place in downtown Vacaville. We took a quick stroll through the streets on Sunday, looking at all of the booths, strangely attired people and other oddities, and then went back home.

For all of you Vito-mongers, he is doing fine. His first birthday is approaching, and it's hard to believe that we have almost been going strong for one year with the little man. He is starting to throw things and get into more and more trouble on a daily basis, but we couldn't be happier.