Highlight of last week: party in Camden

I have abandonded my creature for a while. I am now in the embarassing situation of having loads to say and not knowing where to start. Well let's start with the highlight of last week: on Wednesday I went to an Italian house party in Camden. Francesco and his cute & delicate Japanese girlfriend were the party organisers. Fra is an Italian teacher, so all the people at the party were his current or past students. Apart from the usual crowd (Valentina, Daniele, Francesca, etc.), we were a quite heterogenous group, including some old and new bizzarre people, who someone could label as *weirdo*. First, I met a couple (he is a writer for television dramas & she is a film director) who is moving to Poggiobello, near Perugia, in 2006. She was particularly smiley and open, he was more reserved but looked a very interesting person. I talked mainly with her, and mainly about Perugia and life plans. They have just bought a house there and are looking forward to their new adventure. They also have two kids (10 and 8 years old) who need learn Italian. So I acted as a network mediator and told her that my friend Fede, who is an Italian and English teacher, might be available to offer them private tuition. She was also into yoga, so I gave her the name of my ex yoga teacher in Perugia. She said she was planning to have loads of parties in the new house and would invite us. Exciting! When she said they had their first child when they were 33, I was surprised: I thought they looked great at 43. I could somehow identify with their lives, and I liked the idea. Then I met an older Italian woman with three adolescent children. She was bizarre: low voice and languid manners. Apparently she is a literary translator. I talked for a while with a girl from Tokyo. She spoke great English considering that she was in London only on holiday. She told me that the sushi we eat here it is not remotely similar to the sushi in Japan. She thinks that restaurants here cover the fish with sauces and spices which alter its flavour. Fair enough but still disappointed. I truly believed that London was the world in a city. I still think London is the most cosmopolitan capital of Europe, but I also keep in mind all the commercial side of it. She invited me to Tokyo and, of course, I accepted. I have no idea when I will be able to afford to go, but this is a detail. I met Laura again, a girl from Pescara (Abruzzo) I got to know some months back at another party. She is very funny, sweet and ... a bit cartoon-like, which I love because she is a bit like me. In February she decided to move to Edinbra, bought a car in half an hour (!) and drove to Scotland without insurance and alone (first time she was driving in this country). She took 24 hours to get there. In August she decided to move back here, because she found the city too boring, and now she is back. I am happy she is, because she is very entertaining. Finally we met Dario Formica, a phenomenon. He was naïvely HILARIOUS! He is a musician, but has done other 100 jobs as well, not at the moment though. At the moment he is having a break. He told us that in Rome he was known as El Pasticca (the Pill) because people used to think he was always stoned. He assured us he is naturally a n-u-t-t-e-r and never took drugs. He told me that I reminded him a friend of him when he was 8 years old?!? When he said he thought I was 22 or something (‘na pischella), I decided he was my friend and exchanged tel numbers. I had a quiet weekend with some flu coming up, so this is all for now. X