Born in Italy, in a town at the foot of the Alps, on lake Como.

I moved to the USA at the age of 28 after marrying a US service man.

I love life and I love to celebrate it!
I love making art, specifically, painting. I also enjoy to capture images of anything that grabs my attention. Both give me the opportunity to explore my own reactions to the subjects I choose to portray/capture.

I have been drawing and painting since I could hold a pencil and a brush.

I have been taking photographs since the Kodak Instamatic era.

My second camera was a Nikon F1. Now I use my iPhone [for on-the-run shots] and a Nikon D5000.

 

100 FACTS ABOUT ME

1I absolutely love animals.
2I really like my name. Marina means “woman of the sea” in Italian.
3My zodiac sign is Cancer
4I am extremely proud of my daughter. She is the best thing that ever happened to me. 
5And she won an Oscar.
6I send and receive postcards to/from all over the world through Postcrossing.
7I was born in Italy.
8I have lived in Italy the first 28 years of my life.
9I have lived in Philadelphia. I now live in Virginia.
10I studied languages at university in Milan, Italy (English and Spanish). I did not graduate.
11 I used to ski when I lived in Italy.
12I drove my first motorcycle at 13.
13I spent a summer vacation in the Greek islands.
14I used to have a recurring dream involving a wolf wrapped in brown paper.
15I greatly admire Ian Anderson of the Jethro Tull and Jimi Hendrix.
16 I like to smell books. Some smell better than others.
17I am afraid of lightning.
18 I have a chihuahua named Trigger, and a cat, Nutella.
19 I loathe sport on TV, beside skiing and the Olympic Games.
20I used to want to visit the USA when I was a teenager.
21Now I want to visit Italy every chance I get.
22 I like TV shows, the funny ones.
23 I also like real crime shows and European TV shows
24 I enjoy most digitally animated movies, as i appreciate the work in them.
25My favorite animation movies are: Rio, Tangled, Madagascar, Cars, Monster Inc, Shrek, (all Pixar Movies),
26My favorite funny movies: A Fish Called Wanda, I Love You To Death, 50 First Dates, Legally Blonde, Big Business, School of Rock
27My favorite TV shows:, The Closer, Major Crimes, Mom,The Big Bang Theory, shows on Britbox
28My favorite drama movies: Forrest Gump, Enough, The Fugitive, US Marshalls,
29I like bubble baths.
30I like Mac computers and the iPhone.
31 I listen to different types of music.
32I have 2 top favorites: 70’s rock and progressive rock.
33Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Soft Machine, are 4 groups I admire.
34I like fountain pens.
35And Moleskine notebooks.
36I have been biting my nails all my life. Update: I stopped on January 5, 2019.
37I like black licorice.
38I used to adamantly fight routine in my life.
39Now I get irritated if I have to make a slight little change in my schedule.
40 I’ve visited the West Coast [Los Angeles area] and I like it better than the East coast.
41I love art, in ALL forms, but mostly drawing, painting, and photography.
42I love the ocean, its smell and noise.
43I love nature, its smells and noises.
44 I like perfumes
45 I watch TV with closed captions: that has helped me with my English.
46I learned how to drive in Italy on stick shift cars.
47 I worked with autistic children for 8 years.
48 I am allergic to bee sting.
49 I like old books.
50I like to create collages.
51I love mushrooms. In art and in food.
52 … and black olives.
53My hair is naturally curly.
54My favorite non-alcoholic drink is Coke Zero (or Pepsi Zero)
55My favorite drinks with alcohol are wine and beer, but I don’t consume it very often.
56My favorite beer is Italian or German beer [made in Germany].
57I like marzipan.
58I wish I could create/run a daycare for cats and dogs.
59I like bright colors.
60I like the beach and the sea.
61I like to take pictures.
62I like to paint.
63I like to draw.
64I took my first piano lessons when I was 8 years old. Played for the following 10-15 years.
65I don’t play anymore.
66 I played classical music.
67My favorite was Bach, 2 voice inventions.
68I create postcards from my photos and art and I sell them on Etsy.
69I feed opossums, raccoons, squirrels and birds.
70 I love to eat watermelon with a spoon.
71 I warm up my milk before putting cereals in it. Can’t stand cold milk. I think it’s an European thing.
72I have a hard time sleeping if the TV is off.
73 I am a “night owl”
74 So, in the morning, I love to sleep.
75 I am not a morning person.
76My favorite number is 8.
77I like to spend time at home.
78I have gray eyes.
79I go to sleep watching real crime stories.
80People who are rude and disrespectful get on my last nerves.
81Liars run a close second.
82My years of working with the public made me conclude that most people are crazy.
83And bitchy and impatient and dishonest.
84I laugh a lot.
85My pets have a lot to do with it.
86I cant stand mouth noises (people chewing loudly, kissing noises in the movies, etc)
87 I like cherries.
88 I like roses (in the garden).
89 I prefer cold weather.
90I like being in my pajama.
91 I love to wear comfy, cushiony slippers.
92 I like Chinotto.
93And Cedrata Tassoni.
94 I would love to swim with dolphins.
95 I am scared when flying on an airplane, but with the right pill I actually enjoy it.
96Favorite day of the week: Thursday.
97Favorite color: turquoise.
98 I hate ASPCA commercials.
99I have a green card. Just applied for citizenship in 2019. I now have dual citizenship.
100I can’t believe I just listed 100 things about me.

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