The Sexually Overconfident Italian Male (Part 2)

It wasn't a good beach day, as Italian beach days on the Adriatic Sea go.  Unbearably hot and muggy, there was not a hint of a breeze.  And despite my previous descriptions of the pristine beaches on the Adriatic, the water was disgusting.

It was an algae infestation, but it looked to me like sewage.  Loudspeakers announced that the water was not safe.  So when Diego and Giancarlo sauntered off to explore the sandy part of the beach, I got out my Big Girl Camera, which I had completely fallen in love with during the trip.

I watched and photographed a bit of a beach volleyball game.

I toyed with the juxtaposition of old and new.

I experimented with shots of the sea of matching umbrellas.

I captured moments of parents playing in the sand with their children.

And I managed to snap a beach vendor or two.

Then, oh my, what is this?  Thanks to an excellent zoom lens,  from a long distance, I spied a very sexually overconfident Italian man as he stood working on his tan and chatting with his two friends, a young woman and a young man.

He adjusted.

He posed.

He flexed.

He spoke with his hands as the Italians do.

And he punctuated his conversation with a strong, hearty grab at his goods.

 a strong, hearty grab at his goods.

grab at his goods.

at...his...goods.


Ahem.  Where was I?  Oh yes, I was discussing the sexually overconfident Italian male and how inappropriate they are.

Thank goodness nobody would consider taking secret pictures of a scantily clad man on the beach as inappropriate.

The Sexually Overconfident Italian Male

Some things just demand to be shared.  Giancarlo was not as amused as I was about this restroom at a private beach in Termoli, Italy.  Of course, he was the one who had to explain these photos to our son.  

I was sniggering so much I could hardly pee.

I just couldn't help but wonder whose idea this was.   The owner?   

  

Perhaps the owner's son?   

Or one of the male employees?

Or even one of the beach patrons?

In any case, it seems like a commentary on the ego and sense of humor of many Italian men.

There was an innumerable amount of men checking Amelia out throughout the trip.   Amelia is very pretty.  Of course men would admire her grace.  She has a sort of old Hollywood poise about her, and I'm certain that guys look at her wherever she goes.  But Italian men have no tact or shame!  They are blatant in their admiration.  They stare with wide, unwavering stares up and down, up and down, and you can just see what is going on in their heads as they visually undress your daughter.  I'm a very liberal person but it gave me creeps and it gave Amelia the creeps, too.  She commented how she especially didn't like it when they leered at her with me walking right next to her.  

I'm all for open sexual expression as long as it isn't hurting anyone and it is done appropriately.  But come on!  Who teaches them to act his way in their culture?  Their mothers?  Each other?

Well...watch for part 2 of this post in which I manage to perfectly capture the overconfident sexuality of Italian men and actually become a little hot bothered while doing it.

Fluorouracil 5, Thank You for My Early Halloween Mask

At my last physical, my doctor found multiple actinic keratoses on my face.  First appearing as age spots, or sun spots, they began acquiring an asymetrical texture, which is what made him refer me to a dermatologist, saying that it was easy to treat with a cream.

A few weeks later, my dermatologist confirmed that these spots on my face are precancerous and need to be eliminated in order to avoid melanoma.  He also said that there were too many places on my face that seemed to be on their way to this point, that cutting, burning, or freezing them off would not be practical.  So he prescribed a topical cream called Fluorouracil 5 that would take care of the problem  Fine.  

Then he sent his cute little nurse in and she began to tell me what the process was going to be like.  She might as well have told me what it would be like to spill battery acid on my face, and then the photographs that she showed me removed all doubt that this would be what it might be like:

Okay, after seeing one like this, I figured it might be bad but not that bad.  

Then she showed me this one:

And this one:

And this one:

She also described it as very unpleasant, even painful.  I would need latex gloves to apply the medication, and needed to make sure that my face touches nobody else while using it.  I was to sleep with a clean towel over my pillow case each night to prevent it from spreading.  I would have to stay out of the sun completely.

The medication reacts with all precancerous skin cells and kills them off.  It is actually a topical chemotherapy and it sometimes used with those who have been diagnosed with cancer.  While very thankful that I hadn't been given the "C" word diagnosis, I was dreading this alternative.

Giancarlo demanded that I get a second opinion, which I did, and it was agreed that I should use the Flourouracil 5.

So I am now beginning my second week of treatment.  I am NOT going to be posting photos of myself in this state, but let's just say I am beginning to look more like the guy in the last picture than any of the others.  Yes, it is uncomfortable and feels like a bad sunburn.  It has caused my face, especially my nose, to swell somewhat.  

When I was 14, I took Acutane for the treatment of my severe acne.  It felt the same as this does in many ways, although it also gave me symptoms of arthritis and dried out my eyes so much that I had to use eye drops all day long.

And of course, as I was searching for photographs and additional information for this post, I came across a plethora of disturbing photos and extreme side effects from a very few who have used this same medication. If you want to get a good idea for a Halloween costume, click here and scroll to the bottom.

The good news?  Of course, it is 93% effective in preventing skin cancer.  Also, my skin will be smoother and clearer than it has been in a long time.  An upside.

This upcoming week includes (of course) teaching every day, a district-wide staff meeting, a hair cut appointment, dinner with friends, and book club.  

I'd prefer to stay home, in the dark all week.

PS-For some reason, the font in this post changed from one to another and then back again, and I can't fix it.  I hate that!