l
was
born
and
raised
in
Italy
in
a
2100
year
old
town
of
30,000
residents
named
Ivrea,
near
Turin.
Turin
is
the
home
of
the
Holy
Shroud,
in
the
Piedmont
region
in
Northern
Italy.
You
may
know
Turin
since
it
hosted
the 2006
Winter
Olympics!
I
am
a
Cancer,
which
makes
me
exactly
what
I
am...
attached
to
family,
traditions
and
everything
in
between.
I
am
the
infamous
"middle"
child,
the
one
always
wanting
and
starving
for
attention...
my
older
sister,
Lorena,
is
4
years
my
senior
and
my
younger
sister,
Katia,
is
8
years
my
junior.
When
I
was
14
years
old
my
family
became
really
good
friends
with
a
lot
of
people
that
ran
a
radio
station,
and
before
long
we
all
became
Disc
Jockeys
ourselves.
I
was
still
fairly
young
when
I
started
so
I
did
the
children's
show
for
a
while,
and
then
I
"graduated"
to
the
dedication
show,
a
very
popular
program.
English
is
a
true
jewel
to
know
in
Europe,
and
makes
it
much
easier
to
find
a
job,
so,
at
17
years
of
age,
I
came
to
the
United
States
to
visit
my
aunt
and
learn
the
language.
Little
did
I
know
I
would
never
go
back...
I
didn't
want
to
learn
just
a
little
bit
of
English,
I
wanted
to
become
fluent
to
enhance
my
chances,
so
I
went
to
Alamogordo
High
School
for
two
years
and
even
graduated.
By
the
time
I
graduated
High
School
I
was
20
years
old.
I
really
liked
living
in
the
U.S.,
and
although
I
missed
my
family
and
Italy,
U.S.
felt
more
like
a
home
to
me
that
Italy
ever
did.
I
never
figured
that
one
out!!!
Possibly
because
here
I
felt
'different'
and
'special',
while
in
Italy
I
was
lost
in
a
crowd.
Maybe
it
was
one
of
those
'middle
child'
syndromes!!
Who
knows?
I
felt
treated
differently
and
better
by
people
in
general,
and
that
gave
me
the
confidence
to
make
a
life
here.
At
any
rate,
that's
how
I
started
my
life
as
an
immigrant.
A
life
very
rewarding
at
times,
and
not
so
great
others.
I
found
many
jealousies,
hypocrisies
and
regrets
along
the
way
from
many
family
members
and
friends
on
both
sides
of
the
ocean.
I
always
get
the
same
question
from
them
and
people
in
general:
"What's
better,
Italy
or
U.S."?
I've
always
found
that
the
person
asking
always
wants
me
to
answer
that
"their"
country
is
better,
but
I've
never
been
able
to
answer
that
question
in
one
way
or
another,
because
it
is
terribly
unfair
and
hard
for
me
to
make
such
a
choice.
Italy
is
my
childhood
homeland,
and
the
U.S.
is
my
adulthood
homeland.
I
feel
at
home
in
both
countries.
I
could
live
as
an
adult
in
Italy,
but
I
prefer
not
to,
I
am
too
used
to
the
freedom
the
US
has
given
me.
On
the
same
token,
if
I
had
to
relive
my
childhood,
I
would
choose
to
relive
it
in
Italy.
I
hope
that
answer
everyone's
question,
because
it
is
the
fairest
way
to
explain
it.
I
married
Nick
a
few
years
later,
which
was
the
son
of
one
of
my
aunts'
friends.
Together
we
planned
on
opening
up
our
own
Domino's
Pizza
store,
but
that
was
a
dream
that
became
impossible
to
achieve
for
many
different
reasons.
When
things
didn't
work
out
with
Domino's,
I
took
a
position
in
management
for
Babbage's,
a
mall
software
retailer.
I
liked
it
right
away,
and
I
was
planning
a
career
in
the
retail
software
industry.
I
loved
working
there.
I
was
working
my
way
to
a
district
manager
position
with
Babbage's
when
everything
started
changing.
The
company
merged
with
another
one,
creating
new
rules
that
kept
changing
over
and
over
again.
The
marketplace
was
ever
changing
too,
and
customers
were
lured
by
the
mega
stores.
Things
were
starting
to
look
real
bad,
and
I
wanted
to
get
out
of
a
sinking
ship.
I
had
worked
for
the
company
for
4
years
and
I
was
sad
to
leave,
but
I
felt
I
had
no
choice.
Unfortunately
my
premonition
became
true
a
few
months
after
I
quit.
Babbage's
went
Bankruptcy.
Of
course
my
attitude,
at
the
time,
wasn't
that
great
either,
which
only
worsened
everything.
My
son
Alex was stillborn
at
full
term,
followed
by
a
miscarriage,
and
I
was
very
depressed,
to
say
the
least.
Thankfully
I
had
access
to
a
computer,
which
made
all
the
difference
in
the
world.
I
met
a
lot
of
wonderful
people
this
way,
people
that
are
my
friends
even
today.
The
local
support
group
was
a
God
sent
as
well.
It
just
made
me
feel
less
alone.
With
the
help
of
a
great
friend
(and
ex-Babbage's
employee!)
I
started
working
at
MicroAge soon
thereafter.
It
wasn't
easy,
as
a
matter
of
fact
it
was
very
hard,
but
it
was
practically
100%
mental
work,
something
that
I've
never
had
before.
For
the
first
time
I
worked
"normal"
daytime
hours
with
weekends
off,
it
seemed
like
a
dream.
It
probably
seemed
more
so
because
soon
thereafter
I
became
pregnant
with
Nicky,
and
I
enjoyed
the
sitting
down
a
lot!
:)
In
late
November
our
precious
little
boy
was
born,
but
not
perfect.
He
was
diagnosed
with
a
very
rare
skin
disorder
called
Epidermolysis
Bullosa
(EB).
His
skin
is
extremely
fragile
(and
that's
an
understatement),
making
it
difficult
to
even
just
pick
him
up
without
creating
a
blister
or
cause
his
skin
to
peel
off
like
wet
tissue
paper.
We
did
not
know
it
at
the
time
of
Alex's
death,
but
we
later
found
out
that
Alex
might
have
had
EB
as
well,
and
that
might
have
played
a
major
part
in
his
demise.
The
miscarriage
I
had
after
I
lost
Alex
was
also
most
likely
caused
by
the
EB.
Nature's
way
to
"discard"
(an
awful
way
to
put
it,
I
know)
the
unfit
for
life.
Again,
the
Internet
helped
me
get
in
touch
with
other
parents
of
EB
babies.
Many
of
them
had
lost
babies
before
like
I
did.
EB
is
so
rare
that
if
it
wouldn't
have
been
for
the
Internet
I
would
most
likely
still
looking
for
another
parent
in
my
situation.
Nicky
is
a
child
that
needs
to
be
watched
24
hours
a
day,
and
one
that
needs
tiring
bandage
changes,
among
other
things.
He
is
a
difficult
child,
not
only
he's
fragile
and
every
simple
task
becomes
a
challenge,
but
did
not
sleep
well
for
years.
He
eats
ok,
but
he
needs
more
calories
than
a
normal
child,
so
the
g-tube
was
inserted
when
he
was
3.5
years
old.
His
diet
primarily
consists
of
liquids
and
mushy
foods.
The
EB
has
left
him
with
scars
and
If
a
cure
is
not
found
he
will
be
vulnerable
to
skin
cancer
and
other
serious
and
possibly
lethal
problems.
Yet,
despite
it
all,
Nicky's
an
extremely
loving
child,
always
ready
for
a
kiss
and
a
hug,
a
true
treasure.
The
relationship
I
had
with
my
ex-husband,
Nicky
and
Alex's
dad,
had
always
been
on
the
verge
of
disaster,
and
it
did
not
survive
the
hardships.
I
don't
blame
my
sons
for
the
dissolution
of
my
marriage,
I
am
mostly
mad
at
myself
for
not
wanting
to
see
the
evident
signs
of
a
relationship
that
was
doomed
from
the
very
beginning.
The
hardships
just
made
it
all
come
out
in
the
open.
Nick
and
I
were
just
too
different,
whoever
said
that
opposites
attract??
In
everyday
life
you
NEED
to
see
eye
to
eye,
otherwise
one
or
both
of
the
two
people
will
end
up
sacrificing
a
lot
or
even
their
entire
being
for
the
other,
and
that
is
what
happened
to
us.
Nicky's
dad
and
I
remain
very
good
friends.
I
have
no
ill-feelings
toward
him
and
Nicky
simply
worships
his
daddy,
and
I
am
very
glad
he
does.
As
it
came
time
for
me
to
go
back
to
work
after
the
separation/divorce,
it
was
clear
to
me
I
wanted
a
position
doing
what
I
learned
to
do
on
my
2.5
years
where
I
was
a
SAHM
(Stay
At
Home
Mom),
I
wanted
to
be
a
WebMaster.
Of
course,
2.5
years
learning
HTML
on
my
own
did
not
qualify
for
'experience',
so
at
first
I
took
a
position
with
Insight in their
TCComputers'
sales
division,
and
thanks
to
many
different
factors,
as
soon
as
a
position
became
available
I
was
offered
the
move
to
the
Web
Team.
After
a
year
I
convinced
them
to
let
me
work
from
home
so
I
could
move
closer
to
Stanford,
so
in
January
2001
I
said
goodbye
to
Arizona,
my
home
for
12
years,
and
said
hello
(again)
to
Southern
California.
I
had
lived
here
before,
in
1988.
They
let
me
work
from
home
for
9
months,
but
then
due
to
budget
cuts
they
had
to
let
me
go.
The
state
of
California
does
not
have
anything
in
place
to
help
mothers
pay
for
respite
care
providers...
well,
they
do
if
the
child
has
'mental'
retardation,
but
if
you're
a
mom
with
a
child
with
a
physical
disability,
no
matter
how
severe
(and
my
child
is
very
severe)
there
is
squat.
So
at
this
moment
the
state
is
actually
paying
me
to
take
care
of
him.
It's
not
a
lot,
and
I
would
love
to
be
able
to
work,
even
just
part-time,
but
with
nobody
to
care
for
him,
that
is
just
an
impossibility.
I've
also
started
selling
Discovery
Toys.
I
also
do
a
little
translating
work
for
AOpen
and
other
companies,
plus
odd
and
ends
website
work
for
individuals
and
small
companies
and
i
sell
stuff
on
eBay.
I
also
run
the
EB
Info
World
website
and
its
very
active
mailing
list
which
I
have
an
incredible
hard
time
keeping
up
with!
I
am
also
working
on
a
book
I
am
writing
about
motherhood
'When
things
go
wrong',
an
inspirational
book
about
pregnancy
loss
and
raising
special
children.
Yes...
I
got
my
hand
full
doing
all
these
things
and
taking
care
of
my
son,
and
I
am
not
even
"really"
working!
I
have
also
found
a
long
lost
love
again
on
the
internet
and
we
had
our little
pumpkin,
Connor
Gabriel,
who was
born
September
5,
2003,
healthy
and
happy!
I
could
not
be
happier
for
that
turn
of
events
:-)
...to
be
continued...
Fun
Stuff
and
Facts
about
me
:-)
Hometown: Ivrea,
Italy
Current
Residence: Southern
California
Favorite
Salad
Dressing: Oil
and
Vinegar
:-)
Favorite
Shampoo: Pantene
Favorite
year: 1996
Favorite
Color: Blue
(I
think)
Have
you
ever
been
convicted
of
a
crime: No
One
pillow
or
two: No
less
than
two
;-)
Pets: I
have
had
2
cats,
Kitty
and
Cinnamon.
Both
of
them
died.
We
now
have
a
dog,
Thor.
Favorite
type
of
music: All
of
it
except
for
MOST
rap
and
hip-hop.
Favorite
music
artist: BON
JOVI
Favorite
song:
Living
on
a
Prayer
by
BON
JOVI
Favorite
actor:
Hard
one!
I
would
have
to
say
it's
a
tie
between
Kevin
Costner,
Mel
Gibson,
Hugh
Jackman
and...
of
course,
Jon
Bon
Jovi!
I
also
used
to
LOVE
the
character
of
'Sam
Malone'
of
Cheers.
Hobbies: Web
graphics
&
design,
scrapbooking
and
cross
stitching
if
I
EVER
have
time.
I
also
love
to
swim
and
read.
Favorite
food: Pizza!
Favorite
Movie: It's
a
Wonderful
Life
Do
you
get
along
with
your
parents: Oh
Yes,
I
adore
them!
Do
you
get
along
with
your
siblings: Oh
Yes,
I
adore
them!
:-)
Do
you
get
along
with
your
ex: Yes,
we
are
very
good
friends
Favorite
town
to
chill
in: The
Beach
in
Senigallia,
Italy.
Favorite
town
to
visit: Firenze
(Florence),
Italy.
Favorite
Perfume/Cologne: Charlie
Favorite
Subject(s)
in
school:
Science
Favorite
Subject(s)
NOW:
History
Least
favorite
subject: Labor
Laws
Favorite
cartoon: Snoopy
Favorite
cereal: Frosted
Flakes
Favorite
celebrities
that
share
my
birthday
(July
3rd): Tom
Cruise
and
Hunter
Tylo!
Favorite
celebrities
that
share
my
birth
year
(1964): Melissa
Gilbert,
Nicholas
Cage,
Courtney
Cox
Arquette
Fun
stuff
about
me
not
many
people
know
: I
love
being
in
the
audience
of
TV
shows.
Even
though
I
have
not
being
able
to
do
this
for
a
long
time,
since
the
mid-eighties
I
have
been
in
the
audience
for
such
shows
as
Cheers,
the
Leeza
show,
the
old
Merv
Griffin
show,
a
couple
of
game
shows,
the
pilot
for
the
'Gung
Ho'
TV
sitcom
(which
got
cancelled
right
away!),
and
a
show
called
'America'
among
others
I
don't
recall
at
the
moment.
Once
Nicky
is
a
little
older
I
really
want
to
take
him
to
see
the
'Tonight
Show'
and
other
sitcoms
being
filmed-those
are
the
most
fun.
Being
in
the
audience
for
the
episode
of
Cheers
is
one
of
the
funniest
moments
of
my
life!
Celebrities
I
have
seen
with
my
own
two
eyes: This
one
is
a
fun
category
for
me.
While
working
at
the
Scottsdale
Fashion
Square
I
saw
Charlie
Sheen
and
Sandra
Bernhardt
(sp?)
walking
by.
A
celebrity
customer
of
mine
was
none
other
than
Alice
Cooper!
He
was
actually
the
only
celebrity
I
had
a
conversation
with
a
few
times.
Willie
Aames
(from
8
is
enough)
also
shopped
at
my
store
once,
and
I
missed
him
by
10
minutes!
Drats.
While
in
Hollywood
in
the
late
80s
I caught
a
glimpse
of
Anthony
Micheal
Hall
standing
by
while
shooting
a
movie,
and
I
saw
Dennis
Weaver
posing
for
pictures
once
at
a
mall
in
Costa
Mesa
.
Of
course,
while
watching
TV
shows
being
filmed
(see
above)
I
saw
many
celebrities
there,
such
as
Ted
Danson,
Shelley
Long,
Woody
Harrelson
and
the
whole
gang
of
Cheers,
Leeza
Gibbons,
Merv
Griffin
and
his
guests,
such
as
Mel
Torme',
William
Shatner,
Joey
Lawrence
(he
was
a
kid
back
then!)
and
Gregory
Harrison.
From
misc.
shows
also
Dionne
Warwick
and
Wink
Martindale.
I
also
attended
several
Star
Trek
Conventions,
hence
I
was
able
to
see
basically
every
cast
member
of
The
Next
Generation
(and
I
actually
have
pics
to
prove
this
one,
lol),
Leonard
Nimoy,
William
Shatner
(again)
and
Deforrest
Kelley
from
the
Original
show,
and
even
Armin
Shimmerman
from
DS9.
Of
course
I've
been
at
concerts
too,
so
I've
seen
Prince
and
Sheila
E.,
Bon
Jovi,
Rush,
Reo
Speedwagon,
KC
&
the
Sunshine
band,
Don
Henley,
Yanni,
the
Beach
Boys,
Huey
Lewis
and
the
News,
and
Amy
Grant.
I
even
went
to
the
Hollywood
Xmas
parade
once,
but
the
only
celebrity
I
remember
seeing
was
Joan
Van
Ark
(Knots
Landing)-I
know
there
were
others,
such
as
Soleil
Moon
Frye
I
think.
For
work
they
invited
Steve
(olympian
who
guest-starred
in
chips?)...
to
speak
once...
interesting!
I
was
asked
once
if
I
am
related
to
anyone
that
is
either
a
celebrity
or
someone
with
some
sort
of
notorierity....
hmmm...
I
guess
it
depends
on
how
you
define
family
and/or
notorierity.
My
ex
mother-in-law,
which
is
my
son's
grandmother,
was
Mrs
New
Mexico
1983-because
of
her
I
met
Mai
Shanley,
who
was
Miss
USA
1984-I
even
went
to
her
wedding!
Also,
my
step-daughter's
step-grandfather
is
Buddy
Greco.
Hmm...
I
guess
no
relation
there
at
all,
just
a
round
about
way
to
know
him
I
suppose!
LOL.
What
a
nice
guy
though!