Leo and Jack

Rejoicing over an Inter Milan’s victory?

Not lately…

The difficulty of being consistent with your own principles - a case study

Leo and uncle Francesco Maria

A doctor, an engineer, a lawyer… perhaps the president of the republic! It must have occurred to everyone to daydream about the future profession of your child…

But as much we wonder what Leonardo will do when he will be a grown up, as I wonder which football team he will support…

I wish, of course, he would eventually support Inter Milan. The French branch of the family probably wishes he could become a supporter of Paris Saint Germain. The baker in Testaccio already sees Leonardo in the ‘Curva Sud’ of the Olympic Stadium in Rome cheering AS Roma - and he has already started brainwashing Leo: every time I go to his bakery with Leo, he says goodbye to us by saying: “Ao’, Leona’, me raccomando, forza Roma!” (Hey, Leonardo, don’t forget, come on Roma!).

To be consistent with my liberal principles, I should accept that the choice of the team to support is individual - and should accept whatever choice Leonardo will make.

True, but in the meantime a little hint* doesn’t harm…

(*) Thanks to Davide and Andrea for passing Leo the ‘baton’…

Inter-Mazembe 3-0

Abu Dhabi, 18 dicembre 2010: FIFA Club World Championship's Final - Noi c’eravamo…

22 May 2010 - Inter-Bayern 2-0*

In Delhi**

In Milan***

(*) Apologizes, this has been posted a bit late, but was absolutely due: who knows when this will happen again (hopefully not in 45 years again)

(**) Thanks to Paolo for the hospitality

(***) Tutto suo zio J

Voices from the (Thar) Desert

The week end we were in Jaisalmer, was also the week end of Juve-Roma 1-2, and Inter-Milan 2-0. You all know my football faith, but for those who do not know Riccardo, I have to say that - regretfully - he is a ‘gobbo’ (‘humpbacked’, the friendly epithet by which Juventus’ supporters are commonly known in Italy).

In the world of the mobile telephony, we didn’t have much difficulty to get to know the results of the matches, even in the middle of the Thar Desert. You can then well imagine the different moods in which Riccardo and I woke-up on Monday morning when we received the long awaited sms.

Riccardo is, no question, a nice fellow, but - I discovered during this trip - he is also what we friendly call ‘un gran bastardo’ (‘a dear bastard’). Well then, look at what he did while I was away from the camp for a morning walk in the desert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYIzGPJKviA

He calls it ‘capacity building’…