TheSauceBrothersdotcom | Cose di salsa

It was only a week ago when Susan, Sami and I got 'deceived' into going to a local restaurant for a quiet dinner, only to find friends  there to celebrate their milestone birthdays (to be honest Susan was aware of the party as she couldn't be... 'deceived', but, we know, she's smarter than us).

Anyway, it was really fun and you can check out the pictures on the newly created myFutbolMundial.com,  the new website where you can follow the events of the glorious Futbol Mundial team.

Incredible but true, even I, yesterday, turned FORTY so... Happy Birthday to me!
(as per why there's a cabinet door as a picture, well, you need to know some Italian to understand)

It has become a tradition so this year we celebrated again our 10th 'TheSauceBrothers Day', a little later than usual because of our recent trip but nevertheless an important milestone in the important event in the centuries old art that is saucemaking. 
Adding the fact that this year's celebration happened very close to the birthday of one of the saucebrother founding fathers it made for an even saucier sauce.

...so another trip is over. Ezia, Luca and Lennon are back in their adopted land and we're back at work already planning our next vacation. 
As you may have guessed from the title, a couple of weeks ago we joined Ezia & Co. in Las Vegas to begin a trip  of a few days to Zion, the Grand Canyon and Bryce. They were coming from San Francisco via Yosemite and Death Valley -- where they could enjoy 120 degree weather -- on the way to Yellowstone. After winning our trip money in Vegas (not!), the first stop was Zion National Park. Obviously we stayed at the charming Under the Eves B&B where Deb and Reverend Steve greeted us with their usual warm (and sometimes painful, right Lennon?) embrace. Immediately we're off to a quick hike which was abrubtly cut short by a rare thunderstorm: and when we say rare we mean that the last time it had rained was back in April! It was then that we learned that the '3L' (as they're known Lucrezia, Luca and Lennon) is famous for providing relief to the driest places on earth. Legend has it in fact that their sheer presence is enough to turn lands commonly arid and desertic into flooded plains and valleys. Just ask the people of Namibia or Guyana if you think we're joking!
Once we dry up we enjoy a nice dinner with Steve and Deb at the Bit & Spur (where they make a mean 'Braised Beef Short Ribs': highly recommended!).
The next morning was already time to leave. After saying goodbye to the kind hosts (a painless farewell this time) we direct our cars towards the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Passing through a couple of thunderstorms we finally reach the Grand Canyon Lodge and there we discover what is truly a breathtaking view. This time the numerous storms present in the area only increased the already spectacular view as we could see rain and lightning coming down on various parts of the canyon. After dinner at the Lodge we go back to our hotel in "Little Hollywood" -- because of the many western movies shot in the area -- Kanab (UT).
The following day we board our vehicles and steer them in the direction of Bryce Canyon, but not before stopping at the Pipe Spring National Monument, a fort built by the Mormons around a water source previously used by the local indian tribe. Basically, they got there and said "this is mine!" and the other guys that had been there for centuries had to leave. Nice!
We leave this interesting place and drive a couple of hours towards Bryce where we arrive under ominous clouds. Sure enough, we begin hiking and the rain starts coming down, luckily light enough to let us enjoy the amazing view that rain and sun cause: rainbows! Yes rainbows with an 's' because we could see many across the horizon. They turned an already spectacular place into a magical one. A memory I'll remember for many years.
That was our last day together. The following day our roads parted, us returning to Las Vegas to catch a plane back to Philly, them towards Salt Lake City, a stop over on the way to Yellowstone: not everybody has all those vacation days to spend :)
Overall it was a great trip: the sightseeing was awesome and the company was great: really, what more can you ask?

I saw this short film for the first time before 'Ratatouille' and actually thought it was really funny. Take a look at it and if you like it... well... enjoy it.

Finally (well, when it becomes available at least) a router that has a little more than a bunch of blinking lights with obscure symbols. It tells you, right there on the little LCD display, your upload and download speed, the bandwdth used, how many devices are connected (so you can find out who and when your neighbor is stealing your bandwidth) and some other useful information.

It's not available yet but will be soon, of course only here in the US. As usual in Europe they'll have to wait a little longer.

Follow this link and it will take you to a blog where the author compiled an interesting list of "Images That Changed The World". It's really an amazing compilation of pictures, most of which we would like not to ever been taken.
Especially in these cases, images DO speak louder than words.

Here is a neat little program that lets you easily manage your computer's power settings. It (tries to) shut down your disk after some time and suspend the computer after a period of inactivity, all this while showing you how much CO₂ you have saved in doing so. As you see I'm well on my way to a whopping 2 lbs. saved. Want a challenge at who saves the most?

Even if you didn't watch LeBron James and his Cavaliers lose to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, you should take a look at what this guy did with an Etch-a-Sketch. Pretty cool eh!

Due to the terrible news coming from Greece we're entering a long mourning period. We'll post back when (and if) we recover.