of course this reminds me of a story

(this is NOT giovanna and saturnino but ti IS at the aqua turf)


Official arrested for chewing gum at ceremony

Apr 25, 8:24 AM (ET)
ANKARA (Reuters) - An official in Turkey's ruling party has been arrested for chewing gum while laying a wreath at a monument to the country's revered founder Kemal Ataturk, the state Anatolian news agency said Monday.
Veysel Dalci, head of the local branch of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the Black Sea town of Fatsa, was charged with insulting Ataturk's memory during Sunday's ceremony marking Turkey's National Sovereignty Day.
CNN Turk television quoted Dalci, a 38-year-old pharmacist and father of two, as saying he chewed gum to hide the smell of garlic which he had eaten the previous evening.
"After laying a wreath at the monument, I noticed I had gum in my mouth. I am very sorry," CNN Turk quoted him as saying.
Anatolian said Dalci was arrested after a local army garrison commander complained to state prosecutors. It was not immediately clear what kind of penalty Dalci would face........


a few years ago i went to my dear friend saturnino's wedding (he married the MOST lovely giovanna). the church was somewhere down new haven way and the reception was at the aqua turf in plantsville (hey, i don't know where plantsville is either). a few of us went together and to be on the safe side, we decided to rent motel rooms for the night. it rained and thundered and lightening like i have never seen it rain while on the way to the church but it suddenly (and i must say miraculously stopped JUST as the wedding started). we took our seats and a friend, tom, turned to me and said 'i wish i was italian. i have NEVER seen so much kissing and hugging in my whole life. we didn't do this in our family'. i just smiled and shook my head. of course there is LOTS of that going on but what he didn't know is; when it's good it's good BUT WHEN IT'S BAD IT'S WICKED UGLY. no one can hold a grudge or be as stubborn as an italian (in my most humble opinion). oh but i digress. i begged saturnino to be his best man for MONTHS prior to the wedding. i WOULD have worn a tux, cumberbund AND a bow tie. NO SHIRT of course (gotta dig that cleavage) but i WOULD have worn that tux. he just said to me 'a rose is a rose, you KNOW my parents and giovanna's parents and the rest of our families just wouldn't understand so i've asked my ONLY sibling, my ONLY brother, crescenzo to be my best man'. can you feel the dejection i felt? i still reel when i think of the hurt this brought me (although i never forget the words 'NEVER go against the family fredo'). so the wedding ceremony starts. giovanna is the loveliest bride i have ever seen. saturnino starts welling up as she is being escorted down the aisle by her father. i am getting a warm fuzzy feeling deep inside (even though everyone has moved away from me at this point. something about them being afraid to sit next to me in a church). my attention then turns to crescenzo who's up on the alter lighting a candle or something or other. HE'S EFFING CHEWING GUM. i couldn't believe what i was seeing. the best man was ON THE ALTER OF GOD CHEWING GUM. i got through the service (how, i'll never understand) and exited the church to the receiving line. when i got to saturnino i bent over and whispered in his ear, 'you chose crescenzo over ME to be best man. he has disgraced you AND your family by chewing gum. YOU SHOULD HAVE CHOSEN ME ME ME to be your best man. i would NEVER chew gum. of course i would have had a lit cigarette in one hand and a cocktail in the other but GUM....NEVER NEVER NEVER'.

giovanna and saturnino are now the proud parents of little serafina born 16 months ago. she IS beautiful and i'm not just saying that and every word of this story is true except of course the names


(look for my next wedding story soon. it involves me (of course) vittorino and tiziana PLUS objects from outer space)