CP: Could you tell our readers a bit about your backgrounds and how you got into traveling so extensively.
S&A: Alisa and I met while I was on a project in Israel when I was a young field service engineer for an American company. She joined me upon my return to the states, and we got married.  My job required me to travel, so we traveled together for the next 3 years, and we just never stopped traveling. We love traveling. I guess it’s our most enduring life long hobby.

CP: How do you go about prepping for a destination you haven't yet visited?
S&A: I have a list of places we want to see, and the optimal length of each trip.  Each year, depending on when we can travel, we decide where we will go, usually 3 trips a year, from 10 days to 3 weeks which is the longest we go for. After deciding where, and when, I start planning. I use the internet and travel forums extensively to map out a general route, and then start looking for places to stay. After deciding on the hotels, I check out restaurants and interesting places to visit. I don’t leave much to chance. I hate looking for a hotel at the end of a long day of travelling. When we were younger, we did that more, but now, we want to know in advance where we will be staying.

CP: You have visited numerous places in tens of countries and perhaps it won't be easy for you to discern, but could you tell us which three places left the deepest impression on you and why?
S&A: I think that our visits to Japan, China and South America were the trips that left us with the deepest impressions. We both grew up in western or western oriented countries.   Visiting places so different from what we were used to was incredible. China was incredible, a gigantic country with one quarter of the earth’s inhabitants. Japan was the first country I ever visited where I felt I was in a place more technologically advanced than the USA or Europe, with a people whose national personality was so special. South America was one of our most incredible visits where we saw so much in just 3 weeks.  We definitely plan to visit South America and China again.

CP: Did you encounter a pleasant or unpleasant surprise, or something plain weird on you travels that you would like to share?
S&A: PLEASANT: visiting people we had met while chatting on the internet and even visiting them at their homes; making new friends on trips with whom we have kept in contact for years;  meeting friends from home unexpectedly in distant places.
UNPLEASANT: Coming back from Uzbekistan  with diarrhea which lasted for a week.
UNUSUAL: I will tell you a story from one of our trips to Italy. We were with our daughter. We arrived in Verona in the pouring rain and without a hotel reservation. We checked out the hotels on my list, and they were all terrible. We became exasperated very quickly, and because of the rain we got drenched from very quickly.  Sitting in our rented car near the main gate to the old city, and hoping for the rain to subside, our daughter (who was also hungry) pointed to the McDonalds right near the city wall. She noted that there was a hotel above the McDonalds.  We went and checked and it turned out to be a very nice 4-star hotel and we checked in and enjoyed our stay there. Checking in at the same time as we did, was a blind man with a seeing-eye dog. There was nothing unusual about him or his dog. The next day while touring the old city, our daughter noticed a beggar begging on the ground leaning against the city wall. He was blind and had a seeing-eye dog. He looked very familiar. Our daughter recognized him right away as the blind man who had checked into the hotel with us. We learned a lot from that experience. I learned to reserve hotels in advance, and we all learned that there are beggars who sleep in 4-star hotels.

CP: Does your experience from the travels impact at all your everyday life in Israel, and if so, how?
S&A: We have friends here in Israel whom we met on trips.  We are frequently giving advice on visiting places we know well, like Italy, and even Croatia where we have been 3 times. People from all over the world who have found our travel pages online write via email with questions regarding trips they are planning. Most of all, I personally am either planning a trip, or building a web page about the trip we just finished.

CP: In which ways did those travels enrich your lives/your life together?
S&A: As I described above, we met while I was traveling with my work, Alisa had to travel for us to get married, and then we lived on the road traveling for a few years until we settled down. So traveling has always been part of our lives, and even today, it is the most enriching and enjoyable activity we do together. 

CP: Where will you go next?
S&A: I plan about a year in advance, and do detailed planning up to 6 months before a trip. In May we are going to Bordeaux and Dordogne with another couple. The trip was already 90% planned in January. After that, Berlin in September, and we are seriously considering a Baltic cruise in June 2012.

Cavtatportal wishes Steve and Alisa a great next trip and many more happy travels!

CP: When did you first feel the calling, the drive to play piano?
DI: Music was always a part of me, probably because I grew up in a musical family and there were all kinds of musical activities around me. My first contact with music happened thanks to my parents who encouraged me to try to produce some sound of my own. The only instrument in the house that attracted me was the piano and the first time I sat down to play on it, all of that seemed very interesting and natural so since then, the piano remained my tool of expression.

CP: And, somewhat more seriously, who or what inspired you to embark onto a career as a pianist?
DI: Even though music was always present in my life and I was already studying in the basic music school, I didn’t practice seriously up until when I was 14 years old. In that period I started working with the eminent Russian pedagogue Lyudmilla Romanova. A brilliant and astounding person, she played a key role in my choice to take the piano as a career, but her influence was a lot deeper than a mere choice of profession. I can say without doubts that professor Romanova entrusted me with great courage and self confidence, will, interest and knowledge of extreme value to me even to this day. When I entered the class of her husband, world-wide known pianist and pedagogue Boris Romanov, my determination was confirmed and I continued on the same road.

CP: What is music?
DI: That is a question that people tried and keep trying to answer for centuries. In a very strict sense, music is Sound in Time. However, for me music is not just a discipline. It is a mirror in the soul of the people, one of many means of expression, but perhaps the most universal and most important one.

CP: What is your working day like?
DI: I try to live a balanced life, to live it to the fullest. So, I usually wake up early in the morning, working out a bit so I can prepare the body and mind for the day. After that, practicing piano follows when the mind responds with maximum efficiency. In the afternoon hours I attend classes and lectures at the Faculty of Music Arts where I am currently a student in the second year. Practicing continues after my activities at the Faculty as well. But, in order to perform my tasks successfully with optimal results, I get a sense of balance from the people I love and whom I spend my free time with.

CP How do you choose the material? Could you describe for the readers of Cavtatportal how you prep for a concert?
DI: In order to perform a concert with high quality, One needs a long, detailed and hard preparation and disciplining of the mind, soul and body. But of course, you need a good program as well. In making a good choice, I get the help from my professor Boris Romanov – a man with astounding knowledge and experience, impeccable musical taste and excellent judge of capabilities and talent. According to the fact that he comes from a centuries long tradition of playing the piano, as well as the fact that he studied in the Moscow conservatory where he continued to teach as a head of the piano department, one of the most important issues of preparation are his selfless sharing of his work experience and knowledge. In preparation of a concert, I try to remain focused on the programme I’m about to perform, to decrease but not abolish all social activities before the concert. But since the Professor and I are working on new material daily, concert preparation is a regular activity in my life, and a normal process of working.

CP: Which aspect of the recital/concert do you best like?
DI: A concert is one of the most important things in the life of the artist. The most beautiful thing about it for me lies in the very roots of the function of the event - sharing and communicating on an emotional and intellectual level with other people. Since Music knows of no boundaries, creed, race, color or faith, It can be shared with all people universally. So I’d say that the most noble thing for me is the opportunity to communicate with so many people in a language that everybody understands. Of course, amongst the many pleasures of performing I always include things such as the hypnotic charge and atmosphere, spontaneity, adrenalin rush, chance of uncertainty, expectations, the process of communication, meeting new people, new situations and countless other things.
All of these things contribute to progress in life as a person and of course, as a musician.

CP: Who is your favorite pianist, or pianists?
DI: To set apart several of piano players from the complete human history is a daunting task, since I try to extract knowledge from everybody, and there are so many phenomenal musicians. But without any consideration I would immediately say that I have learned the most from the incredible Sergey Rachmaninoff, whose approach to the music material is based on the fact that he sees things through the prism of the composer and creator. Amongst other people, I would mention greats such as Sviatoslav Richter, Ivo Pogorelich, Martha Argerich and others too many to mention.

CP: Which one is your favorite concert hall and why?
DI: My favorite concert hall is always the one I’m about to play in next, only because of the fact that it will be a new thing for me, something I have never seen, and a great learning experience. So I couldn’t name a specific concert hall or a certain type of an audience that suits my performance.

CP: According to you, what is a cardinal ingredient of the supreme piano playing?
DI: Without any doubt whatsoever, storytelling. Music must be lived through, felt and experienced on all levels individually, so it can, through us, touch the hearts of others.
Of course, technical perfection is extremely important, but only in the service of the idea that we desire to communicate. Only then, I believe, can One touch the hearts and souls of others.

CP: Career wise, where do you see yourself ten years from now?
DI: I see myself as an individual whose professional choice is Music. It is a great desire of mine to share the knowledge and experience I accumulate, so an important part of my aspirations is pedagogy. I hope that concert activities will continue to rise exponentially with my development, so I would like to continue to give performances in parallel to my work in the field of music education.
Among other aspirations of mine is certainly the art of composition, which I desire to pursuit, as well as hopes that some day I might take on the conductor’s baton as well.

CP: Your advice for beginners, to piano players foremost, but also to other artists...
DI: The general rule and starting point in Life is to have a dream, and to work on achieving it, with passion, fire and selflessness. Therefore my message to younger people starting up, is to dream, to experience life and to work diligently, but not to forget that Life is to be experienced from all sides of the coin - pleasure, inconvenience, joy, love and all kinds of different emotions. Only then will they achieve the pursuit of their dream.
CP: We wish you much luck and success in your pursuit of musical excellence.

CP: Dhani, you've been a pro linebacker for about nine seasons now. Is that right?
DJ: Yes, this season coming up will be my tenth.

CP: How long have you been in the sport?
DJ: My mother didn't let me play in the beginning so I played all different types of sports. When I got older and went to high school, she allowed me to play so I've been in the sport since then.

CP: What brought you to football? Did you just love the game or were there certain aspects of football that were particularly attractive to you?
DJ: Well, I had a bit of an anger problem, so to express myself and to find my way out of certain situations, to just sort of better myself I started playing football. I enjoyed it so much that I remained motivated to keep at it and to get good enough at the game to be able to play in college.

CP: When did you first realize you were good enough you could go pro? Did someone point that out to you or...?
DJ: I don't know (laughing...). I always sort of maintained the blue collar mentality where if you just work hard things would work themselves out. In this case they worked well. Every day, every week, I practiced hard and got a bit better, learned more. My aim was to be as knowledgable as possible about the position that I was playing so that when I entered the field I could do whatever I wanted to do.

CP: Some people characterize you as a Renaissance man and, indeed, you are a man of a scope much wider than that of an excellent football player. You are engaged in various worthwhile causes. Can we briefly talk about your involvement with the Climate Change Project, working with Al Gore...?
DJ: There are people who are socially conscious, many are politically conscious, yet there is an additional important concept of being environmentally conscious. When you spend so much time outside every day, especially playing sports, you begin to notice the difference, the changes in environment. As a result, I committed myself to learning more about the causes of those changes and being able to create a meaningful positive impact by getting educated about it and sharing with people what I have learned.

CP: You're also involved with the UN's World Food Program...
DJ: There are millions of people in this world that are in need of the basic neccessities such as food and shelter on the one hand while on the other there is an overwhelming amount of natural resources to take from. Certain countries and people hoard the resources and we strive to find a way to channel those resources toward the ones that are most in need of them.

CP: A noble effort. Within the same line of thought and the spirit of charity is the Gift of New York -- a 9/11 philanthropy organization. Perhaps you could shed a bit of light on your involvement with it?
DJ: The attack on the World Trade Center shook up America and the world. At the time I played for the Giants. We stopped playing for a week. Aside from the much needed philanthropic side of it, we understood that people needed and wanted a way to collectively come together and that football, as a sport and an inexorable part of the fabric of culture, is a great means to do that, to get their mind off the pressing thoughts by 'being on the field with the athletes', to allow them space and time to communicate and spend time with one another.

CP: Were you always a worldly person, a guy who has his mind on affairs that impact all of us, modes of existence that lie beyond your immediate field of vision...
DJ: I've always been interested in people. Both my parents were in the military so we traveled quite a bit. Having experienced so much interaction with various people and all these different places at such a young age ingrained in me a lasting curiousity that ever propels me to learn about various peoples and their cultural worlds. I do not think this will ever end.

CP: Dhani, you're an athlete and entrepreneur, a poet and a painter, photographer and musician, world-traveler, environmental philanthropist and a community volunteer. How are you able to find the time to do all these things?
DJ: It's about using your time wisely, that is, finding what you passion is and commiting the time to yourself so that you can do the things that you want to do. If you wanna travel, get on a plane and get out of the country; if you wanna paint, find a canvas and illustrate. It's the same approach for any of the things you wanna do.

CP: You're a man of action, you don't just think of something you would like to do and then leave that wish stowed away in some drawer to wait for a better, more auspicious time...
DJ: My motto is CARPE DIEM. I truly believe that. You know, a lot of people stare out of the window and just wait... Other people see that window is open and they take a chance and jump through it. I live my life trying to take chances. Now, of course I do not proceed haphazardously. I think and calculate, but I do proceed despite inherent inevitability of a certain amount of risk.

CP: Your love of travel is well known.
DJ: Travel is my passion, it's what I love to do. It's something I'd like for others to do as well because I believe it would enrich their lives.

CP: How has traveling enriched your life?
DJ: I think it has allowed me to be a better person, to expand my horizons, to learn how to communicate with different people even if I do not always know their language. Point in case is when I found myself in Paris. I do not speak French, but because I have traveled widely I just drew from my experiences and successfully communicated with the French. Or, when I ended up some four hundred miles outside one of the main cities in an African country without a translator. Same thing. Communication is not only verbal. Thus, I find that people can always relate to one another and find a way to communicate.

CP: Travel, it seems, is also a great way to get the first-hand knowledge of the world?
DJ: Sure. You learn about places, about people, different cultures, history, you learn what makes the world -- the world. Some people sit at home and try to learn that through televison and the internet, but there is no better way to acquire the understanding of the world than by witnessing it first hand.

CP: You were a TV-host and now a TV-star. How has being in the spotlight affected your life?
DJ: I don't pay attention to it. I maintain understanding that we're all just men, women, and children who happen to live in different places and do different things.

CP: Let's talk about sports for minute. You participated in a whole variety of them. Can you tell us of some?
DJ: For example, Hurling in Ireland, America's Cup racing in New Zealand, Surf Life-Saving in Australia, Mauy Tay in Thailand, Pradal Serey in Cambodia, Waterpolo in Croatia... the list goes on and on. I just hope I can continue and do as many sports as possible during my off season and then, during the season, just get back to football.

CP: How was your athletic experience here in Dubrovnik, Croatia, the world's capital of waterpolo?
DJ: It was a bit ackward because waterpolo is a very difficult sport that you have to practice to be able to really play. However, I am a swimmer and I am a competitor, so I had at least two thirds covered. The last third is being an experienced waterpolo player and that's the edge that professionals in the sport have over me. I just went at it wanting to participate in the sport and to learn, to have fun experiencing it.

CP: Your advice to children. How can they grow up to be better persons, better athletes, how can they better respect and appreciate the world and people in it?
DJ: Open your eyes. Go out and see the world. Don't spend all your time in the house, with the blinders on. God gave us the environment, God gave us nature, God gave us people and different countries and forms of transportation, a way to see the world, God gave us means to communicate with our mouths, with our eyes, through foods, through sports. Go out and experience all these different cultures. That's the best form of education you can get, the best way to understand who you are and where you fit into this world, the best way to express yourself and give to other people.

CP: Dhani, on behalf of Cavtatportal, thank you very much and welcome to Dubrovnik and our Riviera. We hope to see you here again.
DJ: Of course. And, I'll always come back.

Official Website of Dhani Jones
Dhani Tackles the Globe
About the game of waterpolo

CP: John, what brings you here, to Mlini?
JV: Croatia is a beautiful country and with a great, the best in the world, tradition of waterpolo. We come from Stanford University, we're a waterpolo team, and we like to experience different culture while playing waterpolo in such a great country.

CP: Have you visited Croatia before?
JV: Yes. I have visited Croatia four or five times before. We love it so much we keep coming back.

CP: We're glad to have you here. What is your philosophy of approach to waterpolo at Stanford?
JV: Simply put, I aim at great waterpolo. You have to be able to think the game and play with discipline. It's that simple. We focus on fundamental play, discipline in many facets of the game such as positioning, patience in front of the goal... Just many different things.

CP: When did you first feel you, as a coach, have formed your own strategical, tactical approach?
JV: I coached in 2000 Olympics in Sydney and have had many great coaches that were mentors. Three of four years leading up to the Olympics I felt I had a pretty good grasp of the tactics that we wanted to implement and the philosophy of how I approach the game.

CP: Let's digress for a moment and go backwards in time. What first sparked your love of waterpolo?
JV: I come from a big family and I have two older brothers that are five and six years older than I am. They were the ones that have started on a local swim team that also had a waterpolo team. Of course, being a younger brother, I tagged along and started playing waterpolo when I was seven. Loved it ever since.

CP: Now, returning closer to the present, would you give us an insight of a coach's mindframe at the Olympics?
JV: Well, it's the highest level of waterpolo and the most exciting. I started playing at the very young age and have always dreamed about going to the Olympics. I was fortunate enough to play at the '92 Olympics and during that time, I think because of the type of player that I was, I was drawn toward coaching. I was on the staff during the next Olympics in '96 in Atlanta and felt very fortunate to have been elected to coach.

CP: Acustomed to seing the game from the pool, was it a drastic change to see it from the deck of the pool? Is it a whole new paradigm?
JV: Yes, because not only are you dealing with the tactics but you're dealing with the individuals to make sure they have good chemistry and they get along and approach the game as a team. As a player I didn't have to think as much about that. As a coach, the aspect of putting together the pieces creates a huge difference in the level of responsibility.

CP: What is your team-building strategy or philosophy?
JV: Well, we're team-building right now. I brought the Stanford team to Croatia; we started at Split (city midway down the Dalmatian coast), chartered a small boat and have enjoyed interacting as a team while seeing the beautiful countryside between Split and Dubrovnik.

CP: Quite nice. What advice would you give to the coaches and/or to the players?
JV: It's probably the same. One, you can never learn enough about the sport and two, practice -- put in more time than required. Lots of players will show up for practice, but to reach the highest level in waterpolo one needs to think about the game before and after practice, one needs to live the game.

CP: On behalf of Cavtatportal and the waterpolo community in the Dubrovnik Riviera, thank you very much and welcome.
JV: Thank you for having me.

About the game of waterpolo
USA Waterpolo
John Vargas at GoStanford.com
Stanford University

CP: Tony, where do you come from, your family roots?
TA: I was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and moved to Long Beach, California when I was a year old and I've been living there ever since. I go back all the time (to Brazil).

CP: There are so many other sports, how come you opted for waterpolo?
TA: I don't know, really don't know. It was a big mistake (laughing). No, my uncle was a silver medalist in 100m butterfly, in Brazil, and my father played waterpolo for Brazil, tournaments, cup championships, things like that.

CP: Your father, Ricardo Azevedo, is also a waterpolo coach.
TA: Yeah, he was a US Olypmic coach for a while. Now he's coaching in Italy.

CP: Let's go back to your first polo days for a moment. When did it all begin?
TA: I played baseball and swam before that, but I was eight years old when I first begun. I happened to be at a polo practice once and just decided to jump in and play. Stayed with waterpolo ever since.

CP: Throughout the formative years, did you have mentors, players whom you looked up to, someone who inspired you with their game, or advice?
TA: I was a ball-boy at the '96 Olympics and I remember both Perica Bukić and Emanuel Estuarte were there, both playing my position. Emanuel Estuarte, one of the greatest players in the game, perhaps of all time, was someone I especially looked up to, 'cause he was small and I knew I was never going to be big, so I closely watched his game. Perica Bukić as well, seeing what he does in my position. Those two great players were my mentors as far as the players I watched in waterpolo. And then, of course, my father. He is a great coach and, in his time, a great player, and has taught me everything I know about the game.

CP: There are three Olympics behind you (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008), and a great many top level games. Do you approach any of the games differently, in terms of the pre-game mental prep, or do you just believe a game is a game and you just jump in the pool and do your best?
TA: Up until about four years ago, I didn't really know how to approach the games. I mean, I probably approached every game differently. I was young and if I had schoolwork or other obligations, or got to the game tired, I ended up not thinking about it before actually in the game. Later, I learned a different approach, to treat every game the same. That way I'd be prepared for every one of them. This is especially the case when not playing overseas. In the U.S. we would get maybe six hard games a year.

CP: You scored 332 goals while studying at Stanford!
TA: Yeah (laughing). It was all a learning process. I learned what my warm up should be, what mental state I should be in, to think only of defense. That kind of helped me to forget about offence knowing it would come naturally.

CP: In your view, what is the ratio of talent vs. work when it comes to reaching the top level of playing ability?
TA: Talent you have to have --you'll never be a great player without it, but the best players are the ones who have it and work the hardest. Often times, really talented players don't end up being the best but the ones who really work the hardest.

CP: How would you rate that ratio work vs. talent in terms of percentage, 90:10?
TA: I would say, 70:30.

CP: As evident in different playing styles of the national teams, there are different philosophies to approach to waterpolo. What is the most prominent one today and the one you most naturally adhere to?
TA: Well, I'd say the Hungarians'. You know, the Italians have their style, rough and hard-pressing, the Croatians have great centers and defenders, so they base their game on that, while the Hungarians have the game that's creative as well as under control. There is ball handling, there is strength, there is speed...

CP: There is beauty to their game.
TA: There is, there really is.

CP: Let's talk about the future of the sport.
TA: I'd like to see the sport grow. I think that right now waterpolo has potential to grow so much. With the U.S. winning the silver medal, there is now a lot of talk, lot more things going on, but still not nearly enough. On the other hand, the game has changed much overtime, and sadly, there are people in charge now who maybe played the game some thirty years ago and who may not have the best understanding of how to develop polo today. I think a good thing would be to have many clubs, many championships played. Now, with all the money problems, like in Italy, people aren't getting paid... No one wants to go anywhere any more, there are no real contracts... That tends to make the progress more difficult.

CP: Participating in the sport, playing for "Jug" here in Dubrovnik, what do you find the most challenging and what the most rewarding?
TA: Well, I'll start with the most rewarding. Just being here, maybe the most beautiful pool in the world, because there is such passion about playing, going around the city and seeing people, everyone, talking about waterpolo to me has been a most amazing experience. Having my coach be Elvis Fatović and Goran Sukno as the club manager, wherever I turn I have someone intelligent to talk to so that 's just it. As far as the challenges go, it is learning how to play with a new team. I need time. I am not a player that's selfish, I like to play for the team. But when you have a team that's as talented as "Jug", everyone wants to play for themselves in some points, and they have to, so it's learning to pick the right moment, the right amount and not too much. Our goal was to win everything we could so every big game I pushed myself, but these other games, as far as my position goes, I endeavored to learn how to best pass the ball to the centers and between myself and Miho Bosković, Maro Joković... as they're the ones passing me the ball from the right side. I've also been trying to learn how the centers move... It's the little things people don't think about that are the most important ones.

CP: Having been here for some time now, in retrospect, did you have an adjustment period -- a cultural shock of sorts -- or was it easy for you to adjust to living in Croatia, in Dubrovnik?
TA: Dubrovnik is amazing. The first time I saw the city I couldn't believe it. My fiancé thought so as well, wanting to explore the town all the time. I'd say wintertime is a bit slow, though. Once the sun went down, there wasn't really that much to do.

CP: Any advice for the newcomers to the game, anyone endeavoring to better their skills and knowledge of waterpolo?
TA: Hard work and talent are certainly the two most important things. But, you gotta study the game. Someone who has ball-handling skills and who swims the best, who has a heart, for sure will be a good player, they will do something within waterpolo. But it's the little things like passing and not being selfish, trying to make someone else better instead of trying to make yourself better, that are the key. At the end, you end up being better.

CP: We're sure we'll witness much more in your illustrious career. Any long-term plans you wish to share?
TA: I'd like to play at five Olympics. I was 18 at my first and I'd be 34 at my fifth one. It's been done before, by Estuarte and others. I'd like to do that.

CP: Tony, it's great you shared your thoughts with our readers. Thank you very much.
TA: Anytime.

About the game of waterpolo
Tony Azevedo's Official Website
Official Website of Jug CO (in Croatian)
Crowaterpolo Portal (in Croatian)
USA Waterpolo

CP: Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
C:My name is Carol and I am married to Peter and we live in a small village in North Wales. We have two children, (not that they are children at 43 and 40! ). We have three grandchildren, one of which joined the British Army last January 2008. Charlotte, who has joined the army and is 17, Shannon, 16, who is sitting her big exams this summer and is hoping to go into the police force and Jordan who is 13 and wants to be a solicitor. I think he would rather be a footballer or cricketer. Who knows, he is excellent at both sports.

CP: What do you and Pete do?
C: Pete works in a factory about 4 miles away. The factory is quite a large concern and produces chipboard for all major kitchen and flooring outlets. The main factory is in Austria and there are many factories all over the world. Pete does not have to work weekends which means that we get to go out and about. I finished work last June. I was working in an office in Llangollen on our little railway. The railway was closed in the 1960's when a lot of main line railways were closed down in the UK. Our railway was restored during the 1970's and is now a tourist attraction. It does a 16 mile round trip through some of the most lovely scenery. It is a full gauge railway and we run full size engines along the track. I finished in June 2008 as there was new management and we all know that this sometimes does not work.

CP: Rather well said. Among many, Joseph Pieper wrote at lenght and quite superbly about the importance of leisure. In a few words, how do you spend yours?
C: I spend my time painting and decorating in my home and look forward to the summer months when hopefully, weather permitting, i will be able to get some gardening done and sit outside and read. Sounds good!!! Pete and I love to go walking at the weekends and bird watch. We also love to go to one of our hotels and sit outside and have a drink. (once again, weather permitting). We also read quite alot and spend time with the family. CP: You guys live in Llangollen, North Wales. I had a chance to see a photo or two of it and it's quite beautiful. Would you tell us a bit about it?
C: Llangollen does have quite alot of similarities with Cavtat. We are only a small village and we do get lots of tourists in the summer months. People are drawn to Llangollen for its beautiful scenery, its lovely river which runs through the middle of the valley, the old stone bridge over the river and the lovely canal which is usually full of canal boats. We have a lovely river-side park which is great for people coming to Llangollen with small children. We have three lovely hotels which are small and only two storeys high, in keeping with the town. It is a very old village and one or two of the hotels used to be coaching houses as Llangollen was a stopping place for people in the olden days traveling by horse and coach to and fro from London.

CP: This will be your sixth time visiting Cavtat, so obviously you like the place. A word to its people?
C: To all the people of Cavtat, thank you for being so lovely to us and we hope you prosper during 2009. Stay safe and healthy.

CP: Much alike many small tourist resorts in Croatia, Cavtat has seen its share of rapid urbanization. Coming from Llangollen, which seems to share some common aspects with our little town, how do you view these relatively recent developments?
C: My fear for your lovely Cavtat is that it might become over developed. We have noticed over the last few years that more houses are being built on the approach into Cavtat. It is such a beautiful place that it would be so awful if more development went ahead. This is a problem that we have in Llangollen. People from nearby cities are buying land and building houses all over the place. This is going to ruin our village, if it has not already done so. The heart seems to be slowly going out of the community.

CP: What kind of Cavtat would you like to see in times to come?
C: My one bit of advice to the lovely people of Cavtat is to keep your very special place as it is. I know that hotels and shops etc. would all like to increase their profits, but to what cost !!! I know that when you live in a place all your life, you tend to forget how special it is until it is to late and you look around and all the magic has gone and there is nothing but houses, hotels etc. Keep it special and you will always have something so lovely that people will always want to come there.

CP: Thank you Carol, and Peter. Wish you both a great stay.

Wales
Llangollen
Urbanization

CP: How about giving us a look behind the scenes even further? How about a few words about yourself?
S: Sure. I am an American of Irish-Italian descent. Every so often my father jokingly tells me he couldn’t find an Italian woman that special night some 23 years ago. I was born in Staten Island, NY, in the most heavily Italian section of Staten Island, the South Shore.

CP: Irish-Italian ancestry, interesting…
S: My maternal grandfather, John Donoghue, served as a general under Michael Collins of the Irish Republican Army, while my paternal grandfather, Alfred Galligano, chose a career of a postal worker. His story is very tragic, but also very motivating to me. Alfred was a very smart man who dreamed of becoming a pharmacist. Once he received a full scholarship to go to New York University achieving his dream seemed more possible than ever. But then, it was suddenly shattered when his father, my great grandfather, committed suicide. Alfred was forced to support his siblings and mother so he dropped out of college and become a postal worker.

CP: They sure sound tough, your grandfathers…
S: Both of my grandfathers were very tough guys who strived to do the right thing. I most admire them for living their principles.

CP: How about your parents?
S: My mother Ellen Galligano, is a teacher at local High School on Staten Island, and my father is a Certified Public Accountant. He also owns an accounting business. Both my parents are very humble and hard working people and I respect them a great deal.

CP: And siblings? You did mention a brother got you the plane ticket to Arizona. . .
S: Yes, I have a younger brother, and also an older sister. My sister Ellieanne is 28 years old. She is an artist. We are not as close as we should be, but I still respect her a great deal because she is so independent -- moved out on her own when she was 19. Within the family I am the closest to my brother Ryan,. He is 18 years old, and attends St. Francis College in Brooklyn. He is a great brother and friend.

CP: Quite a family background and a fine legacy to follow and build on…
S: All true. Although, I could think of an anecdote or two where the gene pool I inherited may have influenced my choices in life in not quiet the best of ways.

CP: Care to share?
S: It happened some two years ago while I was (for the third time) interning at one the financial powerhouses on Wall Street. The House was hosting an (open bar) end-of-the-year event. As the ‘real’ interns were sipping martinis and talking stocks, we - the ‘outcasts’ interns - were getting smashed off our face with Jack-and-Cokes, and doing shots upon shots… Later in the night, we hooked up with some girls and were gonna continue partying in their apartment.  

Due to quite a consumption of assortment of beverages the details here run a bit hazy on me but, essentially, we waived a cab down and I decided to jump on top of the car and start dancing. The cab driver didn’t take well to my self-expression and started swinging his Billy Club at me. One of my buddies then engaged the cabby in a bit of fight. Shortly after, I got arrested and spend a night in Central Bookings (holding cell where all arrest are brought to in NYC) - the scariest place in the world to me.

CP: Any noteworthy details?
S: Nah. Let me just say that having to sleep on the floor was the least of my discomforts there.  

CP: How long did you remain locked up?
S: Well, I was gonna get out in the morning and head to work like nothing happened, but there was a shooting at City Hall and no one was being let out. Consequently, I spent another 28 hours in that cell without anyone, except my ‘outcast’ intern friends, knowing where I was. And they never ratted me out. Instead, they made up some cover story of me shacking up with some girl.  

CP: Fama per urbes reigning supreme, likely…
S: Sure. As you can imagine, rumors quickly spread… Stats is with a prostitute… Stats was robbed, all sorts of stuff. Anyhow, it turns out that three out of five interns didn’t show up to work the next day and got fired. I lucked out - partly due to my uncle being an executive at the investment bank I interned in.

CP: Did you take anything away from this incident? 
S: Yes, I learned a valuable lesson or two from this incident. First of all I realized one event can change your whole life.  I mean what would’ve happened if I hurt someone or hurt myself by being that drunk and not realizing what I did?  All my dreams and aspirations would be washed away.  Needless to say, I will never be involved in something like that again.

CP: Lucked out’s right, Stats. Let’s talk about something else. What keeps you going?
S: I am actually a very religious person, a firm believer. However, from the practical standpoint, The Contender (boxing show run by Sylvester Stallone) inspires me a lot. In fact, I just came from Vegas where I actually met most of the boxers from the show, and many celebs. I even met Stallone, shook his hand. If you think The Contender was motivating to me before, now fougetaboutit.

You know, besides the sheer notion of my personal dreams coming true, a part of me wants to be able to provide my parents with anything they might desire and to succeed for all my relatives who did not get to fulfill their dreams. Ultimately, I just want to be the best person I can possibly be and try to help and inspire as many people as I possibly can.

CP: We heard you keep a certain book of inspirational quotes with you…
S: Yeah, I actually do. In fact, it’s full of quotes I wrote down. I recite them back to myself occasionally.  
CP: Could you recite one or two to us now?
S: Sure, I’ll recite my two favorite ones: “The most absurd and reckless aspirations have sometimes led to extraordinary success,” by Vauvenargues and, “Knowledge of what is possible is the beginning of happiness,” by George Santayana.

CP: Deep. Yet, simply stated and true. In your own words, what would your advice be to the new comers, comedians or actors?
S: Times will get tough but never give up. Find your dreams and have the courage to persevere and realize those dreams.  

CP: You know, many of us can get a normal 9-5 job, earn a nice salary and move up in the company. But how many would dare and go after their dreams? 
S: “It is better in life to attempt great things, and come up short, then to conquer something you already know you can beat,” from the NBC Boxing show The Contender. I love this quote! I do subscribe to that philosophy. In fact, I am currently living my dream and all I do supports my search for the best possible life for me, where I can immerse myself in a job that I love and passionately want to do…  I know there is a chance I might come up short but, at least deep down inside my heart I will know I gave it my all.

CP: Where can people see your shows?
S: Besides performing at various open mics on weeknights, I perform regularly at Gotham Comedy Club on Friday or Saturday nights (at 6:30 pm), and at New York Comedy Club on Thursday nights (at 9:00 pm). These times are subject to change so I advise calling and confirming details beforehand.

CP: What’s in store for you in near future?
S: First, I am aiming at a full-time position with a marketing firm, so I can better finance my acting and comedy career. I plan to continue the acting school, perhaps even increase the number of classes per semester. I am now in the process of getting my headshot prepared and searching for an acting and commercial agent to help me get the auditions. Once that’s done, I will be ready to take the NYC entertainment business by storm.  

CP: Sounds like you’re really going all out on this one?
S: You bet! “It is better in life to attempt great things, and come up short, then to conquer something you already know you can beat”. And that’s not all. . . I will enter and try to win the New York City Comedy Underground Competition, one of the biggest competitions in the world for up and coming comedians. It takes place in October. Just to give you a clue of how competitive it is - over 1,000 aspiring comedians apply for this event, and only 8 get chosen. I am also throwing the idea out of saving money and moving to Hollywood next summer, so I can be closer to the acting/film business.  

CP: Stats, guess we could argue about much but not the fact that you’re the man with the plan. Where can people learn more about you and/or contact you?
S: Over the next couple of months, I plan on developing my own personal website. It’ll provide an easy access to details about my up-coming shows, future plans, etc. If anyone would like to email me with feedback or questions about the business, feel free to do so at: ggalligano@yahoo.com .

CP: Stats it was a pleasure meeting you. We tremendously enjoyed your show. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with our readers and much luck in your future endeavors!
S: Thank you Cavtatportal.

Tvi Studios
Gotham Comedy Club
New York Comedy Club
Borough of Staten Island

Funny enough - and contrary to what the mesmerized audience would surely claim - Stats would tell you he could do better. He says precisely this in the anteroom just minutes after his performance and then adds, “I was all right, but just didn’t feel the audience as I did the last show.”

CP: What do you mean, “feel the audience"?
S: Well, when you’re on stage… it’s like being in a boxing match. You dance and you throw punch(line)es and you wanna elicit a certain rhythm from the audience. You wanna draw them into your game. 

CP: That’s quite curious, the boxing analogy. Do you, then, sort of, mold your performance, shift it and adjust it right there on the spot, or how does that work?
S: Actually, the whole material is prepared and practiced beforehand.

CP: Every detail?
S: To the T. But, if there is that ‘moment’ where both, the audience and me are on the ‘level’ - I mean, I recognize that we have established a special connection - I will throw in some new material - Improv (improvise) just off the top of my head. In one of my acting classes Angel David teaches us the art of Improv.

CP: Everybody would agree that doing comedy is a risky business since it’s rather difficult to anticipate people’s responses ahead of time. How do you deal with that, are you prepared for the unexpected turns?
S: Sure. Usually, though, you’re guided by the gut feeling … you just feel it; you feel that special connection with the audience.  

CP: Kind of like when a basketball player knows the ball is going in the basket though it’s still in the air?
S: Yup, just like that. You can just feel it. But, if you don’t - the whole show comes down to the routine. Basically, you do with the material you prepped and hope for the best.