"The law of the past cannot be eluded, The law of the present and future cannot be eluded, The law of the living cannot be eluded—it is eternal..." - Walt Whitman, To Think of Time As Walt Whitman in the 19th century, I am a wanderer. A discoverer. A watcher. I note the details of the world, and I am inspired by them. Like him, I am an optimist. Like him, I am bound by the time in which I live, and my own prejudices. Travel, whether around the world or in one's own city, help

I am home again in Buffalo, and it is surreal. During my stay in Europe, I gained a lot of insight about myself, my work, and the mix of cultures I come from. I am forever changed; that's for certain. These vistas and experiences will stay with me for the rest of my life. Sleeping on the couches and guest beds of friends and family, I witnessed their lives, patterns, communication styles, and work relationships. I gained understanding about what is important to them, what mot

Norma, my ancestral hometown in the Italian province of Lazio, is anything but normale. It is an ancient hill town- where the NEWER part of town was built in the 12th century! Where my many cousins speak Italian, and a specialized Romanese dialect. Where an evening passiegata turns into a family reunion every night. I grew up in a very small town, but this paese piccolo is very different. First, as in all of Italy, everyone takes a stroll in the evening and eats dinner late.