Saturday, September 08, 2007

I'm back...with another contest.

Thanks for everyone's comments, and I want to apologize (once again!) for letting so much time pass in between posts. All is well, we've just been really busy settling back in. I'm going back to teaching this year at the international school here in Trieste--I'll be teaching 4th grade--so I've also been busy getting the classroom ready for Monday when the kids come (ack!).

My husband got a new digital camera this summer, and I still don't know how to transfer photos to my computer. BUT...I do promise to make him teach me in the next few days so I can do another post--a laundry post (you didn't think the laundry posts were finished, did you??) So in the next few days, you can look forward to a post entitled: Laundry Beasts.

Come to think of it, this has contest potential, doesn't it? If you can guess what laundry beasts refers to, I'll send you a pitcher from Trieste. For a photo, click here to see the one I sent to Jeff and Sue, the winners of my first contest. Although, I must say that the pitcher I'll be sending this time will be about half the size of Jeff and Sue's pitcher...although I love Jeff and Sue, it costs about a million dollars to ship one of these babies.

Okay then, let's say your answers have to be in the comments section of this post by Wednesday, September 12 (I'll check them when I wake up on Thursday morning). You can take as many guesses as you wish. In the event of a tie, I'll choose a name from a hat.

Buona fortuna a tutti! :-)

23 comments:

CJ Omololu said...

Okay, I'll play.

Um...those pesky animals who steal laundry when it's drying on the line?

Giant washers and dryers that we have here in the states?

The beasts that live IN the dryer or washer and eat socks?

I'll think up some more. If I win however, I'd like some candy bars from Italy as my prize ;)

Natalie said...

Hey Cyn!

I know just the chocolate I'll send you if you win...they aren't chocolate bars, per se, but balls of chocolate made by Lindt--a Swiss company, but it's the most famous kind of chocolate in Italy. Mmmmm. :-)

TinaFerraro said...

Ciao, Natalie!

How about the clumps of laundry detergent that get stuck in the tray?

Uh...the clothes that stubbornly refuse to dry on the line??

Uh...family members who drop clothes back in the hamper after brief wear???

How'd I do?

Katia said...

Mm, let me try this. I'm with Cinjay, only I'll push the thought a little further.
Are your laundry beasts those mysterious unidentified creatures who live in the washer and eat ONE sock only, never both, so that sooner or later, you no longer have a single happy complete pair, but lots of single mismatching ones ? I certainly have those in my washing machine.
If your beasts are the same as mine, i'll go for the chocolates. Good chocolate is hard to find in this part of the world.

Buzz de Cafe said...

I'm going a different way here, I think it's a soap tablet that "eats" difficult stains.

Julie
(I don't know how to NOT be Phantom Admin,)

africakidandtheworld said...

Are the beasts those little balls of lint and hair and yuck that end up stuck to clothes after their time in the dryer?

I second (or third) the chocolate request, also.

Joan said...

Hi Natalie!

OK, here's my guesses:

--A balcony/apartment window/other architectural protuberance that has been draped with drying laundry.

--A laundry service that picks up laundry in tiny little putt-putt trucks and brings it back freshly laundered.

--A big tub where old-fashioned wash-persons toss in the wash and stomp around on it (grape-style) until it is cleaned.

--Um...

--Super spiffy stain remover?

This is fun!!!

Joan

Danette Haworth said...

laundry beasts:

The people who create all that dirty laundry.

The actual piles of laundry that stare at you as you pass them on your way to the computer.

People at the laundromat who claim unused dryers for their own use when their wash isn't even done yet.

Natalie said...

You guys all have such great imaginations! I have to say, I wish Africakid's guess was the right one, because that would mean that I'd have a dryer. *sigh*

Since the contest is supposed to end tomorrow, I have to step in and give you all a hint, since no one is even close, and I want to send SOMEONE that chocolate (unless you'd rather have the pitcher) just so I'll have someone to email back and forth wtih about how incredibly good this chocolate is. :-)

Okay...the laundry beasts I'm referring to are a type of insect that I find frequently on my laundry that I leave outside on the drying racks. Even when I think the clothes are laundry-beast free, a few of those suckers always manage to hide somewhere and make it into our apartment. Yuck. So...the prize will go to whoever guesses the right kind of insect. If I don't hear a second round of guesses from the first-rounders by tomorrow, I'll email those people so they'll still have a chance to throw their hat into the chocolate ring. Once I've heard from you all, I'll post the winner!

CJ Omololu said...

Okay, I googled "Laundry bugs, Italy" and came up with some good responses, but none that helped.

Ants? Cicadas? Fleas (lord, I hope it's not fleas)? Flies?

I'm running out of bugs here...

TinaFerraro said...

Natalie, I'm going to go with beetles since I know they're a laundry pest in many countries.

Danette Haworth said...

Spiders?

Anonymous said...

I wandered over from Nathan Branford's blog. I thought yours was the best first line.

At least--I think it was yours; did you remove it? I'm afraid I paraphrased your line when I voted for it. Do you want me to remove my comment?

Anyway the blog's fascinating! I spent three weeks in Italy three years ago, and reading your stories made me both jealous and long to return. Thanks for sharing your insight.

Anonymous said...

I had no idea what you were looking for until you gave us a clue. I'm still probably wrong, but I'll guess Lady Bird Beetles (lady bugs).

sruble said...

Mosquitos?

Flies?

Neighbors? hahaha - I guess that's our laundry room, sorry.

I also would have guessed tissues left in pockets (before you said it was bugs).

Can't imagine not having a dryer and having bugs - ugh! But yummy chocolate might make up for it, if I could have it as a reward for doing the laundry.

Julie_c said...

Yes - it's me, Julie Phillipps.

When I leave my laundry out, I sometimes find crickets on it, so I will guess either a cricket or grasshopper.

Julie_c said...

Oh - I want to add locusts too.

Katia said...

Hi Natalie,
Been writing up a storm and forgot about the contest. I figured you wouldn't have a dryer. Not the type of thing to be found in the area. Mm, bugs. I've just had a few glasses of wine, and my thought process is kind of slllooowww. It has to be something that will clink to the laundry, so fly wouldn't do, because I can just see you shaking your shirts and pants and all vigorously. Spiders? Flying ants ?

Katia said...

Ok, I did say I had a few glasses of wine. So, it's not a clinking insect, but a clinging one. And it's flies, not fly :) Off to bed, now.

Joan said...

Okay, back for seconds - I REALLY want that prize!! Here's my guesses:

--My first guess would be those disgusting little lime green bugs that have kind of a hard outer shell almost like a beetle... but smaller. Ick. Stink bugs maybe? Not sure what they're called.

--My second guess would be fruit flies!

--And thirdly I'd have to say tiny little caterpillars that drop from trees (although surely this can't be the season for it...)

Natalie said...

Wow...you guys really know your insects! The only first-round guesser I haven't heard from is africakid, so hopefully she'll chime in soon. If not, I'll go ahead and announce the winner(s) tomorrow morning (my time). :-)

Unknown said...

Hi Natalie,
I just found your blog while Googling "coin laundry Trieste Italy." My husband is attending a conference in Trieste from Sept. 23-28 and I'll be coming along. We're then going on to Venice (contrary to one of your comments about American tourists never getting past that city), and I thought I might wash some of our clothes before we leave Trieste. Is there such a thing as a laundromat in Trieste? Or a lavanderia where I can drop off the laundry and not pay an exhorbitant price?

I've read just about all your posts and love them all. Thanks for sharing your observations on Italian life.

Natalie said...

Ciao Barbara!

I'm so glad you stopped by! I'll check into the laundrymat situation and let you know. If you'd like, feel free to email me at nlorenzi (at) earthlink (dot) net (without spaces or parentheses)and I'll give you some tips on what to see in Trieste!