LG 50PS2000 - 127cm

LG 50PS2000

I was at a birthday party today and was telling the moms there that we had decided not to buy a new flatscreen TV (while looking at our hosts' 52-inch) because of the suspicious electricity supply in our rustic renovated farmhouse. 10 minutes later, Hub called me on my mobile and announced that he was at Media Markt (where he went to buy an Apple mouse) and had decided to buy a 50-inch LG plasma TV. And could I not leave the party and drive my big car over so that we could bring the TV home?

I was up there in the mountains at Ricco di Serramazzoni with a group of lovely mums and trying not to eat too many of the yummy warm ham and cheese sandwiches. The drive down had been a little scary (I'm not good with mountain roads) and I was a little frustrated having to visit the mall when just a hour earlier I was boasting to a mum about being happy not to be squeezing with half of Modena in the mall on a Saturday. Naturally she started laughing when I told her where I was heading out to. Did the guy do it on purpose, or what?

Anyway, the LG 50PS2000 was what the Hub bought. Even though he had always maintained that Panasonic's plasmas are the best. But at the store he got to compare images on the different plasmas and decided that the LG was a good compromise on both quality and price. We are still worried about the electric current in our house so we're not keen to spend too much on the TV. And thanks to AB's gift of a very nice Samsung LCD a few months ago, we also know that we would prefer to stick to the humble plasma for the warmer colours. We are getting a top-of-the-range Blue Ray DVD player from Harmon Kardon to go with our home entertainment system from the same brand, hence Hub's desire to get a Full HD screen.

I don't watch much TV so I don't really care. I have been trying to tell Hub that it would be more ecological to stick to small TVs (e.g. less than 29-inch), but he spends whatever free time he has in front of the TV so I understand his need to get a big one. And he really loves movies and has an amazing knowledge of both film and music culture.

Back to the party, it was nice. These kids are really lucky, between attending an exclusive International School to having playdates and birthday parties every other week. And we are such devoted parents, ready to make them happy at the drop of a hat, ready to shelf our own plans to allow them to meet their friends and play.

The living room with a view

Hub said that we probably spoil them too much as they are getting wild and disobedient. Even my canes - symbol of fear and torture - no longer have much effect on them. When I tell them that I would give them the caning of their lives if...they just laugh and go on like I've not said anything. In fact, they love to fence with my beloved canes, each one of them even keeps one in his/her own room so as to use it against the others! Baby Girl brought one to school the other day for Show and Tell. Like mum said, threatening with no follow-up action doesn't work when used too often. But as modern parents, we try not to use violence on our children (though we still hang on to our canes) and truth is, it really hurts us when we hurt them.

The view

Trying to deprive them of priviledges does not work - because they know that I'll have them restored the minute I'm happy with them (and it doesn't take much for me to be happy with them). And a reward system is not effective either - because they already have so much. Mum said kids nowadays are born smart - meaning we were probably born stupid.

They are still working on the house

Ricco di Serramazzoni is lovely, with views of places as far away as Bologna and Fiorano. This Italian family has restored part of their old house and the result is a really comfortable house with a magnificent view of the lowlands and valleys. Beatrice and Marcus (kids who have left the school) turned up for the party too! The children ran wild in the house while the mums had to shout over and above the din in order to carry out our conversations.

Another ruin to restore

I must have said it a few times about what a nice bunch of mums I have in my class. Nobody ever says anything bad about other people (and certainly not out of hypocracy), everyone is always ready to help each other out and they are all kind and sincere individuals. Wish I could say the same about a few (luckily very minority) of the other women we have in the school community whom I've been observing for a few years now. Thinking of them makes me shudder. One of them, and quite a number of us have to agree, is even malicious (while acting almost like Mother Theresa on the outside). Fancy us having to use this term.

Would be interesting to see how this will look like restored

The house seen from further uphill

Tomorrow we bring the kids to Fanano near Monte Cimone for a family ice skating day organised by the school's PTA. I don't ice skate, but will be happy to watch my family do so as I catch up with the other mums and admire the teachers outside of their classrooms. Hub has already arranged to grab a bite with a few other dads. You know that we're now settled expats.