Smiling Faces

I need to know this - cause I notice when you're smilin'
Out in the sun havin' fun and you're feelin' free
And I can tell you know how hard this life can be
But you keep on smilin' for me

Things that have made me smile recently:

Getting that giant 'zagrebacki'
Hearing Jenny got a perfect score on her exam in linguistics
Having a job
Buying a squeezer for oranges, to make fresh juice, my task for the week, and something I will appreciate every morning
Seeing that I have the flyest wardrobe for work at work
Wearing ties
Seeing my hair grow back in the way I want it to
Croatia kicking ass in the Handball World Cup
Getting some winter style socks (go above the ankles)
Sending cards with little yellow bears on them
Going on my first business trip
Having beers with my dad
Watching sports with Neven

Thing that will make me smile to most soon:

Jenny coming for 5 days
Getting to wake up next to her
Showing her more of Zagreb
GIVING HER THE BIGGEST KISS EVER!!!

Rain

Rain. Miserable. Rain.
It keeps coming. Never stopping. Never letting up. Persistence is the game. Grey skies. Muggy streets. Puddles that splash. Cars that drench. Wind breaking umbrellas.

I know that rain nourishes the land, fills our rivers and lakes, and is a life giver to all flora and fauna. But why does it have to rain in succession, day after day, never taking a break, not even for lunch. It weakens my spirit, tests my resolve, and restricts my movement, crushes my plans, ruins my coats, stains my shoes.
I am a whiner at times, I know it, and anyone who knows me knows it. I am a happy person, always thinking the best of people, or situations, but some things get me in such a funks that make me feel like a piece of rotten wood, still the same on the outside, but decayed on the inside. Rain does that. It hides from me the thing I love the most, the sun. And honestly I whine rarely, I tend to suck things up, or so I think, feel free to be honest.
Last weekend, it was sunny, for a few hours on Saturday morning. It was perfect. I was ready for that Saturday, I would make the most of the sunshine, I would enjoy the day to its fullest. Go for a run, walk around the city, sit in a cafe outside and read a paper. Instead by the time I made it home from the market, the grayness took over, the sun was stolen from me. It threatened to rain, but the clouds did not follow through, and it was just gray for a few days. Then Monday evening on my way home from the gym I noticed something, the temperature dropped, and quickly, usually it is warmer after a workout cause my blood is flowing and I am all pumped up, but not this time, I stepped outside and it was chilly as if I had entered a meat cooler, and right then and there I knew what was coming. Sure enough it began to rain, and it has not stopped yet, it is not hard rain, or fat rain, or another kind of rain that Forest Gump described, unless you really paid attention and remember that rain that last for months, the monsoon, and well this is not a monsoon, but in my mind it is.
Miami has rain, it is furious, it comes down hard and fast, umbrellas are useless as the splashes from the ground get you soaked, and the rain comes from all directions, so you will get wet. But the rain comes and goes, it never lingers, it does its job in an efficient manner. Here the rain has that Mediterranean spirit, work for 10 minutes, go easy, work 10 minutes, go easy, take a break (but not an official one, so keep drizzling in the slightest), work hard for 20 minutes, and then ease up again, and so on and on. It is funny, but the way the rain falls here corresponds to the pace of life, it is slow, no one is in a rush, and everything can be resolved, slowly. Miami, everyone is in a rush, nothing can wait 5 minutes, and if you are not going full speed you fell like your life is passing you by. I know most think, well the beach is relaxing, well no its not, it is active, barbeque, football, soccer, carrying a heavy cooler full of beer, swimming, sure you take a nap here and there, but you always feel more exhausted when you come home from the beach then you did going to the beach.
Rain. Miserable. Rain.

A meal for a lion

So I got a real treat this weekend, it was an amazing event, one of cosmic proportions!

Look at the size of that CORDON BLUE, it is larger than my elbow to my tips of fingers, man oh man. What we have here is a piece of Veal that has been sliced in half, filled with cheese and ham, closed, battered and lightly fried. It is approximately 45 cm (17.7) long and it is quite a bit of meat, cheese, ham and all coated into one amazing piece of food.

So I heard that there was no way that I would ever finish this, that "bigger men then you have knelt before the 'zagrebacki' and walked away proud to have come half way" and that I would get a tip of the hat as a man's man if I was to take the whole piece out. Now naturally that is not the goal, the goal is to eat a meal, meaning, a bowl of salad, the 'zagrebacki', the potatoes, and dessert. My dad was laughing at me before we got the food. He saw the look in my eyes, I was a kid who was about to get the biggest treat ever, but he also thought that there was no way that I would finish it all, I mean how could I, usually this was shared by two people and there were leftovers to be had.



That is me at the halfway mark, the first half has been digested, the salad is gone, and the roasted potatoes are proving to be no match for me. I am ready for more with the knowledge that this has been nothing for a man of my appetite. Let me though give you some info on this lovely piece of meat. It is veal, meaning it is about as soft as a baby skin, and it melts in your mouth, chewing is optional. There is a delicious ooze of cheese with every slice of the knife that just adds flavor (and fills you) and makes your mouth tingle. The only issue was that I am a hasty fellow and well biting into this is a bit tricky, cause the cheese is reallllly hot, so if you are an over eager eater like me, then chances are you will burn your mouth, and even your teeth will feel like they are en fuego!



Last quarter before me, and I am feeling like Kobe must feel, the game is on the line, it all comes down to this, but I feel no pressure, and I have never been more confident in my stomach then I am at this moment!



There is the last bite before me, and I am not even straining, the potatoes are gone, and I feel like I got a 10 point lead with 30 seconds to go. The other team can try to foul me, but they got no chance, and so I prepare for the last bite of this delicious 'zagrebacki' and I know that I will miss the big guy, and wish that he was just a bit longer so we can spend some more time admiring one another.



Now I’m a bit sad, I got nothing left in front of me and I think that I could fit another one in me, and not strain. That could be the wine thinking though; it has been by my side to wash down each mouthful.



What this.....it’s a piece of my dad's schnitzel and it is all mine!!! MMMMmmMMMM it is a perfect filler for my tummy and I polish it off with the biggest smile on my face, knowing that I have conquered the 'zagrebacki' and then some, just cause I can.



Clean plate ladies and gents! That is how Lav does it....



ICE CREAM!!!!!!! Man this really is my day! And the waiters were confused, we ordered 2 scoops of ice cream for me, but with two different waiters, and I had just polished the first bowl, when the second waiter comes with another bowl! He drops it on the table and says it is on the house....and my smile just grows as I go to town on the second ice cream bowl, which was more like 4 scoops, compared to the first one. I let my dad get in on the ice cream action too, but he is looking like the guy in monthy python, and is refusing the last bombon for fear of exploding. Me, I am as happy as a fat kid can be, as long as I’m not actually a fat kid!


I ate my ass of, and the best part was that everything is so well made with such good ingredients that I did not feel bloated, nor was I queasy. Nope I was satisfied and hoping to return again soon and enjoy my meal with a little less pressure then this time. Safe in the knowledge that tomorrow at work, two colleagues will be tipping their hats to me.

A interesting side note, this did not sit on my stomach the whole day, nope, it was so damn good and well cooked and free of trans fats and grease that it was less heavy on the stomach then a double whopper which once had me feeling like I had 10 extra pounds of rocks in my stomach.

Restaurant Ribic will be a tour stop for anyone who comes to visit me in Croatia, the food is amazing, the portions make the big cheese seem stingy, the service is first rate, and the wine is smooth and easy flowing. The vibe is totally Miami with light pink/orange, grapefruit colored, walls and waiters wearing similar dress shirts. So come one come all, I challenge you to an eating contest! My belly knows no fear!

And the biggest props go to Dad, aka Berni, for taking me for the amazing lunch! I owe you one.

HVALA TATA ZA RUCAK!!!!!