Italians and Mangoes

Alright, there are a few random things that just need to be said.

First of all, remember our Italian neighbors who lived across the hall from us in our apartment building?! Well...THEY'RE GONE!!! Joy and I really are still in shock, and it's been over a week now. You see, we thought they were our friends, but we think they moved and didn't even tell us. I mean, just the week before they disappeared, I had shared with them my very own homemade tiramisu. Now, you better believe I was nervous to share with Italians my humble rendition of the Italian classic, but in an effort to reach out and build a bridge, I did indeed share. (And I don't want to brag here, but let's just say the reviews were quite good. I am still holding onto the possibility that the Italians haven't moved but have simply gone to Europe. About a week before they disappeared, they did ask us to use our internet to check on flights to Europe, but we had to say no since we don't have the internet. But the more and more I think about it, I think they are just plain gone. They did leave at the end of the month and there is no sign of life anywhere. It kinda makes me a little sad. Those kids were adorable. (For the record, Joy, with absolutely no evidence, is telling people that our neighbors were illegal immigrants who got scared because of all the immigration hype that is going on...)

In other sad news, I think I have discovered that I am allergic to mango. Now, I am a fruit fanatic. To me, it doesn't get any better than fresh fruit, preferably with a little bread and cheese. MMM. Well, in the last month or so, Joy and I have purchased lots and lots of mangoes, because, quite frankly, they are amazing. But for the last month or so, I have also had some weird lip rash type thing. It's hard to describe, and I just couldn't figure it out. Well, the last of the rash was just going away yesterday, and on a nice Sunday afternoon I thought I would make ourselves a mango smoothie. As I was cutting the fruit, I of course began to eat a few slices, and as soon as the mango touched my lip, I felt that same weird rash-like sensation come back. Joy and I began to process my rashes over the last month and they seem to line up with our mango consumption. Crazy, huh? Well, I'm not sure what to do about this new-found information, because the mango really is one of my favorite fruits. To be honest, I think it might just be worth the rash. Or perhaps I can get the mango into my mouth without the fruit actually touching my skin and then maybe I'll be fine? I'm not sure yet, but I really need to figure this out.