Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I know it's late but part of the meaning of Christmas is getting time off from work and being lazy. Below: a photo I took of Lisa taking a photo of the snow on Christmas morning.

My mom

My mom has been learning about the computers for a while now but has recently improved remarkably*. As recently as three years ago my mom couldn't use a mouse. Now she can not only search the internet and e-mail friends, she can video chat with relatives in Europe.

Since we've spent the last couple Christmases with my family Lisa and I decided to do Christmas with her family this year. Consequently, my family got Thanksgiving instead. I took the opportunity to introduce my mom to YouTube. I thought she would enjoy it. In return my mom took me on a YouTube journey of the music of her youth.

My mom grew up in Sicily in the 60s which - technologically speaking - was a lot like growing up in the US in the 40s. She remembers when only one person on her block had a TV. But in music at least Italy was about as advanced as America. In fact many of the same were popular in both Italy and the US. The difference is that Italy would usually get an Italian language cover. The poster child for this effect is Sognando California the Italian version of California Dreaming:



But they weren't always just covers. Many of them were performed by the same artists... just, in Italian. Stevie wonder stands out in this regard with several Italian versions of his popular hits. My personal favorite Il sole è di tutti (the Italian version of A Place in the Sun) doesn't seem to be on YouTube at the moment but here's Stevie Wonder covering the Italian song Se tu ragazzo mio ("if you, my boy") at the San Remo Festival (a kind of traditional Italian version of American Idol).


Mom says she thought this song was too old-timey when she was young but now she likes it. I think it's pretty hip.


*You don't have to take my word for it. Her improvement is remarkable and I shall prove it by remarking upon it here.

Update: better version of Sognando California by the ridiculously named band "Dik Dik"