2/13/09
The last two days have been great! The weather has been beautiful and I think it helps everyone’s mood, even the many sick people roaming our school. Once again, Thursdays are beautiful because I only have one class, leaving plenty of time in the morning to do laundry, make a delicious brunch, and get ready for the day. We went over the Passato Remoto, which everyone grumbled through. Honestly, there are so many irregular forms you can hardly call one regular! Luckily I’ve technically learned it once before, so remembering it is slightly easier… at least the regular verbs… After we all walked over for some delicious gelato with Monica, our teacher. She described it as “ice cream like it used to be made!” I had actually been there before, but it was years ago when the Thomas and Wigley families stayed in the hotel across the street from it. I remember it being delicious then too. All their flavors are seasonal, and I think there will be delicious fruit ones once it’s spring. After class Alyssa and I went to get out Italian book. We walked around for probably an hour Wednesday night and couldn’t find the freaking store, when in actually we walked right up to it, just not past it. Stupid. It was all made ok because we got Gusto Pizza that night… mmmm… Anyway, we found the store, bought the book, and went home to chill for a while before going to see Frost/Nixon at the Odeon Theater. Aside from being the coolest movie theater ever (with big stuffed seats, a balcony, glass dome, and stage like an opera house), the movie was awesome. I actually saw the stage version in Minneapolis over winter break, and I thought the movie was just as good. And Mr. Darcy was in it. And he was blonde. That part was a little weird, but he and everyone else was great. I moseyed back home for a while before going out with some girls. We hit up the fish pub, which was eclectic as always, briefly stopped into 21 (mostly to use the bathroom), walked around a bundle, and got kabobs. All in all, a grand night.
Today I stayed in bed late, because it was the only day this weekend I’ll be able to. And I got homework done so… all around good and productive! Then I explored the city with Keyana and Emily. We finally found a cheap art supplies store, so I got a sketchbook and pencils, which I intended to do when I first got here. I also got a little coin purse for 5 euro on sale (hollah back!). And more gelato. We met up with Jen, Larissa, and Ali and went to House of Sizzle again for dinner. My burger was delicious, though some girls said theirs were a little undercooked. Now I’m home, all packed and ready to go for Rome, charging my ipod and fully confident that I have everything I may need or want (except my cough medicine… yeah, still fighting it off a little). We have to get up at 5:30 tomorrow morning in order to be at the bus station by 6:30 am, because Rome is apparently 4 hours away. I thought it was much closer. I was wrong. I’m really excited for the weekend!! We’re going to see great stuff, and my friends and I decided to have a girls night on Saturday for Valentines Day, which will be fun. I’m curious about the hotel situation, but we’ll find out soon enough. Anyway, that’s it for now, so ciao for the weekend! Happy Friday the 13th!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
2/10/09
Classes!! Hooray!! Yesterday I had cinema, Italian, and photography. We’re still doing neo-realism stuff in cinema, but now we’re moving on to the boundaries of it, what qualifies as neo-realism, what themes are maintained throughout time, that kind of stuff. In the second half of class we watched The Battle of Algiers. It was super intense. There wasn’t really a protagonist or anything though. I mean, there were reoccurring characters, but the story didn’t follow one person’s journey, which made it seem more “for the people.” Very interesting. We had our first test in Italian and, as expected, the articles kicked everyone’s collective ass. I did well on the grammar part, which was really the only part I cared about, so I’m good. I’m finally distinguishing and using tenses! Woo hoo!
Because the weather was so damn nice yesterday, we went outside for basically all of photography to shoot photos. We worked on showing moving in film, so isolate the shutter speed to show the movement of an object while the rest of the photo is still and clear. I thought every picture I took blew, but there are a couple decent ones as I look at them on the computer. Same with the aperture photos. Then I had to take a picture of the whole class, and I had no idea what to do, so that picture actually did blow. I’ll try to upload some good ones. Also, the park where we shot was filled with dog poo, so the class was really photography and an obstacle course all in one. That night we watched the Sopranos. We’re budgeting the episodes left on my computer.
I went to Renaissance Art bright and early this morning. It’s a good thing our professor isn’t boring. The subject matter is definitely interesting, but at 9 am in a dark room, it’s easy for a lecture class to become monotonous. Luckily, this class isn’t. We did Siena today, mostly looking at the duomo there and the main square. Actually, a lot of the class was focused on the basic architecture of the building, because it was built in stages and, despite being a prime example of Gothic architecture, has traditionally Gothic stuff lacking from it, like continuous lines from the point of the high point of the building. Yeah, Colleen, I’m learning stuff. I didn’t know there was supposed to be a whole other part to the cathedral either, so I liked that part.
After shopping with Alyssa this afternoon, we stopped by the library. Bad news was the De Sica films I wanted weren’t there. The good news is that they exist and will be returned this Saturday. I’ll be in Rome on Saturday, but I can stop by Monday and pick them off when I return the DVDs we got today. Tonight all three of us watched Red Dragon. In the dark. Choices, ladies. It was frightening. Ralph Finnes was a nutter in that film. I spazed a few times, but did indeed keep my eyes on the screen the whole time. Except when I was blinking. We watched a Gilmore to get over it, the one where there’s a fire at the Independence Inn. I brought Season 3, well, basically because Jess is in it. Pretty.
And now I must go to sleep because, as Scarlet would say, tomorrow is another day… at Terra… or Palazzo Pitti. I’m adapting now.
2/11/09
Well, quiet day today so far. I found out I need to buy another Italian book, which is kind of a bummer. We started on Passato Remoto, and all the information I had been pushing out of my mind from 2nd semester Italian came screaming back to me. It’s such a weird tense, and I haven’t really heard it used… well, unless it was being used and I couldn’t recognize it because it’s such a weird tense… Boo on it. Only 3 of us were in Lit class today, so I tried to say things, especially intelligent things. Then we watched of movie of an Italian actor. He spoke really, really fast and in a northern dialect, so I couldn’t understand a lot of it, but our teacher kept us up to date. Now I’ve returned to my room per un piccolo nap. It’s Wednesday, so that means we get to watch another episode of the Sopranos tonight. And I only have 1 more class until the weekend. I’m going to try to get as much of my homework done tonight as possible, because of Rome this weekend and, you know, generic hooplas. I also picked up the Rome itinerary today and it looks great, even though it requires me to get up early in the morning. On Saturday (Valentine’s Day, no less), we’re going on a guided tour around the area of the Trevi Fountain. Yes, I intend to act like Lizzie McGuire and throw a coin in. Hopefully I won’t hit someone in the head with it this time though… yeah… that might have happened… We’ll see a whole mess of stuff around there. Then it’s Vatican/Sistine Chapel/St. Peters in the afternoon, which I’m excited about. I may have touched a Bernini sculpture and the side of the Sistine wall before as well… but who is to say, really? The next day is “Imperial Rome,” so I’m guess that’s the Forum, Coliseum, etc. Looks like it’s going to be a great weekend! Better to be doing something on Valentine’s Day than just sitting around. It’s really probably my least favorite holiday because 1) it’s pretty made up. Sure, trace it back in time to some singular event if you want to, but even if all that is true, I seriously doubt singing Hallmark cards and chocolate were the original intention. 2) If you’re in a relationship, there’s all this pressure to do something exciting. Even if you don’t care and say “We’re not really doing anything for Valentine’s Day,” and you’re perfectly happy with that, people still respond with, “Awww, well, that’s ok…” Yes. Yes, it IS ok! 3) If you’re not in a relationship, you once again get the response, “Awww, well, that’s ok…” for your solitary existence. 4) It’s really a holiday that’s best when you’re in lower school because you get to give cards to all your friends and decorate a shoebox to put your own cards in. Honestly, those are my fondest memories of Valentine’s Day. I accept and understand other people enjoying the day by having a nice dinner, going out with someone special just to be together, etc., but the pressure some people put on each other to say “I love you” in an extraordinary way can be ridiculous and just superficial a lot of time. Of course, my bitterness towards this holiday could be because I’ve never had an outstanding Valentine’s Day past the age of 10. And that’s my Valentine’s Day rant. Better to be looking at Michelangelo’s painted ceiling and dead popes than watch You’ve Got Mail or Sleepless in Seattle on TBS three times in a row because the world won’t accept your public single-ness or coupled indifference to this greeting card holiday. At least for me.
Ok, nap time.
Classes!! Hooray!! Yesterday I had cinema, Italian, and photography. We’re still doing neo-realism stuff in cinema, but now we’re moving on to the boundaries of it, what qualifies as neo-realism, what themes are maintained throughout time, that kind of stuff. In the second half of class we watched The Battle of Algiers. It was super intense. There wasn’t really a protagonist or anything though. I mean, there were reoccurring characters, but the story didn’t follow one person’s journey, which made it seem more “for the people.” Very interesting. We had our first test in Italian and, as expected, the articles kicked everyone’s collective ass. I did well on the grammar part, which was really the only part I cared about, so I’m good. I’m finally distinguishing and using tenses! Woo hoo!
Because the weather was so damn nice yesterday, we went outside for basically all of photography to shoot photos. We worked on showing moving in film, so isolate the shutter speed to show the movement of an object while the rest of the photo is still and clear. I thought every picture I took blew, but there are a couple decent ones as I look at them on the computer. Same with the aperture photos. Then I had to take a picture of the whole class, and I had no idea what to do, so that picture actually did blow. I’ll try to upload some good ones. Also, the park where we shot was filled with dog poo, so the class was really photography and an obstacle course all in one. That night we watched the Sopranos. We’re budgeting the episodes left on my computer.
I went to Renaissance Art bright and early this morning. It’s a good thing our professor isn’t boring. The subject matter is definitely interesting, but at 9 am in a dark room, it’s easy for a lecture class to become monotonous. Luckily, this class isn’t. We did Siena today, mostly looking at the duomo there and the main square. Actually, a lot of the class was focused on the basic architecture of the building, because it was built in stages and, despite being a prime example of Gothic architecture, has traditionally Gothic stuff lacking from it, like continuous lines from the point of the high point of the building. Yeah, Colleen, I’m learning stuff. I didn’t know there was supposed to be a whole other part to the cathedral either, so I liked that part.
After shopping with Alyssa this afternoon, we stopped by the library. Bad news was the De Sica films I wanted weren’t there. The good news is that they exist and will be returned this Saturday. I’ll be in Rome on Saturday, but I can stop by Monday and pick them off when I return the DVDs we got today. Tonight all three of us watched Red Dragon. In the dark. Choices, ladies. It was frightening. Ralph Finnes was a nutter in that film. I spazed a few times, but did indeed keep my eyes on the screen the whole time. Except when I was blinking. We watched a Gilmore to get over it, the one where there’s a fire at the Independence Inn. I brought Season 3, well, basically because Jess is in it. Pretty.
And now I must go to sleep because, as Scarlet would say, tomorrow is another day… at Terra… or Palazzo Pitti. I’m adapting now.
2/11/09
Well, quiet day today so far. I found out I need to buy another Italian book, which is kind of a bummer. We started on Passato Remoto, and all the information I had been pushing out of my mind from 2nd semester Italian came screaming back to me. It’s such a weird tense, and I haven’t really heard it used… well, unless it was being used and I couldn’t recognize it because it’s such a weird tense… Boo on it. Only 3 of us were in Lit class today, so I tried to say things, especially intelligent things. Then we watched of movie of an Italian actor. He spoke really, really fast and in a northern dialect, so I couldn’t understand a lot of it, but our teacher kept us up to date. Now I’ve returned to my room per un piccolo nap. It’s Wednesday, so that means we get to watch another episode of the Sopranos tonight. And I only have 1 more class until the weekend. I’m going to try to get as much of my homework done tonight as possible, because of Rome this weekend and, you know, generic hooplas. I also picked up the Rome itinerary today and it looks great, even though it requires me to get up early in the morning. On Saturday (Valentine’s Day, no less), we’re going on a guided tour around the area of the Trevi Fountain. Yes, I intend to act like Lizzie McGuire and throw a coin in. Hopefully I won’t hit someone in the head with it this time though… yeah… that might have happened… We’ll see a whole mess of stuff around there. Then it’s Vatican/Sistine Chapel/St. Peters in the afternoon, which I’m excited about. I may have touched a Bernini sculpture and the side of the Sistine wall before as well… but who is to say, really? The next day is “Imperial Rome,” so I’m guess that’s the Forum, Coliseum, etc. Looks like it’s going to be a great weekend! Better to be doing something on Valentine’s Day than just sitting around. It’s really probably my least favorite holiday because 1) it’s pretty made up. Sure, trace it back in time to some singular event if you want to, but even if all that is true, I seriously doubt singing Hallmark cards and chocolate were the original intention. 2) If you’re in a relationship, there’s all this pressure to do something exciting. Even if you don’t care and say “We’re not really doing anything for Valentine’s Day,” and you’re perfectly happy with that, people still respond with, “Awww, well, that’s ok…” Yes. Yes, it IS ok! 3) If you’re not in a relationship, you once again get the response, “Awww, well, that’s ok…” for your solitary existence. 4) It’s really a holiday that’s best when you’re in lower school because you get to give cards to all your friends and decorate a shoebox to put your own cards in. Honestly, those are my fondest memories of Valentine’s Day. I accept and understand other people enjoying the day by having a nice dinner, going out with someone special just to be together, etc., but the pressure some people put on each other to say “I love you” in an extraordinary way can be ridiculous and just superficial a lot of time. Of course, my bitterness towards this holiday could be because I’ve never had an outstanding Valentine’s Day past the age of 10. And that’s my Valentine’s Day rant. Better to be looking at Michelangelo’s painted ceiling and dead popes than watch You’ve Got Mail or Sleepless in Seattle on TBS three times in a row because the world won’t accept your public single-ness or coupled indifference to this greeting card holiday. At least for me.
Ok, nap time.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
2/5/09
What an easy day. Slept in, danced around in my empty apartment while I was getting dressed and ate some Special K Frutta Rossi. Who knew the red berries could be so delicious? Went to class, where we talked about my future. I discussed the possibility of me doing Teach for America, and people wondered about my obsession with Minneapolis/Minnesota. There’s no way to express it, I guess. Afterward, Alyssa and I found Emily, who came shopping at H&M with us. I bought the last skirt they had of the pretty one that was in the window, which is dark grey/black and flippy. Hooray flippy skirt!! It’s got a little 1920’s in it. Anywho!
2/6/09
Well, I clearly got distracted yesterday. Inevitably there was something shiny. Actually, I think I got hungry. All us roomies made dinner and had a nice little apartment dinner. I made chicken and roasted potatoes. I’ve discovered I’m not too shabby a cook. I mean, I’m not making anything super tricky, but chicken, potatoes, different pasta sauces, etc., and so far everything has been edible! So there you go! Mmmmmm potatoes. I missed potatoes. I like food.
So after we ate we all hung out in our common area and chatting, discussing and myriad of things which were all fun and informative. Later Ali, Larissa, and Andy came over with a little wine, and we told more stories, though I didn’t listen to any about the Saw movies. Ick. We told a lot of weather stories, and I’m not entirely sure how they came about… Andy told one about a macroburst that happened in Rockford that he witnessed, and, seeing as he was outside when it happened, it’s pretty amazing he didn’t get blown away.
I’m still very excited about my flippy skirt. I’m going to wear it out tonight.
Believe it or not, I’m actually starting to get a little sick of pasta. I’m not as sick of it as my roommates, probably because I switch the sauces up more often, but I’m craving meat that’s not chicken. I can’t handle raw red meat, so I haven’t made any for myself, but I’m mad craving a burger or steak or something. I think we’re going to dinner tonight at some place called The Sizzler or House of Sizzle or something like that, but they’re all about the steak and burgers. Later at night it turns into a club (which is pretty common here), so we’re going early to 1) beat the crowds, 2) avoid techno while we eat, and 3) maybe get free stuff. Usually if you go early and you’re the only person in the place you’ll get something for cheap/free. At least that’s what I’ve found.
I finally did laundry today. Well, it’s in the washing machine as we speak. The fact that we have no dryer has deterred me from doing it, because I don’t want to leave my clothes on the line outside when it’s raining everyday. It’s a good thing I have plenty of underwear.
Speaking of rain, yesterday had THE weirdest weather. When I woke up it was cloudy, then there was a huge downpour of rain, then it was sunny, then cloudy, then sunny, then a mild thunderstorm. Yes, Alyssa spotted lightening and we both heard the thunder. It was very, very weird. Rainy again today too… boo…. At least its not constant rain, right? Just cloudy with some rain. Better than constant downpours.
I’m a little too excited to have my internet back and have been using it more than usual to attempt to connect to the world from my apartment. Here, at school, I can get on the internet on their computers, but my computer, for some reason, won’t connect to the WiFi. I’m nervous to bring it back to the computer man here, because he wasn’t in the mood to help me last time. I also don’t want to pay for someone to try to fix my WiFi. I guess I’ll just use my 3 Internet. It’s only 1 euro per hour, which is good. Otherwise I may kill this wireless network.
2/8/09
Friday night proved to be epic. After trying to use the internet at school, I took a nap. I had a little headache (and have had a little one every day since) and wanted to knock it out before the night. We went to House of Sizzle (yes, that is the name) for dinner, and we were the first ones there. Everything looked delicious: burgers, steaks, fajitas, deliciousness. I opted for a burger. Then a group of, like, 10 guys came in, mid-twenties looking. They pulled tables together next to ours. Turns out, they were all members of the Cabinieri, which is the police force here. They were all pretty hilarious. One told us a story of when he went to Miami is “two zero zero five.” Apparently there was a typhoon and he met a witch. The rest of them played us all the American music they had on their cell phones, including “Le Who” and Guns ‘n Roses. They all sung along, which was pretty adorable, and tried to chat with us as much as they could. “Oh My God-ness!” As we were leaving, Alyssa and I turned around and invited them to Yab to hang out with us later. Then we went home to get ready.
Around 10:15, Alyssa, Keyana, Emily and I, clad in our new clothing, rocked over to Ali and Larissa’s apartment, where we hung out until about midnight, when we emphatically agreed it was time to dance. Yab, as it turned out, had a 13 euro cover charge, and there was no guarantee of awesomeness, so we decided to run to TwentyOne. Now, ok, we were sad we wouldn’t see the policemen, but there was no guarantee they’d show up either, and we do have their facebook. I’m giggling. It was such a surreal experience. Anyway, we headed to TwentyOne. There are a number of good things about this club. 1) We know the bartender by name. We get discounts. 2) Allie runs into people she’s been hoping to. That sounds vague, but I don’t care. 3) There’s a separate area from the dancing room to hang out in. 4) No cover charge. 5) Fun dancing music. We had a GRAND time. We met up with Colleen and some other people there, and it was great. Dancing was fun, especially since there were fewer creepers than in previous times. Alyssa and I walked Emily home, then came home. We didn’t realize how late it was until we got home and immediately went to bed.
Exhausted, I slept in the next day. In the late afternoon, us roomies did some shopping, though I didn’t buy anything. We also found a Chinese restaurant! Now, it wasn’t as good as Jade Fountain, but really, what Chinese food is? And this place was waaayy cheap for each course. The beef and broccoli and hot and sour soup were my favorites for the night. We also got some delicious gelato on the way home. Strawberry and chocolate is my combination of choice at the moment.
I just realized how much I write about food on this thing. What can I say? The food is real good here.
When we got home, full and happy and tired, we really didn’t have any desire to go out. Colleen is sick, Alyssa was tired, and I additionally had a little headache. So we stayed in and watched three episodes of the Sopranos. Ooooooh my god-ness!!! What a good show. I also Skyped with my mom and found out I have an interview for the internship I applied for this summer. I hadn’t heard anything from them, so I was nervous I wasn’t being considered. The job is by no means mine, but it’s good to know I’m in the running.
Today was equally chill. Slept in, did my reading, studying, and photography project, went grocery shopping, etc. Not a whole lot of interesting stuff. Tonight will be relaxing as well. We’re making Tacos for dinner. Well, we’re going to try to make tacos for dinner. They had a “Fiesta” section at the grocery store we went to, which was different from our normal one. I think the epic-ness of Friday justifies the lazy, relaxed-ness of yesterday and today. Totally called for. I also have an Italian test tomorrow on presente, passato prossimo, imperfetto, passato remoto, futuro, and gli articoli. I’m feeling pretty good for it, but I confuse when to use imprefetto and passato prossimo sometimes. I’m trying though! I try to speak whenever I can, and I think I’m getting better. Anyway, I should probably study. Pace, tutti!
What an easy day. Slept in, danced around in my empty apartment while I was getting dressed and ate some Special K Frutta Rossi. Who knew the red berries could be so delicious? Went to class, where we talked about my future. I discussed the possibility of me doing Teach for America, and people wondered about my obsession with Minneapolis/Minnesota. There’s no way to express it, I guess. Afterward, Alyssa and I found Emily, who came shopping at H&M with us. I bought the last skirt they had of the pretty one that was in the window, which is dark grey/black and flippy. Hooray flippy skirt!! It’s got a little 1920’s in it. Anywho!
2/6/09
Well, I clearly got distracted yesterday. Inevitably there was something shiny. Actually, I think I got hungry. All us roomies made dinner and had a nice little apartment dinner. I made chicken and roasted potatoes. I’ve discovered I’m not too shabby a cook. I mean, I’m not making anything super tricky, but chicken, potatoes, different pasta sauces, etc., and so far everything has been edible! So there you go! Mmmmmm potatoes. I missed potatoes. I like food.
So after we ate we all hung out in our common area and chatting, discussing and myriad of things which were all fun and informative. Later Ali, Larissa, and Andy came over with a little wine, and we told more stories, though I didn’t listen to any about the Saw movies. Ick. We told a lot of weather stories, and I’m not entirely sure how they came about… Andy told one about a macroburst that happened in Rockford that he witnessed, and, seeing as he was outside when it happened, it’s pretty amazing he didn’t get blown away.
I’m still very excited about my flippy skirt. I’m going to wear it out tonight.
Believe it or not, I’m actually starting to get a little sick of pasta. I’m not as sick of it as my roommates, probably because I switch the sauces up more often, but I’m craving meat that’s not chicken. I can’t handle raw red meat, so I haven’t made any for myself, but I’m mad craving a burger or steak or something. I think we’re going to dinner tonight at some place called The Sizzler or House of Sizzle or something like that, but they’re all about the steak and burgers. Later at night it turns into a club (which is pretty common here), so we’re going early to 1) beat the crowds, 2) avoid techno while we eat, and 3) maybe get free stuff. Usually if you go early and you’re the only person in the place you’ll get something for cheap/free. At least that’s what I’ve found.
I finally did laundry today. Well, it’s in the washing machine as we speak. The fact that we have no dryer has deterred me from doing it, because I don’t want to leave my clothes on the line outside when it’s raining everyday. It’s a good thing I have plenty of underwear.
Speaking of rain, yesterday had THE weirdest weather. When I woke up it was cloudy, then there was a huge downpour of rain, then it was sunny, then cloudy, then sunny, then a mild thunderstorm. Yes, Alyssa spotted lightening and we both heard the thunder. It was very, very weird. Rainy again today too… boo…. At least its not constant rain, right? Just cloudy with some rain. Better than constant downpours.
I’m a little too excited to have my internet back and have been using it more than usual to attempt to connect to the world from my apartment. Here, at school, I can get on the internet on their computers, but my computer, for some reason, won’t connect to the WiFi. I’m nervous to bring it back to the computer man here, because he wasn’t in the mood to help me last time. I also don’t want to pay for someone to try to fix my WiFi. I guess I’ll just use my 3 Internet. It’s only 1 euro per hour, which is good. Otherwise I may kill this wireless network.
2/8/09
Friday night proved to be epic. After trying to use the internet at school, I took a nap. I had a little headache (and have had a little one every day since) and wanted to knock it out before the night. We went to House of Sizzle (yes, that is the name) for dinner, and we were the first ones there. Everything looked delicious: burgers, steaks, fajitas, deliciousness. I opted for a burger. Then a group of, like, 10 guys came in, mid-twenties looking. They pulled tables together next to ours. Turns out, they were all members of the Cabinieri, which is the police force here. They were all pretty hilarious. One told us a story of when he went to Miami is “two zero zero five.” Apparently there was a typhoon and he met a witch. The rest of them played us all the American music they had on their cell phones, including “Le Who” and Guns ‘n Roses. They all sung along, which was pretty adorable, and tried to chat with us as much as they could. “Oh My God-ness!” As we were leaving, Alyssa and I turned around and invited them to Yab to hang out with us later. Then we went home to get ready.
Around 10:15, Alyssa, Keyana, Emily and I, clad in our new clothing, rocked over to Ali and Larissa’s apartment, where we hung out until about midnight, when we emphatically agreed it was time to dance. Yab, as it turned out, had a 13 euro cover charge, and there was no guarantee of awesomeness, so we decided to run to TwentyOne. Now, ok, we were sad we wouldn’t see the policemen, but there was no guarantee they’d show up either, and we do have their facebook. I’m giggling. It was such a surreal experience. Anyway, we headed to TwentyOne. There are a number of good things about this club. 1) We know the bartender by name. We get discounts. 2) Allie runs into people she’s been hoping to. That sounds vague, but I don’t care. 3) There’s a separate area from the dancing room to hang out in. 4) No cover charge. 5) Fun dancing music. We had a GRAND time. We met up with Colleen and some other people there, and it was great. Dancing was fun, especially since there were fewer creepers than in previous times. Alyssa and I walked Emily home, then came home. We didn’t realize how late it was until we got home and immediately went to bed.
Exhausted, I slept in the next day. In the late afternoon, us roomies did some shopping, though I didn’t buy anything. We also found a Chinese restaurant! Now, it wasn’t as good as Jade Fountain, but really, what Chinese food is? And this place was waaayy cheap for each course. The beef and broccoli and hot and sour soup were my favorites for the night. We also got some delicious gelato on the way home. Strawberry and chocolate is my combination of choice at the moment.
I just realized how much I write about food on this thing. What can I say? The food is real good here.
When we got home, full and happy and tired, we really didn’t have any desire to go out. Colleen is sick, Alyssa was tired, and I additionally had a little headache. So we stayed in and watched three episodes of the Sopranos. Ooooooh my god-ness!!! What a good show. I also Skyped with my mom and found out I have an interview for the internship I applied for this summer. I hadn’t heard anything from them, so I was nervous I wasn’t being considered. The job is by no means mine, but it’s good to know I’m in the running.
Today was equally chill. Slept in, did my reading, studying, and photography project, went grocery shopping, etc. Not a whole lot of interesting stuff. Tonight will be relaxing as well. We’re making Tacos for dinner. Well, we’re going to try to make tacos for dinner. They had a “Fiesta” section at the grocery store we went to, which was different from our normal one. I think the epic-ness of Friday justifies the lazy, relaxed-ness of yesterday and today. Totally called for. I also have an Italian test tomorrow on presente, passato prossimo, imperfetto, passato remoto, futuro, and gli articoli. I’m feeling pretty good for it, but I confuse when to use imprefetto and passato prossimo sometimes. I’m trying though! I try to speak whenever I can, and I think I’m getting better. Anyway, I should probably study. Pace, tutti!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
So my internet died. Here's all the updates. yeah, it's a lot:
1/28/09
Well, stay-in-bed sickness took hold. The fact that every joint in my body ached and my throat burned meant I went straight home after Italian on Tuesday, passed out, and stayed in bed the rest of the night, only emerging to get a gelato, which did help my throat. My energy was zapped and I needed to stay in bed. I decided not to go to class the next day unless I felt significantly better. In the morning, I didn’t feel better at all. In fact, I felt a bit worse, so I called school, told them what was up and that I was staying in bed, and they said fine. I proceeded to sleep, eat cereal (for lack of energy to make food) and watch 30 Rock for the rest of the day. Until… dundundun!! The football game! Yes, indeed, we had tickets to Florence vs. Napoli last night, and my ticket was already paid for. Being the cheapo I am, I wasn’t willing to let that money go to waste. I saved up my energy and trekked across town to the game with FlorenceForFun. Ooooo my goodness. I’ve never seen such angry fans in my life. The away section was glassed off from the rest of the crowd, which was probably a good idea. We scored the first goal, and everyone was jumping around in happiness, and everyone started motioning for Napoli to suck it. A minute or two later Napoli scored, and the Napoli fans raced down the stadium seats to the glass while our face ran over to the other side of the glass. Everyone was yelling and gesturing generally disgusting things. Then they brought in the security and police, who made a line blocking the area in from of the Napoli fans from everyone else. On the other side of our section, a group of people got sectioned off completely by security from the rest of the crowd. We think we must have missed a fight when we were watching all the yelling. When we scored again, our fans went nuts, pushing through the security line, or at least getting right up to them in order to yell at the “Napoli whores” to “suck their *swimsuit area.*” The funniest part was that they guys that wouldn’t give up were a couple 50-somethings. One took off his belt and started whipping it at the glass. It was confiscated by security after that. His friend had a scarf that he used to illustrate the various things he/Florence would do to Napoli fans. Even when security was in full-force, these guys kept coming back. I thought it was great! Yeah, if a full-blown riot had broken out it probably would’ve been more frightening, but I trusted Alexander Petrovsky (or the police chief guy who looked exactly like him) to keep things under control. We were in the front row of this section too, so we got a good view of all the action, both on the field and off. Basically, I’m really glad I went and want to go again. Unfortunately we can’t sit in the section with all the huge flags and where singing started because we’re not members of the EU, but that’s ok. Our section cheered, jumped, and sang with the rest of them. Honestly, I’ve never seen people that angry about a sport, and it was awesome. Never ever ever would those people have been allowed to stay in the stadium at a U.S. game. I was a grand ol’ time.
This weekend I’ve decided to go to Milan with my friends. I’m feeling a bit better, even though I still have a cough, but I’m not achy anymore and the swelling in my throat is going down, so I think I can manage Milan. They started planning yesterday while I was bed-ridden, but I decided to join in, mostly because a) it would suck to be the only person here this weekend and b) I really want to see The Last Supper in person. So! We’ll take the train up, stay two nights, and train back down. First to pick up some Dayquil…
Baby steps…
2/3/09
Long time no blog.
Last Thursday was quite possibly the easiest day of class ever. I only had Italian, any most of the class was taken up by going to get our books. Afterward, Alyssa, her boyfriend Nick, and I went to see the Medusa exhibit at the Uffizi. It was in a separate little building and was completely free, which was rad. I could only read about ½ of the informational panels because it was completely in Italian, but I caught a bit at least. I always like going to museums. I feel all cultured and crap afterward. And, again, this will sound really American, but it’s incredible to see the really old artifacts that have survived. There were journals and books from the 12-or-1300 (I can’t remember for sure), old armor with Medusa by the heart, trusses with Medusa hair. After the culture, we hiked up the hill to the Piazza dei Michelangelo. On the way up these long, old stairs (which are something Catholic… someone help me out here. There were crosses and you’re supposed to climb up the stairs on your knees.), there was a cat commune. Yes, a cat commune. They had little houses and kitties were running in and out. One tried to smack Alyssa. It didn’t have claws and she was wearing a coat, so it was funny, not frightening. The piazza had the most incredible views of the city and we got there right as the sun was starting to set, so Florence looked incredible. Pictures to come on either facebook or some sort of webshots deal. We looked around a bit, counting multicolored umbrellas (even though there wasn’t a cloud in the sky) of the large groups of Asians, then headed up to the church there. Name? Non lo so, and mass was going on so we couldn’t sketch around inside, but there were these elaborate crypts outside. There was one of a husband and wife, both born around 1914. The husband died in 1944 in WWII and the wife died 60 years later in 2004, and she waited the whole time for him, and was then buried with him. Nick and I did a verbal “awwww.” Well, I did. Nick’s was on the inside. We walked down the hill just as the sun was setting.
That night I went out to dinner with Ali, Larissa, and Ali’s friend Emily. I got soup for my throat, which was delicious, and the house wine was good. Alyssa and Nick joined us after their dinner. Things got a little heated when the subject of Yoko came up. Note to the world: saying you like/admire/enjoy the art or music of Yoko is a strike against you in my book. Trying to defend it makes it worse. Insulting my knowledge about the Beatles is one sure fire way to get me to peace out. Emily apparently did not know this, even after I said something this effect. I guess she wasn’t listening. She left, and the rest of us went to Fish Pub, where the drinks are cheap and the music is partially calypso. We had a grand old time.
I spent Friday morning trying to get my computer fixed to connect to the wireless internet at school with no such luck. My internet went out at home on Tuesday, which blew. Then I came home, packed, showered, and went off to Milan with Keyana, Jen, Morgan, and Colleen. I was in a separate car on the train and my photography professor was in my car, which was a cool/weird coincidence. I mostly read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, which I’m really enjoying. And it was lucky I was in a separate car, because everyone else had to pay 12.50 euro for not having their ticket stamped, and the conductor took pity on my and didn’t ask me to pay, probably because I was alone and look a bit helpless. Colleen and I opted to get a cab to take to the hostel, which was great and cheap. I think I overextended my knee, because it was popping and stuff. It’s totally with all the weird terrain/cobblestones here. We found a place called Shut Up! Pizza, and decided to get some delicious late-night food once we were all checked in. I proceeded to pass out. However, I slept awfully because I was paranoid about keeping Morgan and Colleen awake with my cough. I tried not to cough, but then an explosion of cough would come out, waking me up. This lead to me getting tired much earlier in the day on Saturday.
Highlight of the trip: definitely, definitely, definitely seeing The Last Supper. Once again, I got in for cheap. The money gods were on my side. I only had a 50, and they hadn’t gotten their change for the day yet, so I got in for 3 euro, which I had in change, instead of about 5 euro. We had to go through a series of doors to enter to room and had 15 minutes in the room. All three of us almost cried when we saw it (well, each separately, but we all said the same thing afterward), but I managed to keep it together. It’s one thing to see a picture of it and a totally different thing to see it in person. Each person in the painting is so specific and expressive. It was incredible. That’s really all I can say.
Other highlights: The duomo, which is completely white (covered or built out of marble) and huge. It has tons of spires and towers, and the inside is covered in stain glass. I’m pretty sure it has the entire bible depicted in stain glass. I could identify one starting with Genesis, another one just on the life of Jesus, and a third with a little Revelations. It also had this creepy statue of a devil carrying an empty person. Literally. It was like everything was sucked out of its body and only the skin was left. Icky. The glass, sculpture, and alter were all super intricate and enjoyable. AND, outside they had a huge booth/trailer thing advertizing a music festival they were having there this spring, and they had fake Abbey Road cut outs. I took a couple pictures. It was awesome. Then people tried to give me friendship bracelets/sell them to me/steal my stuff, so I ran away. Immediately afterwards we went shopping in the 1st mall ever, which, of course, is filled with all designer stuff. We spent most of the time in Prada, dressing up Jen. I almost bought a Prada coin purse, the cheapest thing in the store, but opted against it. I kind of wish I had bought it so I could say, “Oh, yeah, this is my Prada mini-purse from the store in Milan. Nbd.” Morgan went back to the hostel because she was sick with a fever, and the rest of us enjoyed a lovely dinner, minus a creeper and his girlfriend/sister/who knows who kept intently looking at and watching Colleen. It was weird. That night Keyana, Jen, and I, looking good, all went out to Noon, which was the classiest bar I’ve been to yet. We had a grand time hanging out, listening to quite a mixture of music, and doing a little dancing. We were a hit.
It snowed Sunday the entire walk to the train station. Then we had to wait for 3.5 hours before our train left. Enough said.
Almost caught up!
Yesterday was a full day of class. I don’t know how I got the homework done, but I did. We did neo-realism in Italian Cinema class, which I love, so even though I was 15 minutes late (slept through alarm), I enjoyed the class. I want to go join the library (still have to do that…) and rent out all the De Sica and Rossallini (those spellings are probably wrong) films. I was going to go today, but it’s rainy again. I ran home after class, took the fastest shower ever, made a sandwich, and ran back to class. Hooray for well located apartments! We’re still review in Italian, which is more than helpful. Photography was mostly lecture yesterday, but I actually learned what some of the functions on my camera are. That night I just did homework and slept. It was nice to get a good night’s sleep after the weekend of sleeping on a questionable mattress.
I love my Renaissance Art and Architecture class. We went to Santa Croce. Rocky, our professor, knows more about that church than I thought existed, not only what’s there, but what’s not there anymore, why it’s there, etc. And he has a good voice, so I don’t mind having it in my hear with a little portable radio set. Basically, it’s an awesome class.
Tonight should be a good night. I have a little more homework to finish for tomorrow, then I think a few of us are going to see Revolutionary Road, which I REALLY want to see. Hooray for Kate and Leo! Also, Tuesday nights are Beatles Nights at a club called BeBop. I haven’t gone, but, um, hello! Apparently they have a live band playing Beatles all night long. SO, we might go to that. AND, I will hopefully have internet again at home. Alyssa figured out why it isn’t working, and I must say, 3Internet is fully of tricky bastards. When it logs your time, it logs it in 15 min. increments. So, if you’re on for 2 minutes, it counts it at 15. If you’re on for 16 minutes, it counts it as 30. They conveniently forgot to tell us this when we bought in internet. It’s still cheap, and now we know, so we can watch the time more carefully. But there were bunches of times were I was online for 5 minutes or less, checking email and skype, and those were all counted at 15 minutes, hence I’m out of time. They reopen at 3:30, so I’ll call them a little after that and get this whole thing sorted out.
2/4/08
Revolutionary Road last night was intense. It’s incredibly sad, but I thought it was very well made and acted. I can see why Kate won the Golden Globe for it. But why, I wonder, did they not nominate Leo? Can’t Leo get some love? It’s Titanic at the Oscars all over again…
After the movie, Larissa, Alyssa, Nick, and I went to dinner. Nick got cow stomach under a fancy name and somehow convinced me to try it. I almost legit threw up. The outside had the texture of bread once it’s sat in French onion soup for a while and the other part was like calamari, but chewier. It just tasted like the sauce, but I couldn’t handle the texture one bit and it took all my manners to swallow it. We did go to BeBop after, but it wasn’t the scene I expected. There were too many wasted bitties running around giving us study abroad students a bad name. There were probably 5 girls for every 1 guy. The band was good, and once we found seats, they were fun to listen to. When we decide to leave, it took us about 10 minutes to walk 15 feet to the exit. While sandwiched between Larissa and some guy behind me, my one arm protecting my purse, the other jammed between me and Larissa, five guys walked by and ceremoniously grabbed my butt as they passed. I turned and said, “Really???” They didn’t hear. I thought it was trashy. I walked home, chatting with home on the way. I really don’t feel unsafe walking home alone before midnight. After midnight, there are less people out, but if you’re in a group you’re fine. Alone, I would probably take a cab. I mean, it’s not super dangerous, but better safe than sorry, right?
Classes today were pretty typical. I tried to keep the conversation going during my lit class, because lit classes are boring and awful when nobody talks. Thankfully I had finished the reading, so I had things to say. After classes, I met up with Keyana and we went to the library to set up accounts. It’s free and all. You can check out 8 books, 2 DVDs, and 2 CDs at a time, which is pretty fly. Yeah, fly. We also got internet cards. You get up to 1 hour free on one of their computers and 3 hours free on your laptop. High five!! After that I walked to the train station to find the 3 store there to get more internet time. Once that mission was accomplished, I walked home. I swear to God, every time I walk alone I get followed, not in a creepy way, but in an “American Girl in Italy” photo way. People yelling “Oh my God,” “Oh, you dropped something you better come back,” “Gimme kiss kiss,” etc. The older gentlemen (like old… like 60+) say polite things in Italian. The younger not-so-gentlemen just watch you and say whatever they know in English, like “Oh, my heart” and “ciao you girl.” It’s harmless, and often funny, and if nothing else, it’s a confidence booster, even if it’s only because of my blonde hair. And it happens more often when I’m alone then with other people. Anyway, this happened again the entire walk back home. We started watching the Sopranos season 1 and it was awesome. I’m really happy to have the internet again. Now to skype!
1/28/09
Well, stay-in-bed sickness took hold. The fact that every joint in my body ached and my throat burned meant I went straight home after Italian on Tuesday, passed out, and stayed in bed the rest of the night, only emerging to get a gelato, which did help my throat. My energy was zapped and I needed to stay in bed. I decided not to go to class the next day unless I felt significantly better. In the morning, I didn’t feel better at all. In fact, I felt a bit worse, so I called school, told them what was up and that I was staying in bed, and they said fine. I proceeded to sleep, eat cereal (for lack of energy to make food) and watch 30 Rock for the rest of the day. Until… dundundun!! The football game! Yes, indeed, we had tickets to Florence vs. Napoli last night, and my ticket was already paid for. Being the cheapo I am, I wasn’t willing to let that money go to waste. I saved up my energy and trekked across town to the game with FlorenceForFun. Ooooo my goodness. I’ve never seen such angry fans in my life. The away section was glassed off from the rest of the crowd, which was probably a good idea. We scored the first goal, and everyone was jumping around in happiness, and everyone started motioning for Napoli to suck it. A minute or two later Napoli scored, and the Napoli fans raced down the stadium seats to the glass while our face ran over to the other side of the glass. Everyone was yelling and gesturing generally disgusting things. Then they brought in the security and police, who made a line blocking the area in from of the Napoli fans from everyone else. On the other side of our section, a group of people got sectioned off completely by security from the rest of the crowd. We think we must have missed a fight when we were watching all the yelling. When we scored again, our fans went nuts, pushing through the security line, or at least getting right up to them in order to yell at the “Napoli whores” to “suck their *swimsuit area.*” The funniest part was that they guys that wouldn’t give up were a couple 50-somethings. One took off his belt and started whipping it at the glass. It was confiscated by security after that. His friend had a scarf that he used to illustrate the various things he/Florence would do to Napoli fans. Even when security was in full-force, these guys kept coming back. I thought it was great! Yeah, if a full-blown riot had broken out it probably would’ve been more frightening, but I trusted Alexander Petrovsky (or the police chief guy who looked exactly like him) to keep things under control. We were in the front row of this section too, so we got a good view of all the action, both on the field and off. Basically, I’m really glad I went and want to go again. Unfortunately we can’t sit in the section with all the huge flags and where singing started because we’re not members of the EU, but that’s ok. Our section cheered, jumped, and sang with the rest of them. Honestly, I’ve never seen people that angry about a sport, and it was awesome. Never ever ever would those people have been allowed to stay in the stadium at a U.S. game. I was a grand ol’ time.
This weekend I’ve decided to go to Milan with my friends. I’m feeling a bit better, even though I still have a cough, but I’m not achy anymore and the swelling in my throat is going down, so I think I can manage Milan. They started planning yesterday while I was bed-ridden, but I decided to join in, mostly because a) it would suck to be the only person here this weekend and b) I really want to see The Last Supper in person. So! We’ll take the train up, stay two nights, and train back down. First to pick up some Dayquil…
Baby steps…
2/3/09
Long time no blog.
Last Thursday was quite possibly the easiest day of class ever. I only had Italian, any most of the class was taken up by going to get our books. Afterward, Alyssa, her boyfriend Nick, and I went to see the Medusa exhibit at the Uffizi. It was in a separate little building and was completely free, which was rad. I could only read about ½ of the informational panels because it was completely in Italian, but I caught a bit at least. I always like going to museums. I feel all cultured and crap afterward. And, again, this will sound really American, but it’s incredible to see the really old artifacts that have survived. There were journals and books from the 12-or-1300 (I can’t remember for sure), old armor with Medusa by the heart, trusses with Medusa hair. After the culture, we hiked up the hill to the Piazza dei Michelangelo. On the way up these long, old stairs (which are something Catholic… someone help me out here. There were crosses and you’re supposed to climb up the stairs on your knees.), there was a cat commune. Yes, a cat commune. They had little houses and kitties were running in and out. One tried to smack Alyssa. It didn’t have claws and she was wearing a coat, so it was funny, not frightening. The piazza had the most incredible views of the city and we got there right as the sun was starting to set, so Florence looked incredible. Pictures to come on either facebook or some sort of webshots deal. We looked around a bit, counting multicolored umbrellas (even though there wasn’t a cloud in the sky) of the large groups of Asians, then headed up to the church there. Name? Non lo so, and mass was going on so we couldn’t sketch around inside, but there were these elaborate crypts outside. There was one of a husband and wife, both born around 1914. The husband died in 1944 in WWII and the wife died 60 years later in 2004, and she waited the whole time for him, and was then buried with him. Nick and I did a verbal “awwww.” Well, I did. Nick’s was on the inside. We walked down the hill just as the sun was setting.
That night I went out to dinner with Ali, Larissa, and Ali’s friend Emily. I got soup for my throat, which was delicious, and the house wine was good. Alyssa and Nick joined us after their dinner. Things got a little heated when the subject of Yoko came up. Note to the world: saying you like/admire/enjoy the art or music of Yoko is a strike against you in my book. Trying to defend it makes it worse. Insulting my knowledge about the Beatles is one sure fire way to get me to peace out. Emily apparently did not know this, even after I said something this effect. I guess she wasn’t listening. She left, and the rest of us went to Fish Pub, where the drinks are cheap and the music is partially calypso. We had a grand old time.
I spent Friday morning trying to get my computer fixed to connect to the wireless internet at school with no such luck. My internet went out at home on Tuesday, which blew. Then I came home, packed, showered, and went off to Milan with Keyana, Jen, Morgan, and Colleen. I was in a separate car on the train and my photography professor was in my car, which was a cool/weird coincidence. I mostly read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, which I’m really enjoying. And it was lucky I was in a separate car, because everyone else had to pay 12.50 euro for not having their ticket stamped, and the conductor took pity on my and didn’t ask me to pay, probably because I was alone and look a bit helpless. Colleen and I opted to get a cab to take to the hostel, which was great and cheap. I think I overextended my knee, because it was popping and stuff. It’s totally with all the weird terrain/cobblestones here. We found a place called Shut Up! Pizza, and decided to get some delicious late-night food once we were all checked in. I proceeded to pass out. However, I slept awfully because I was paranoid about keeping Morgan and Colleen awake with my cough. I tried not to cough, but then an explosion of cough would come out, waking me up. This lead to me getting tired much earlier in the day on Saturday.
Highlight of the trip: definitely, definitely, definitely seeing The Last Supper. Once again, I got in for cheap. The money gods were on my side. I only had a 50, and they hadn’t gotten their change for the day yet, so I got in for 3 euro, which I had in change, instead of about 5 euro. We had to go through a series of doors to enter to room and had 15 minutes in the room. All three of us almost cried when we saw it (well, each separately, but we all said the same thing afterward), but I managed to keep it together. It’s one thing to see a picture of it and a totally different thing to see it in person. Each person in the painting is so specific and expressive. It was incredible. That’s really all I can say.
Other highlights: The duomo, which is completely white (covered or built out of marble) and huge. It has tons of spires and towers, and the inside is covered in stain glass. I’m pretty sure it has the entire bible depicted in stain glass. I could identify one starting with Genesis, another one just on the life of Jesus, and a third with a little Revelations. It also had this creepy statue of a devil carrying an empty person. Literally. It was like everything was sucked out of its body and only the skin was left. Icky. The glass, sculpture, and alter were all super intricate and enjoyable. AND, outside they had a huge booth/trailer thing advertizing a music festival they were having there this spring, and they had fake Abbey Road cut outs. I took a couple pictures. It was awesome. Then people tried to give me friendship bracelets/sell them to me/steal my stuff, so I ran away. Immediately afterwards we went shopping in the 1st mall ever, which, of course, is filled with all designer stuff. We spent most of the time in Prada, dressing up Jen. I almost bought a Prada coin purse, the cheapest thing in the store, but opted against it. I kind of wish I had bought it so I could say, “Oh, yeah, this is my Prada mini-purse from the store in Milan. Nbd.” Morgan went back to the hostel because she was sick with a fever, and the rest of us enjoyed a lovely dinner, minus a creeper and his girlfriend/sister/who knows who kept intently looking at and watching Colleen. It was weird. That night Keyana, Jen, and I, looking good, all went out to Noon, which was the classiest bar I’ve been to yet. We had a grand time hanging out, listening to quite a mixture of music, and doing a little dancing. We were a hit.
It snowed Sunday the entire walk to the train station. Then we had to wait for 3.5 hours before our train left. Enough said.
Almost caught up!
Yesterday was a full day of class. I don’t know how I got the homework done, but I did. We did neo-realism in Italian Cinema class, which I love, so even though I was 15 minutes late (slept through alarm), I enjoyed the class. I want to go join the library (still have to do that…) and rent out all the De Sica and Rossallini (those spellings are probably wrong) films. I was going to go today, but it’s rainy again. I ran home after class, took the fastest shower ever, made a sandwich, and ran back to class. Hooray for well located apartments! We’re still review in Italian, which is more than helpful. Photography was mostly lecture yesterday, but I actually learned what some of the functions on my camera are. That night I just did homework and slept. It was nice to get a good night’s sleep after the weekend of sleeping on a questionable mattress.
I love my Renaissance Art and Architecture class. We went to Santa Croce. Rocky, our professor, knows more about that church than I thought existed, not only what’s there, but what’s not there anymore, why it’s there, etc. And he has a good voice, so I don’t mind having it in my hear with a little portable radio set. Basically, it’s an awesome class.
Tonight should be a good night. I have a little more homework to finish for tomorrow, then I think a few of us are going to see Revolutionary Road, which I REALLY want to see. Hooray for Kate and Leo! Also, Tuesday nights are Beatles Nights at a club called BeBop. I haven’t gone, but, um, hello! Apparently they have a live band playing Beatles all night long. SO, we might go to that. AND, I will hopefully have internet again at home. Alyssa figured out why it isn’t working, and I must say, 3Internet is fully of tricky bastards. When it logs your time, it logs it in 15 min. increments. So, if you’re on for 2 minutes, it counts it at 15. If you’re on for 16 minutes, it counts it as 30. They conveniently forgot to tell us this when we bought in internet. It’s still cheap, and now we know, so we can watch the time more carefully. But there were bunches of times were I was online for 5 minutes or less, checking email and skype, and those were all counted at 15 minutes, hence I’m out of time. They reopen at 3:30, so I’ll call them a little after that and get this whole thing sorted out.
2/4/08
Revolutionary Road last night was intense. It’s incredibly sad, but I thought it was very well made and acted. I can see why Kate won the Golden Globe for it. But why, I wonder, did they not nominate Leo? Can’t Leo get some love? It’s Titanic at the Oscars all over again…
After the movie, Larissa, Alyssa, Nick, and I went to dinner. Nick got cow stomach under a fancy name and somehow convinced me to try it. I almost legit threw up. The outside had the texture of bread once it’s sat in French onion soup for a while and the other part was like calamari, but chewier. It just tasted like the sauce, but I couldn’t handle the texture one bit and it took all my manners to swallow it. We did go to BeBop after, but it wasn’t the scene I expected. There were too many wasted bitties running around giving us study abroad students a bad name. There were probably 5 girls for every 1 guy. The band was good, and once we found seats, they were fun to listen to. When we decide to leave, it took us about 10 minutes to walk 15 feet to the exit. While sandwiched between Larissa and some guy behind me, my one arm protecting my purse, the other jammed between me and Larissa, five guys walked by and ceremoniously grabbed my butt as they passed. I turned and said, “Really???” They didn’t hear. I thought it was trashy. I walked home, chatting with home on the way. I really don’t feel unsafe walking home alone before midnight. After midnight, there are less people out, but if you’re in a group you’re fine. Alone, I would probably take a cab. I mean, it’s not super dangerous, but better safe than sorry, right?
Classes today were pretty typical. I tried to keep the conversation going during my lit class, because lit classes are boring and awful when nobody talks. Thankfully I had finished the reading, so I had things to say. After classes, I met up with Keyana and we went to the library to set up accounts. It’s free and all. You can check out 8 books, 2 DVDs, and 2 CDs at a time, which is pretty fly. Yeah, fly. We also got internet cards. You get up to 1 hour free on one of their computers and 3 hours free on your laptop. High five!! After that I walked to the train station to find the 3 store there to get more internet time. Once that mission was accomplished, I walked home. I swear to God, every time I walk alone I get followed, not in a creepy way, but in an “American Girl in Italy” photo way. People yelling “Oh my God,” “Oh, you dropped something you better come back,” “Gimme kiss kiss,” etc. The older gentlemen (like old… like 60+) say polite things in Italian. The younger not-so-gentlemen just watch you and say whatever they know in English, like “Oh, my heart” and “ciao you girl.” It’s harmless, and often funny, and if nothing else, it’s a confidence booster, even if it’s only because of my blonde hair. And it happens more often when I’m alone then with other people. Anyway, this happened again the entire walk back home. We started watching the Sopranos season 1 and it was awesome. I’m really happy to have the internet again. Now to skype!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Well, hello again!
Bad news. I’m sick. Not like stuck-in-bed-can’t-stop-shaking-from-a-fever-and-considering-applying-for-an-organ-donation sick, but my throat is really sore and I have a hoarse voice, and tonight my sinuses feel a bit shut down as well. And I’m kind of achy all over. But I’m pumping the vitamins, thinking about drinking my orange juice, and attempting to sleep a lot. Wooo hoo! And Emily has chewable tablets I can eat tomorrow that made her feel better when her throat felt the same way. It’s comfortable to know I’m not the only one. Or something like that. Anypoo, that’s what’s up right now.
Yesterday I woke up unable to concentrate on anything besides the sheer pain pulsating from my throat. Shortly after that, I went to get pizza. Now, listen, on my very first day in Florence I walked by a purse store near school/my apartment and saw the prettiest purse in all the land. I refrained from naming it, but I said hello to it every time I walked by it, which was multiple times a day. While the prettiest, it’s not the cheapest in all the land, though not outrageously expensive either, but I patiently waited for it to go on sale. Then, yesterday, as I prepare to say “Hello, pretty purse!” I look into the window and—gasps—it’s not there anymore! I don’t know what to do in my state of shock, and Alyssa gives me the brilliant suggestion of going in the store and actually asking about the purse. I know, right? She goes to GWU. They’re smart there. Anyway, I go in, ask, and the woman says that, yes, they had sold that purse and, no, they didn’t have anymore. I left the store a little sadder, a little shorter, and ready for pizza. We ate pizza and it was good. On the way back, OMG, it’s back in the window!! I run into the store (not really, but emphatically walked), ask the woman if she found another one (which of course she had), and she says, “YES! I would’ve called if I had your number to let you know! And I found it in black and blue as well!” “Gasp!” I say. “I’ll see the blue!” Could it be the purse magically reappeared?? AND IN MY COLOR?? I took it as a sign and bought it on the spot. Jazzed from the purse, I went home and ate the rest of my pizza. Sore throat? What sore throat? I had a new purse! That night I went out to dinner with the roomies and some fun girls, Ali and Larissa. We ate yummy salads and cake. Well, Alyssa and I split the cake. The rest had gelato. Came home, read, passed out.
Today: Class seemed particularly long and I was particularly not in the mood to be learning, seeing as all I wanted to do for most of the day was curl up in my bed and watch movies. Luckily I don’t have too much homework, so I can do that pretty soon. After 8 hours of class (3 hours of film, 2 hours of Italian, and 3 hours of photography), all of which I enjoy normally but just slightly less today, Alyssa and I went grocery shopping, smiled at the cute bartender in the wine bar on our way home, and made delicious pasta sauce with a pesto/cheese base. Cooking is fun. Then we watched a couple Gilmores, and here I am! It was a busy day with class and everything, but not uber strenuous, and I’m once again looking forward to passing out. My throat is feeling slightly better since I’ve been drinking water like a maniac all day, but I think I need to find some cough drops tomorrow. Only two class tomorrow (cash money!), so that should be do-able. Plus there’s a Beatles band playing at a club tomorrow. I’ve already informed my roommates that we’re going.
It’s weird to think we’ve already been here two weeks. On the one hand, it’s gone so incredibly fast, and on the other hand, it feels like we’ve already been here a month. I mean, I know my way around the main parts of the city, the deli man says hello to me when I walk by (though we’re not at the point where he knows my particular sandwich yet), and the milk doesn’t taste weird anymore. It’s so incredibly to walk down my street and see a palace where the Medici family lived, as well as the royal family for the 5 years after Italy’s unification, take a left and walk over the only bridge that wasn’t bombed out during the wars. I have a feeling it’s all going to go really fast, just based on how many trips and stuff I have each month. Oh! Oh! On that note!! Elisa and Matt are coming to visit, and I’m 95% sure I’m going to get to go up to Granada over Easter, which will be rraaaaddd. I’m super excited about this!
I should read for a bit. That’s all for now!
Bad news. I’m sick. Not like stuck-in-bed-can’t-stop-shaking-from-a-fever-and-considering-applying-for-an-organ-donation sick, but my throat is really sore and I have a hoarse voice, and tonight my sinuses feel a bit shut down as well. And I’m kind of achy all over. But I’m pumping the vitamins, thinking about drinking my orange juice, and attempting to sleep a lot. Wooo hoo! And Emily has chewable tablets I can eat tomorrow that made her feel better when her throat felt the same way. It’s comfortable to know I’m not the only one. Or something like that. Anypoo, that’s what’s up right now.
Yesterday I woke up unable to concentrate on anything besides the sheer pain pulsating from my throat. Shortly after that, I went to get pizza. Now, listen, on my very first day in Florence I walked by a purse store near school/my apartment and saw the prettiest purse in all the land. I refrained from naming it, but I said hello to it every time I walked by it, which was multiple times a day. While the prettiest, it’s not the cheapest in all the land, though not outrageously expensive either, but I patiently waited for it to go on sale. Then, yesterday, as I prepare to say “Hello, pretty purse!” I look into the window and—gasps—it’s not there anymore! I don’t know what to do in my state of shock, and Alyssa gives me the brilliant suggestion of going in the store and actually asking about the purse. I know, right? She goes to GWU. They’re smart there. Anyway, I go in, ask, and the woman says that, yes, they had sold that purse and, no, they didn’t have anymore. I left the store a little sadder, a little shorter, and ready for pizza. We ate pizza and it was good. On the way back, OMG, it’s back in the window!! I run into the store (not really, but emphatically walked), ask the woman if she found another one (which of course she had), and she says, “YES! I would’ve called if I had your number to let you know! And I found it in black and blue as well!” “Gasp!” I say. “I’ll see the blue!” Could it be the purse magically reappeared?? AND IN MY COLOR?? I took it as a sign and bought it on the spot. Jazzed from the purse, I went home and ate the rest of my pizza. Sore throat? What sore throat? I had a new purse! That night I went out to dinner with the roomies and some fun girls, Ali and Larissa. We ate yummy salads and cake. Well, Alyssa and I split the cake. The rest had gelato. Came home, read, passed out.
Today: Class seemed particularly long and I was particularly not in the mood to be learning, seeing as all I wanted to do for most of the day was curl up in my bed and watch movies. Luckily I don’t have too much homework, so I can do that pretty soon. After 8 hours of class (3 hours of film, 2 hours of Italian, and 3 hours of photography), all of which I enjoy normally but just slightly less today, Alyssa and I went grocery shopping, smiled at the cute bartender in the wine bar on our way home, and made delicious pasta sauce with a pesto/cheese base. Cooking is fun. Then we watched a couple Gilmores, and here I am! It was a busy day with class and everything, but not uber strenuous, and I’m once again looking forward to passing out. My throat is feeling slightly better since I’ve been drinking water like a maniac all day, but I think I need to find some cough drops tomorrow. Only two class tomorrow (cash money!), so that should be do-able. Plus there’s a Beatles band playing at a club tomorrow. I’ve already informed my roommates that we’re going.
It’s weird to think we’ve already been here two weeks. On the one hand, it’s gone so incredibly fast, and on the other hand, it feels like we’ve already been here a month. I mean, I know my way around the main parts of the city, the deli man says hello to me when I walk by (though we’re not at the point where he knows my particular sandwich yet), and the milk doesn’t taste weird anymore. It’s so incredibly to walk down my street and see a palace where the Medici family lived, as well as the royal family for the 5 years after Italy’s unification, take a left and walk over the only bridge that wasn’t bombed out during the wars. I have a feeling it’s all going to go really fast, just based on how many trips and stuff I have each month. Oh! Oh! On that note!! Elisa and Matt are coming to visit, and I’m 95% sure I’m going to get to go up to Granada over Easter, which will be rraaaaddd. I’m super excited about this!
I should read for a bit. That’s all for now!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
I am exhausted. It’s been a really busy couple of days.
I only had one class Thursday, which was glorious. I could sleep in and then come home right after class. Alyssa and I also went to a little veggie market and bought cheap, delicious green things (like broccoli) and diet Coke. We chilled at home in the evening, watching Friends, cooking pasta, etc. That night Alyssa, Colleen, Keyana, Emily and I went out to 21. Now, the facebook invite said the club opened at 10 and the specials ran until 12, so we arrived a little before 11. Oh, well, the club REALLY opened at 11, so we were the first ones there. Fortunately, we and the twin bartenders got along quite nicely. I would call the evening a success, minus the creepy guy who wouldn’t leave me alone all night. Apparently if a girl is dancing with her friends, it means she’s waiting for a guy come dance with her. Heads up: not so much true. And pulling people’s hands off and shoving them away doesn’t always work either. This is when it is helpful to have guy friends. Other than the Grabby McGees, the night was great and we danced, danced, danced. Then, our lives changed.
In Florence, it’s illegal for restaurants to stay open past 1 AM, but heard about a kabob place that stays open until 5 AM. After 21, Colleen and I are hungry, so we pull Alyssa on our adventure to find said kabobs. Well, we find the place. The lights are off and it looks like nobody’s in there, so we knock on the door. Kabob Man lets us in and makes us the most delicious wrap we’ve ever had, specially made to order, for 4 euro. It was truly our greatest find. We munched all the way home and went back the next night as well. I have a feeling we’ll soon be on a first name basis with Kabob Man.
Friday was a wonderful day of sleeping in, chocolate, books, and non-sketchy Italian men. These were all separate activities. After slowly waking up, my roommates and I went to the Chocolate Festival in Piazza della Santa Croce. There were tons of booths with all the chocolate you can imagine. Colleen and I bought hot chocolates (cioccolatto caldo) that were literally melted chocolate with a little milk. Though they were small cups, neither of our sweet teeth was large enough to handle the richness of the chocolate. I bought a coconut milk chocolate truffle and went on my merry way to exchange a book for school and get store credit for a return. So, check that off the list. The weather was kind of rainy (which is, apparently, typical for January), so Alyssa and I came home, and Colleen joined us soon after. Colleen and I decided to go out and meet two guys she met the night before. Other people were going to meet us, but considering we had to be up early the next day, their decisions to sleep were understandable, and probably the smarter choice. Despite some awkward moments, we girls had a fun night and topped it off with a kabob.
Today we awoke at the butt crack of dawn. I still maintain that if the sun isn’t up, I shouldn’t be either. Mix this with not going to bed until late (at least later than I should’ve gone to bed), and you’ve got a rough morning. I slept on the top floor of the double decker bus pretty much all the way to Siena. Once we got to Siena, I had just gosh darn good time! It was a little rainy, but not bad. We split into two groups, since so many people went on the trip. We went to a cathedral with the finger and head of Saint Catherine, which also had the only picture painted of her when she was alive. We stopped off where Saint Catherine lived, took a walking tour through town, got some coffee, and then did the Duoma of Siena. I had been there before, but it was just as incredible going back. I can’t handle how detailed everything is in this particular duomo. And I really liked the Bernini sculptures. I may or may not have touched one. There’s no way to tell. I spent a lot of time in the library this time around, looking at the old manuscripts and the Donatello sculpture (I’m pretty sure… it’s late at night. I could be confusing them). Afterwards, we were all starving and went to lunch.
The bus ride from Siena to San Gimigniano was a little busted. My food hadn’t quite settled, and we drank a lot of water and coffee at lunch, and the roads were very, very windy. I’m not the only one that got car sick. Once we stopped, Alyssa kindly popped me some meds. Since it was raining something awful in San G, we didn’t spend as much time walking around and went to a café, where I, thankfully, found a Sprite to calm my stomach down further. We all agreed we should come back to San G later in the trip, once the rain stops, because the town is adorable and the views are beautiful, but you couldn’t see any of it when it was raining that hard. When we got back, we got McD’s (I’m pretty sure there’s only 1 in Florence, and it’s right by the bus/train station) and bee-lined for home, soaking wet, sore feet, and hungry. We had had a lot of fun, but were ready to be out of the rain. Then I passed out. Then I wrote this.
Tomorrow should be a relaxing day of reading, homework, and grocery shopping. I’ve checked ahead, and the weather is supposed to clear up next Wednesday through Sunday. Hallelujah!
I’m also trying to figure out how to put up pictures. If they’re not up here, check Facebook.
Pace, tutti!
I only had one class Thursday, which was glorious. I could sleep in and then come home right after class. Alyssa and I also went to a little veggie market and bought cheap, delicious green things (like broccoli) and diet Coke. We chilled at home in the evening, watching Friends, cooking pasta, etc. That night Alyssa, Colleen, Keyana, Emily and I went out to 21. Now, the facebook invite said the club opened at 10 and the specials ran until 12, so we arrived a little before 11. Oh, well, the club REALLY opened at 11, so we were the first ones there. Fortunately, we and the twin bartenders got along quite nicely. I would call the evening a success, minus the creepy guy who wouldn’t leave me alone all night. Apparently if a girl is dancing with her friends, it means she’s waiting for a guy come dance with her. Heads up: not so much true. And pulling people’s hands off and shoving them away doesn’t always work either. This is when it is helpful to have guy friends. Other than the Grabby McGees, the night was great and we danced, danced, danced. Then, our lives changed.
In Florence, it’s illegal for restaurants to stay open past 1 AM, but heard about a kabob place that stays open until 5 AM. After 21, Colleen and I are hungry, so we pull Alyssa on our adventure to find said kabobs. Well, we find the place. The lights are off and it looks like nobody’s in there, so we knock on the door. Kabob Man lets us in and makes us the most delicious wrap we’ve ever had, specially made to order, for 4 euro. It was truly our greatest find. We munched all the way home and went back the next night as well. I have a feeling we’ll soon be on a first name basis with Kabob Man.
Friday was a wonderful day of sleeping in, chocolate, books, and non-sketchy Italian men. These were all separate activities. After slowly waking up, my roommates and I went to the Chocolate Festival in Piazza della Santa Croce. There were tons of booths with all the chocolate you can imagine. Colleen and I bought hot chocolates (cioccolatto caldo) that were literally melted chocolate with a little milk. Though they were small cups, neither of our sweet teeth was large enough to handle the richness of the chocolate. I bought a coconut milk chocolate truffle and went on my merry way to exchange a book for school and get store credit for a return. So, check that off the list. The weather was kind of rainy (which is, apparently, typical for January), so Alyssa and I came home, and Colleen joined us soon after. Colleen and I decided to go out and meet two guys she met the night before. Other people were going to meet us, but considering we had to be up early the next day, their decisions to sleep were understandable, and probably the smarter choice. Despite some awkward moments, we girls had a fun night and topped it off with a kabob.
Today we awoke at the butt crack of dawn. I still maintain that if the sun isn’t up, I shouldn’t be either. Mix this with not going to bed until late (at least later than I should’ve gone to bed), and you’ve got a rough morning. I slept on the top floor of the double decker bus pretty much all the way to Siena. Once we got to Siena, I had just gosh darn good time! It was a little rainy, but not bad. We split into two groups, since so many people went on the trip. We went to a cathedral with the finger and head of Saint Catherine, which also had the only picture painted of her when she was alive. We stopped off where Saint Catherine lived, took a walking tour through town, got some coffee, and then did the Duoma of Siena. I had been there before, but it was just as incredible going back. I can’t handle how detailed everything is in this particular duomo. And I really liked the Bernini sculptures. I may or may not have touched one. There’s no way to tell. I spent a lot of time in the library this time around, looking at the old manuscripts and the Donatello sculpture (I’m pretty sure… it’s late at night. I could be confusing them). Afterwards, we were all starving and went to lunch.
The bus ride from Siena to San Gimigniano was a little busted. My food hadn’t quite settled, and we drank a lot of water and coffee at lunch, and the roads were very, very windy. I’m not the only one that got car sick. Once we stopped, Alyssa kindly popped me some meds. Since it was raining something awful in San G, we didn’t spend as much time walking around and went to a café, where I, thankfully, found a Sprite to calm my stomach down further. We all agreed we should come back to San G later in the trip, once the rain stops, because the town is adorable and the views are beautiful, but you couldn’t see any of it when it was raining that hard. When we got back, we got McD’s (I’m pretty sure there’s only 1 in Florence, and it’s right by the bus/train station) and bee-lined for home, soaking wet, sore feet, and hungry. We had had a lot of fun, but were ready to be out of the rain. Then I passed out. Then I wrote this.
Tomorrow should be a relaxing day of reading, homework, and grocery shopping. I’ve checked ahead, and the weather is supposed to clear up next Wednesday through Sunday. Hallelujah!
I’m also trying to figure out how to put up pictures. If they’re not up here, check Facebook.
Pace, tutti!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Well, the weather kind of blew yesterday again. Periodic spitting rain.
I had my first Italian Medieval and Renaissance Art class yesterday morning. It’s going to be wonderful. We did the typical first day syllabus thing and the introduction to the class thing, then went on a walk around the city learning about the origins for Florence. I’m pretty sure our professor knows just about everything, and he has a great talking voice so he’s not boring to listen too. We started in the ancient Roman forum, which is the modern day Piazza dei Rupubblica and wandered around the center of town, ending in the Piazza della Signoria. Rocky (our professor) covered from 700 BC up through the political “calm” in the 1380’s, which is when they put all the statues up the square (since they weren’t super concerned about them getting destroyed daily anymore). Anyway, it was a great first class. The tests will be hard, but they won’t factor into my GPA anyway so… NBD. Afterward was Italian, and I’m confident that it’s getting better. Alyssa and I meandered around town afterward. We found a cheap shoe store, and I bought cheap cute flats for my currently mangled feet, as well as slippers with flowers on them. Both necessities, if you ask me. Then we checked out the 99 Cent store, where I got all my folders, notebooks, and toilet paper. Yeah, they sold toilet paper for $0.99, and its way softer than the $1.30 toilet paper at the super market. I know you’re all very concerned about Italian toilet paper, and I’m sure you’re just excited about this find as I was. They also had Rasta candles, if you’re interested. Alyssa and I finally got to FlorenceForFun to buy soccer/football tickets, but we didn’t have cash, which you need to buy the tickets, so… we left.
Today I evidently had a big “GIVE ME FLYERS” sign on my face, because I had a billion shoved in my face. Two of them were for the same free sushi, to which I wanted to ask, “What’s wrong with the sushi that you’re giving it away for free?” Free raw fish? Eeeeee, I’ll pass, thanks. During my first Modern Italian Literature class, we went to the library in central Florence (which is right next to the hospital… which is good to know…). The building dates back to around Dante’s time, and used to be a nunnery. In fact, Dante’s wife’s father owned the hospital (or something like that. Professoressa’s voice echoed and was periodically hard to hear). Anyway, you can get a library card for free, 3 hours a free wireless a day, and check out books, music, and movies. Pretty rad, right? Plus, there are no tourists there. It’s all Italian students, which is a bonus for me when studying. If I’m going to study around people, they should be studious. (“It’s repetitive.” “And redundant.” “It’s repetitive.” “And redundant.”) I didn’t have my passport, so I couldn’t get a card, but it’s a nice walk from the apartment and near the Duomo, so I’m sure I’ll be back there soon. Italian, once again, was pretty good. We’re doing review, so I feel the tenses coming back into my brain. You know, like they do.
Colleen and I meandered around town today. We went back to FlorenceForFun, booked the soccer/football tickets, and tickets for a day trip to Carnival in Venice. We inquired about spring break, but they need 30 people to go on the trip to make it happen, and since nobody has spring break at the same time as us, it’s a question mark as the whether the trip to Greece will actually happen. We decided that either way, we’re going to Greece, either via FlorenceForFun cruise or… you know… not. What’s nice about the FlorenceForFun trip is that everything is planned, so you don’t have to worry about finding places to go and stay and getting admissions. We’ll see. We also found a hair straightener and ate street waffles and I got 4 kiwis and 2 bottles of milk. It was a big day.
Now I’m back at the apartment and my feet hurt. It’s been a wonderful couple of days. You may be thinking “Allie, you sure do like to meander around Florence a lot.” And I would say, “Well, yes, it’s just about my favorite thing to do in Florence with free day time.” Took a power nap earlier, organized my new class books (though I need to return two. One we already have in the apartment, and the other has a page ripped out, which shouldn’t happen for the million euro I paid for the books), and made risotto. And I fully intend on skyping tonight. I’m quite a happy camper.
I had my first Italian Medieval and Renaissance Art class yesterday morning. It’s going to be wonderful. We did the typical first day syllabus thing and the introduction to the class thing, then went on a walk around the city learning about the origins for Florence. I’m pretty sure our professor knows just about everything, and he has a great talking voice so he’s not boring to listen too. We started in the ancient Roman forum, which is the modern day Piazza dei Rupubblica and wandered around the center of town, ending in the Piazza della Signoria. Rocky (our professor) covered from 700 BC up through the political “calm” in the 1380’s, which is when they put all the statues up the square (since they weren’t super concerned about them getting destroyed daily anymore). Anyway, it was a great first class. The tests will be hard, but they won’t factor into my GPA anyway so… NBD. Afterward was Italian, and I’m confident that it’s getting better. Alyssa and I meandered around town afterward. We found a cheap shoe store, and I bought cheap cute flats for my currently mangled feet, as well as slippers with flowers on them. Both necessities, if you ask me. Then we checked out the 99 Cent store, where I got all my folders, notebooks, and toilet paper. Yeah, they sold toilet paper for $0.99, and its way softer than the $1.30 toilet paper at the super market. I know you’re all very concerned about Italian toilet paper, and I’m sure you’re just excited about this find as I was. They also had Rasta candles, if you’re interested. Alyssa and I finally got to FlorenceForFun to buy soccer/football tickets, but we didn’t have cash, which you need to buy the tickets, so… we left.
Today I evidently had a big “GIVE ME FLYERS” sign on my face, because I had a billion shoved in my face. Two of them were for the same free sushi, to which I wanted to ask, “What’s wrong with the sushi that you’re giving it away for free?” Free raw fish? Eeeeee, I’ll pass, thanks. During my first Modern Italian Literature class, we went to the library in central Florence (which is right next to the hospital… which is good to know…). The building dates back to around Dante’s time, and used to be a nunnery. In fact, Dante’s wife’s father owned the hospital (or something like that. Professoressa’s voice echoed and was periodically hard to hear). Anyway, you can get a library card for free, 3 hours a free wireless a day, and check out books, music, and movies. Pretty rad, right? Plus, there are no tourists there. It’s all Italian students, which is a bonus for me when studying. If I’m going to study around people, they should be studious. (“It’s repetitive.” “And redundant.” “It’s repetitive.” “And redundant.”) I didn’t have my passport, so I couldn’t get a card, but it’s a nice walk from the apartment and near the Duomo, so I’m sure I’ll be back there soon. Italian, once again, was pretty good. We’re doing review, so I feel the tenses coming back into my brain. You know, like they do.
Colleen and I meandered around town today. We went back to FlorenceForFun, booked the soccer/football tickets, and tickets for a day trip to Carnival in Venice. We inquired about spring break, but they need 30 people to go on the trip to make it happen, and since nobody has spring break at the same time as us, it’s a question mark as the whether the trip to Greece will actually happen. We decided that either way, we’re going to Greece, either via FlorenceForFun cruise or… you know… not. What’s nice about the FlorenceForFun trip is that everything is planned, so you don’t have to worry about finding places to go and stay and getting admissions. We’ll see. We also found a hair straightener and ate street waffles and I got 4 kiwis and 2 bottles of milk. It was a big day.
Now I’m back at the apartment and my feet hurt. It’s been a wonderful couple of days. You may be thinking “Allie, you sure do like to meander around Florence a lot.” And I would say, “Well, yes, it’s just about my favorite thing to do in Florence with free day time.” Took a power nap earlier, organized my new class books (though I need to return two. One we already have in the apartment, and the other has a page ripped out, which shouldn’t happen for the million euro I paid for the books), and made risotto. And I fully intend on skyping tonight. I’m quite a happy camper.
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