Life and Loss

Two of my friends passed away recently, both from a form of cancer. My one friend (and cousin) Elise left behind a 3 year old son, a husband and her family. The other friend Sharon, left behind her family and her little dog Twinkie. It seems incredible to me that their lives were taken at such a young age. It just isn't fair.

So how do I handle grieving for my friends? I've spent a lot of time crying. I've gotten to be quite good at it actually. It can be a challenge crying while you are driving, but unfortunately, I've mastered it all too well.

The lesson in all of this. Well, I guess is that life is short, time is precious and we have to remember that. I've been working on reconnecting with old friends that I haven't been in touch with since junior high. I've forgiven the past hurts that some of these people have caused me. In the end, when you are six feet under, it doesn't really matter.

What counts is what we do while we are living. I'm all about doing the best we can now. If all of us did something kind for somebody else, (since we are all in this together) this world would be a truly magical place. And that's where I want to be.

Mojitos & Marriage Proposals, A Visit to Cuba
By Sari Colt

As an adventure-minded person, I am open to all positive experiences. When my friend suggested in the dead of winter a trip to Cuba, I took one look at the snow piled up on my driveway and said "Yes, count me in!".

Being a Canadian, I am fortunate that I am able to travel to Cuba and was looking forward to seeing all of the sights of Havana, the ocean and yes, the men. And Cuba definitely met my expectations.

I stayed at a resort in Varadero and enjoyed swimming with the dolphins, spending a day on a catamaran, going to white sanded beaches. And of course, there was the day trip to Havana, where I tasted the most perfect mojito made at the Hemingway's favorite bar, "La Bodega Del Medio", where the mojito drink was invented.

Havana is an interesting city, offering a mix of old architecture, crumbling buildings, vibrant art and fascinating people.

And there were the marriage proposals as well. Walking down the streets of Varadero, there were several young , attractive Cuban men complimenting us. One night, I was at a salsa bar
and a handsome, 23 year old, fitness trainer asked me to dance with him. I danced quite badly, but he didn't seem to mind. He asked me to marry him. He explained that he just wanted an opportunity to leave the island and see the world. Sadly, due to the current government, he is not allowed to leave, unless he is sponsored. Hence his offer of marriage. I thought about it and then sadly had to turn him down.

Leaving Cuba at the end of the week was not easy, as I had gotten used to drinking amazing mojitos and having the attention of attractive younger guys. Alas, I had to return to reality . I definitely plan to return there at some point in the future.

Searching for Clooney, Part Two

To recap where I left off in the previous blog, my friend and & I were vacationing this summer in Lake Como, Italy, hoping to find our elusive prey, George Clooney.

We woke up Tuesday morning full of optimism and excitement. Today was the day we’d find our man. We took the ferry to Bellagio. Of course it was drizzling, but we didn’t care. Bellagio was very close to George’s place in Laglio and we were certain that we’d run into him.

We spent the day in Bellagio, checking out the old villa’s, buying silk ties and scarves (Bellagio is famous for their silk). We sat at the cafes, with our sunglasses on (just to be tres cool). No sign of George. We took the ferry back to Como and we both felt a bit disappointed. But we said to ourselves that we would find him that night.

We had went to Gatto Nero, and once again found ourselves surrounded by couples, (straight and same-sex ones), and families. No George and no single men. After dinner the host showed us the souvenir photo album, which featured many pictures of George Clooney, Matt Damon and even Michael Bolton (yes the Michael Bolton). We returned to our hotel that night, $100 poorer (George likes to eat at very expensive places).

The next day we went to Lugano, Switzerland and had a nice time there. We took a ferry back to our hotel and one of the ferry captains said he had something to show us. He took out his phone and showed us a photo, taken that very day, of George Clooney. George was sporting a slight grey beard. Apparently George was on that day’s ferry to Bellagio. We were in shock and couldn’t believe it. We missed George by one day. How could that have happened to us?

We had another uneventful dinner, surrounded by families and couples. The next morning, just before we departed, I stood out at the terrace and looked out at Lake Como. It was so beautiful and I was sad to have to leave this gorgeous view. Then I looked down at my legs. I had forgotten to shave them. I guess in retrospect, it would have been embarrassing to have met George Clooney with hairy legs. Then again, maybe he’s the type that wouldn’t have minded? I’d like to think so.

Searching for Clooney, Part One

What do two Sizzle Chicks do on their summer vacation? They go to Lake Como, Italy and look for the world’s most elusive bachelor George Clooney. And that is exactly what my friend and I did.

To be honest, when we initially planned on going to Europe this summer, we had thought we would spend a week in Spain and a week in Italy, flying back via Rome. My friend suggested we go see Lake Como, because neither of us had been there and because it is an incredibly beautiful place. And the fact that Giorgio Clooney hangs out there was just icing on the cake.

Once we booked our trip, however, the hunt for George Clooney totally consumed us. We were on a mission to find him and nothing could stop us. We scoured the net for information on where he lives, where he dines etc… We learned that his villa is in Laglio (he has a villa and has built an office, taking over an old warehouse), he dines at Harry’s Bar, and at the Gatto Nero. Now we just hoped that he would still be in Italy in August. We assumed he would. We were right.

We finally got to Como, after an uncomfortable overnight train from Barcelona to Milan, where we felt claustrophobic from being in a tiny sleeper compartment with minimal air. After switching hotels (our first hotel had a view of the garbage bins and we could still smell the burnt toast that had been cooked for breakfast), we made it to our hotel with a terrace overlooking Lake Como. It was so beautiful on the lake, looking up at the mountains. I immediately understood why George Clooney would want to be there. It was just breathtaking. The first thing we did after unpacking was crash. We needed energy to look for George and at the moment we had to sleep. George hunting would have to wait a few hours.

We woke up in the early evening revitalized, ready to look for George. We made it to Harry’s Bar, a very famous restaurant, looking our “sizzliest” that we could. We got to the restaurant and looked around. We were surrounded by families and couples. No celebrities, no George and no eligible men. “Not to worry”, we said to each other “the night was still young”.

After a delicious (and expensive meal), we kept looking around for signs of George. Still none. We asked to waiter to recommend places to go for a drink. Being a Mon. night, most places were closed. We walked around the neighborhood and then realized we should just go back to the hotel and call it a night. There was still tomorrow and plenty of opportunities to find George.

Do Sari and her friend finally meet up with George Clooney? Does he promise them roles in his next film? Does he give up bachelorhood for either one of our iintrepid Sizzle Chicks? All these answers and more to be continued in the next blog posting.