to live would be an awfully big adventure

Book Exchange 2010

2010-07-23T13:59:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of books. So, in an effort to not let my pile of perfectly readable books not just sit and gather dust, I prefer to lend them out to friends. I won't need them returned until next May, so whatever you think you'll read between now and then, I'd love for you to borrow. I have the following small selection in my car, but if you know me and you think I might have something else, just ask:

Girl Meets God by Lauren Winner
Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss
The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning
Dakota: A Spiritual Geography by Kathleen Norris
The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

Food.

2010-01-05T19:58:00.000-08:00

I'm now blogging in two places. Check out this.

It's All About Suspense: Good Posts Come to Those Who Wait

2009-11-20T16:52:00.000-08:00

With new places comes the process of acclimating to the new surroundings. I have, in some ways, fallen into the daily routine of a new place and a new job (or at least a new store - the job itself is the same), but I'm still finding new things to adapt to: the grocery stores, the incredible public transportation, the closeness of the coast.

One of the grocery stores near my house sells bulk items at a great price, but I think I've discovered that it's never a good idea to get all your eggs in one basket. They don't have a good selection of honey or peanut butter, for example, and the bread I like is about $0.50 cheaper on average at Target, which isn't even a grocery store. I also love Trader Joe's yogurt and have, as expected, fallen in love with 3-buck chuck. (Thanks Claire!) I'm about hitting my grocery budget this month, but next month I'm going to try shopping multiple grocery stores. This may sound mundane to many, but I enjoy food - not just eating it, but the challenge of eating healthily and cheaply as well as locally and freshly. And these things, while not as challenging as you may think, are a puzzle to put together - even more so in a new place.

The public transportion will just take practice, which is something I'll be doing tomorrow when I meet a friend from work at the Saturday Market downtown Portland! As of right now, I know how to get to Powell's - the largest bookstore in North America (it's the size of a city block), but I think I should add the Saturday Market to my list of locations I can get to without drawing a map. I did successfully get to this coffee shop in Beaverton where I am writing this post and did not have to use a map. I'm finally beginning to trust myself to get in the car and just drive and hope I find the place I'm looking for.

And last, but certainly not least, I went to the Pacific Coast and stayed at a house right on the beach and, to top it off, made some new friends. My roommate and two neighbors are all in the same community group at their church and invited me to come along to a planned weekend retreat to visit one of the group's leader's parents. The place was beautiful and we enjoyed, among other non-high-energy seeking tasks: drinking lattes and tea at all hours, eating deliciously prepared meals, a soak in the hot tub on a 38 degree morning while enjoying scenic views of the ocean, a walk on the beach at sunset, and an evening viewing of Up.

And now, off to the Beaverton Powell's - not as good as the original downtown one, but I saw this location on my way here and thought that I would have to check it out. And then home for some pasta and cider and possibly some book making. Be sure and check my Etsy store. I have some new listings! (I've been busy.)

Our Breathtaking World: Explore It!

2009-10-30T17:54:00.000-07:00

"A great deal of what we know, we know only through our imagination -- and that knowledge is crucial to our lives." -Peter Turchi, Maps of the Imagination: The Writer as Cartographer

Yellowstone photos Part 1 are up on Flickr.

Looking back over photos I am reminded how incredible our world is. Erin and I agreed that being among so many incredible natural wonders served to remind us of how amazing our God is to have created such an explorable and intricate planet. Our trip was, if nothing else, breathtaking.

Rain: A Northwest Original

2009-10-26T08:04:00.001-07:00

Rain. They were right, they being anyone who says to you, "It's rainy there," when you say, "I'm moving to Portland." I wasn't sure before moving here how the constant rain would feel to me: bitter? gray? wet? ugly? mystical? cold? depressing? rejuvenating? inspiring? calming?.

For the past week a pale gray haze descended upon us and the few deciduous trees, mostly intentionally planted by people along parking lots and public roads, lost leaves in an array of colors. I found myself, more than once, standing at the drive-thru window (not happy about being there) looking outside. I would lean over when no cars were nearby and look out across the target parking lot and around 7am the most beautiful glow would appear. The orange street lights would reflect off the wet pavement and the orange and red leaves scattered about and the gray hazy fog created a mystical silence.

The leaves are slowly being washed away by the rain and a soft wind that occasionally blows but the colors do not (and I imagine will not) disappear. This morning I stood out on my balcony, drinking my cup of coffee, and watched as a light rain fell and the wind pushed the evergreens from side to side. I have a most beautiful view of a small forest from my window and the balcony below it. The scene whispers calm. Even the sound of car wheels sloshing down the pavement does not disturb the peace of the pitter-patter of raindrops now falling on the roof above me.

So far, I'm okay with the rain, and once I get a more proper (and warmer) rain jacket I'll be ready for more.

The Daily Grind (that should totally be the name of a coffee shop if it isn't already.)

2009-10-22T19:22:00.003-07:00

A routine has slowly made its way into my daily life. I'm working early - almost always early, which is new, but surprisingly nice. I have begun to go to bed early almost every night and wake up fairly early in the morning even when I'm off. Opening here means being at work at 4:15 which shouldn't feel so much earlier than 4:30, but it does. However, I find it's slowly getting easier, and I absolutely LOVE having a more consistent schedule.

The afternoon routine is the harder one to figure out. I've been trying to work on getting a writing schedule down, but it's harder than I imagined to sit down to my computer or a notebook and not be distracted. I get lonely; I miss Ben. And then I end up watching reruns online - which, by the way, is not a good pattern.

I have, however, been walking/jogging for about a week now. Nothing to get too excited about, but I've established a decent working-out routine which should eventually feed into the writing routine by giving me energy in the afternoons. If only I wasn't hungry all the time and didn't have such time-consuming cooking habits.

I do enjoy being in the kitchen, though, and Jena has a gas stove! I've only been making vegetable pastas and simple rice dishes, but it feels so nice to come home and cook and sit down to a book (or a rerun). My hope is to spend an afternoon and make some soup to freeze for quicker meals in the afternoons when I have more writing to do so I won't spend so much time cooking and cleaning my dishes. We'll see. If anyone has any good "freezable" soup recipes, I'm all ears. I can only eat white chicken chili so many times before I begin to need a little variety.

Oh, and I'm still working on getting more photos up, but I have uploaded South Dakota which includes the Badlands!

Photos are Up!

2009-10-15T16:27:00.003-07:00

I finally have uploaded the first batch of photos from the trip with more to follow very soon. I want to title each photo order them by day so I'll be able to keep them organized online and on my computer. Enjoy and keep checking back for more. Maybe I'll try to blog some highlight "stories" in the coming weeks too!

Photos

I Finally Made it to Oregon... A Week Ago

2009-10-12T16:46:00.003-07:00

Thank you for being patient with my delay in posting! We arrived last Monday evening after a last day of driving through Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. Erin and I both adored Coeur D'Alene, ID. The people were so friendly and these two kind ladies at the visitor center gave us Idaho pins, which we agreed were one of the best souvenirs (up there with the Yellowstone mug which I've since used and will enjoy through the winter). We made a quick stop in Spokane for another round of Clubfoot Sandwiches from the last Staggering Ox we would meet unless either of us ever decides to return to Montana. Then we set in for a long haul through Eastern Oregon along the Columbia River and into Portland.

So far everything is going well. I'm slowly acquiring the necessary furniture and putting my room together. I have successfully removed all of my suitcases and piles and bags of belongings from both the living room and the hallway. They are all in place in my room (it feels nice not to have too many "things"), but not everything will have a home until I have a bed and, therefore, an under the bed. I do have a set of beautiful bookcases that are home to both books and clothing that I've stealthily hid behind attachable doors. (I love Ikea!) And I am the proud owner of a very comfortable mattress which will soon have a bed to live upon.

I also enjoyed my first day of work today. The people all seemed nice and the cafe isn't too busy. Apparently they do 90% of their business out the drive-thru window. I'm not really looking forward to working drive-thru, but maybe I'll feel differently after I've given it a shot. The roughest part today was in the small stuff. The milk jug labels here are opposite colors (light blue for 2% and dark blue for Non-fat) which makes grabbing the right kind of milk more difficult than you'd think. Also, the bar flows in the opposite direction from the register so I was a little turned around all day and the bars are the older version which I've used before, but not in a while. Mostly though, it was a normal day of work! Tomorrow will likely be a little more stressful.

Pictures galore from the Road Trip are coming! Hopefully in the next few days. So check back if you're interested.

Peace.

Don't Cause a Bear Jam in Glacier

2009-10-04T22:23:00.001-07:00

Today was glacier. We hiked for a solid 4 hours to Avalanche Lake. The trail was beautiful with snow drifting down around us, but it was not too cold.

By the time we came back to our car we were exhuasted and since the middle of the road was closed and the drove to the other entrance would have taken over an hour we decided to begin our final leg to Oregon. We should be there tomorrow afternoon, a little earlier than originally planned. My car is MORE than ready to be unpacked, and I know I will be happy to finally have arrived.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

More Missoula, Montana

2009-10-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

Today we enjoyed a little more Missoula. We had the staggering ox clubfoot sandwiches. Delicious.

We also did some hiking too and then found soup at the Good Food Store, this amazing grocery store. Now we're watching a movie and enjoying not being blown over by the crazy wind outside.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Small Town Mosey

2009-10-03T07:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we drove only 3-4 hours and arrived in the smallish Montana town of Missoula, home of the University of Montana. We decided a day of rest was in order and so parked our car and moseyed for a few hours, found a very local deli, drank some tea at a very local coffee shop, took a short (but very steep) hike to the M, and found a hotel just off the main drag so we could walk from there and see the town at night.

This place is local! I love it! I think we're going to walk to the Saturday farmers market this morning and possibly find some hiking. Then Glacier National Park, somewhere in Idaho, and our final destination.

You Know You're on an Adventure When an Elk Saunters by Your Car

2009-10-02T06:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was all Yellowstone. We woke up early and drove down from our hostel in Bozeman, MT. There is no possible way I could tell you about the amazing and unique things we saw in the space I'm allowed when typing this from my phone. I'll suffice to say it was snowy, there were mountains, and steam came out of the ground in spots all over the park. Every view was worth a picture. (I'll post my lengthy assortment after we arrive on Portland!) Here's a small taste of the photos to come.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Mount Rushmore

2009-09-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

We mostly drove today, but not until after a quick trip into the black hills and a visit to a national monument: Mount Rushmore.

From there we travelled through a little of Wyoming and into Montana to Bozeman just north of Yellowstone for the night. Tomorrow will be filled with adventures through another wonderful national park.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

South Dakota has been Good to Us.

2009-09-29T20:47:00.000-07:00

Corn Palace.
A drive through the plains.
76 signs for Wall Drug.
Some hiking in the Badlands.
Dinner in Wall at the Cactus Cafe after discovering Wall Drug was closed.
Arrive in Rapid City in preparation for Mount Rushmore tomorrow morning.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

5 States, Lots of Corn

2009-09-28T21:12:00.000-07:00

We visited a wopping 5 states today: Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Missouri was the same as yesterday, Kansas was disappointing, Iowa is inhabited entirely of corn, Omaha is surprisingly fun, and Sioux Falls, SD has caribou coffee and interesting Japanese food as well as falls which should be obvious from the name.

Today was long. Tomorrow should be a little more scenic once we arrive at the Badlands after we visit the world's only Corn Palace. Erin and I agree, though, that the world probably only needs one corn palace.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Throwed Rolls and the Gateway to the West

2009-09-27T20:37:00.001-07:00

I'm on my way, and with Erin aboard. We hit the road this morning and headed a little west and a little north before deciding to detour just a bit and change our course to make a stop at Lambert's, home of the throwed rolls. We then made our way further north to St. Louis where we officially started our trip west with a walk under the arch.

Tomorrow should take us through 6 states! We're planning an originally unplanned stop in Minnesota since Erin hasn't been before.

Preparing my Oxen and Packing Food and Supplies

2009-09-23T13:45:00.005-07:00

I recently looked back at my first entry to this blog and smiled at the way things can come full circle. Here I am, writing once again on the brink of another travel adventure. So many little tasks creep up before these adventures that I know I will likely forget something, though I hope I don't. Also, I've had so many things to prepare I don't feel as though I've spent nearly enough time thinking about the road trip that will take me to my new home (the location overall, Ben, not the actual building where I will be living, which we'll refer to as my new room in Jena's condo, though I'm sure it will be home in no time). I purchased my first AAA membership at Ben's recommendation and received a handy card and phone number in the case of any Road Side Emergencies. I've also been told that the Steins have sent a TripTik my way that I can't wait to peruse.

Our itinerary of cities and destinations:

St. Louis, MO
Kansas City, KS
Omaha, NE
A little piece of Iowa
the Badlands
Rapid City, SD (Mount Rushmore)
Billings, MT
Yellowstone in Wyoming
Missoula, MT
Glacier National Park
Parts of Washington, perhaps through Spokane
Portland, OR

Erin and I were originally going to go through Salt Lake City, UT but we heard great things about Missoula and Glacier and so changed our minds and decided to head north. Not too much longer and we'll be on the road.

Unfortunately, the worst part about a new adventure is saying goodbye, even though I know so many good things await. I think I'm just ready to be on the other side of these goodbyes. They aren't going to be easy.

To end on a lighter note, for anyone who knows the current me and wants to laugh, please read this previous post from the very beginning of my blogging days before I went to Italy:

Blackstone Merlot and Bongo Java Coffee

Even the Little Steps Count

2009-04-21T21:00:00.004-07:00

I'm beginning my own local food project. But I do emphasize beginning. As I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle I am both motivated and discouraged. I want to support local farmers, and I want to lessen my "carbon footprint" as I so often hear these days, but I don't live on or near a farm! I don't even have a yard. In fact, I don't really even have a stable kitchen as I'm moving in a little over a month.

However, I cannot deny the value in small steps. I may not be able to sustain myself or commit to only eating local food, but I can stop by the farmers market for fresh (and better) tomatoes and squash and spring onions. I can buy local honey, which also supposedly helps with seasonal allergies. And I can return to my old favorite - The Produce Place on Murphy Road. Ever since I moved to the other side of town, I rarely get over that way, but they sell all or mostly local produce as well as local milk (which is delicious).

In the chapter I just finished in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver discusses canning tomatoes. I'd love to go that extra mile, but this is where I run into the no space, no time, no way issue. So, I'll settle for doing the best I can with what I've got. I"ll settle for little steps moving in the right direction, and I'll get there eventually.

Local Food and Supporting Farmers

2009-04-15T08:14:00.003-07:00

Confession: I'm still learning and researching the topic.

But... I've been reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and would recommend it to anyone looking for a book on the benefits of eating locally grown food. Barbara Kingsolver and her family commit to eating all locally grown food for an entire year. They make their own cheese from local cows' milk, they grow their own vegetables and buy from local Farmers' Markets, they locate locally produced grain to purchase to make bread, and they even raise their own chickens for both eggs and meat. The book begins in April at the beginning of the growing season. I'm not too much past June, but I'm already inspired.

I'm looking into ways to adapt the ideas she presents and the problems she reports with transporting food across nations and continents into my own food culture. I live in a small apartment far from a farm, so my choices are much more limited than Kingsolvers, but I'd love to see how feasible it is for a single girl, living in an urban neighborhood, to move toward this type of lifestyle. I'll let you know what I come up with.

P.S. The Smoothie for the week is Strawberry Peach. (I'm enundated with Strawberries right now!)

Green Options

2009-03-31T13:16:00.003-07:00

During a bit of internet perusal I recently came across a blog, Green Options. Perhaps it is more of a collection of blogs, all focused on discussing greener options for our world. They discuss food-growing methods, handmade goods, starting green businesses, fuel-efficient cars, and so much more. My favorite section is the Family and Lifestyle section which includes four distinct blogs, Crafting a Green World, Eat. Live. Better., Eco Child's Play, and Feelgood Style.

I recently discovered two contests through Green Options which I decided to post here. Threadless.com is hosting a design a green t-shirt contest that I'm dying to enter if I can only come up with a good enough idea. Today, Kelly Rand, a featured curator on Etsy, posted another contest for Upcycled Projects through Sublime Stitching.

Strawberry Banana Goodness

2009-03-23T08:00:00.004-07:00

Ever since I tasted the freshness of in season, local food, I've been on the move toward a more natural lifestyle. I began by shopping at farmers markets when possible and choosing All Natural food choices at the grocery store. The benefits, I think, far exceed the added costs of purchasing natural products. Also, there is a difference in natural and organic. I haven't yet committed to organic in the same way I have committed to natural, but it's certainly not out of the question. When possible I still aim to purchase organic as well. Organic has more to do with farming methods, while natural ingredients refers to items that are free of preservatives and other chemical additives.

My newest personal 'fad' is smoothies. I've been playing around with them for a month now, and since my roommate provided me with some handy smoothie recipe cards, I've decided to have a smoothie of the week. I'm hoping this will allow me to have plenty of ingredients on hand without having an overflowing freezer. I can focus on having only one recipe's ingredients at a time, while perfecting the proportions and experimenting with alterations before moving on. I'd also like to add this to my list of in season food options, using seasonal fruit whenever possible. This week's smoothie: Strawberry Banana Goodness.

Journals, Conferences, and the possibility of travel

2009-03-18T10:49:00.004-07:00

My shop is now open!

awfullybigadventures.etsy.com

And I've already made two sales. With the shop open I don't see much in that way of hope for my kitchen table getting any cleaner, but I do see the potential for some books to be made. I recently made two out of green with slightly lighter green text pages. I'm also looking in to experimenting with the fabric from a broken umbrella to make something slightly waterproof. I just have to determine the best way to accomplish that.

My work for FOCUS, a conference for children's educators, is picking up rather quickly. This past week I worked in the office and we got the workshop descriptions I had been editing ready for and then up on the web. The final web preparation was an all day affair. complete with a lot of editing and moving things around and pdfs. Next on the list is assisting in room assignments for the actual conference and then beginning to pull the program book together. I foresee some long days ahead.

Despite the project requiring a lot of time (and much more to come), I've really enjoyed working on it and hope to find more like it in the future. I've had the opportunity to write and edit content for the website, e-mails, and other publicity; I'm hosting a facebook group for the event; I will have the opportunity to compile and work on the program book; and I'll be attending the event and just discovered I'll be in charge of taking care of the exercise groups. Each task is unique and challenging in its own way and has given me the opportunity to see how much I enjoy this type of work.

Workshop Descriptions

Also, I'm hoping to plan some sort of travel in the near future. Any ideas?

awfullybigadventures.etsy.com

2009-03-09T08:56:00.003-07:00

I'm finally in the process of opening up my Etsy journal store! I've been working on this for a few months, making books and refreshing on the different techniques I learned in my class in Italy. I spent yesterday evening sewing a few more single signature books and one Japanese style with newsprint that turned out pretty nice. I'm also in the process of making a custom wedding guest book and photo signature book for my friend Julie's wedding.

It feels great to be back in the bookbinding swing of things except that my apartment is too small and is now a complete mess! I have taped bricks on the dining room chairs and paper across the table and glue on the counter and a stack of books on my couch to keep them from getting lost amidst supplies. Paper, glue, paper knife, awl, string, ribbon, scissors, pens, exactos, rulers. They are everywhere. I've never had so much trouble finding a spot to photograph.

I'm sitting on the floor between my "dining room" and kitchen right now typing this because there's no where else to sit. I'm taking my computer with me to work so I can work on typing descriptions and editing photos. I need space!

She calls me Sarah...

2009-03-06T13:53:00.004-08:00

I was working last night, closing. We have this customer we occasionally refer to as Crazy Mary who comes in and sits and talks to everyone around her and won't leave until you walk her to the door at close. I dread her coming in. I see her come through the front door, and I bolt to the back room to avoid getting stuck in a long conversation of smiles and nods and "Alright Mary, I've got to get back to work." But people seem much more eccentric when you are ignorant of their situation.

Last night we were slow and our cafe was mostly empty when Mary arrived. She talked to me briefly, mentioning multiple times how empty the place seemed then proceeded to the back where she sat down. When I told her we were closing and she had to leave, she seemed sad and lonely, and I saw, for a short moment, how she's not all that crazy, but mostly lonely. She comes to our store because she can sit there and drink a mocha and usually find someone to listen to her, if even half-heartedly.

Perhaps Crazy Mary is really just a lonely woman who finds its easier to talk to herself than no one at all.

Driving and Public Transportation

2009-02-26T11:43:00.004-08:00

I don't really like driving. Dependency on vehicles is also costly and nervewracking when people drive like maniacs! But in a city like Nashville, you can barely make it if you don't drive. The Public Transportation is abominable. City buses have infrequent pick-ups and, unless I'm wrong, there is only one Public Transportation option other than the bus and it's a train that comes into Nashville from one direction only. I've ridden the buses. Last year I volunteered at the Nashville Public Library and happened to live in easy walking distance from a bus stop and the Library happened to be, fortuntately, also on a bus stop. I hopped on the bus and avoided dealing with traffic myself.

Even if I could walk places, just a few places even, I'd be happier with it. Unless you live in the expensive downtown or more downtown areas you have to deal with driving and parking. I long to live in a city with better Public Transportation. I long to pull my car into my residence and leave it parked all week long, walking to work or riding a subway or train.

Etsy Shop Coming Soon!

2009-01-27T07:33:00.004-08:00

It's raining out which has made it especially difficult to wake up and get to work the past few days. I'm beginning to fear I've loaded up my plate perhaps a little too well. I've been working diligently on my projects for FOCUS. I've written and edited some of the info on the website (including this info on Networking) and created a flier which should be nearing completion soon. I'm also in charge of a Facebook group and the program book which will become a bigger priority a little closer to the event.

I have one final piece to turn in for graduate school applications and then they will be officially complete, which means only one thing: WAIT. Ben told me yesterday how miserable he found the waiting game, wondering each day if a letter, good or bad, might be waiting in the mailbox. I feel almost as if I'm 18 again, arriving home from school each day and rushing out to the mailbox where a letter might be waiting with my future written inside. This time is different though. Scarier.

In the meantime, I've purchased a book to refresh my Italian, I'm taking a Photoshop class that begins in a week and a half at the art school in town, and I'm working on books for my future Etsy Shop, all while maintaining both my job at Starbucks and my work with the General Board of Discipleship.

Focus

2009-01-05T13:19:00.003-08:00

About a month ago I began a new job working as an independent contractor for the General Board of Discipleship in Downtown Nashville. I'll be working basically as an event assistant for a conference in July - FOCUS. The conference is for those in ministry with children. I'll be writing, editing, and doing some graphic design for the event. I'm excited about this opportunity and can't wait to put up some of my work as well as other new writings.

My hope is to turn this blog into something a bit more professional - a virtual portfolio/resume. Let me know if you have any advice or suggestions. Future posts may be personal, but also geared toward my writing and design specifically. After all, writing is the adventure that started this to begin with.

Happy Monday, and look forward to more frequent posting.

-Jessica

I Voted.

2008-11-04T20:54:00.004-08:00

As far as I know the official results are not yet in. I'm not too concerned about the presidential race really. At the last election I couldn't keep my eyes off the polls, but I have since become rather apathetic or, in the least, lackadaisical. I just have a hard time putting my vote behind anyone who's spent millions of dollars promoting 1) their own moral goodness (if it were anyone else, wouldn't we just want to figure that out for ourselves?) 2) mudslinging their opponent (which should cancel out #1, but never manages to do so?) and 3) the idea that they'd spend American tax dollars wisely. I'm fairly certain those millions of dollars would have been much better spent digging America out of debt and paying for all those new government programs everyone seems to be promising the people. But I'm just saying.

I did vote; I cast my ballot. But I can't say if I agree with the process.

Short Red-Eye in a Tall Cup with Chocolate Powder, One Raw Sugar, and Half and Half to the Top

2008-10-22T16:07:00.004-07:00

I had one of those this afternoon so I could wake up to write this entry. Actually I was eager to have a full day that started at 4am. Unfortunatly I did end up spending about an hour and a half watching Bones, this tv show on dvd my roommate borrowed from some of our friends. It's addicting, just like coffee.

Today was the first day of fall, the perfect day to enjoy a warm drink. Technically Autumn begins in September, but today felt like fall, like the first day you want to take that deep breath of fall air and go jumping into leaves. At 4:30 this morning it was frigid, but by the afternoon when I was struggling to stay awake to enjoy it, the temp was around 68.

Newest addictions:

Bones
Coupons
Sleep
Comfy shirts
Chuck
Studying my GRE words: "Don't be fractious and cause a fracas; try and be convivial, but don't be bombastic by only speaking in the argot of your field. It's boorish." (Try translating that! And it's not even Italian.)

Also, my beautiful niece had surgery on Tuesday. She's in recovery. The beautiful little thing is surely a trooper. Read more... Edentruthcarroll.blogspot.com

Not all adventures are pure fun.

2008-10-06T07:26:00.002-07:00

I have never understood before how certain experiences can make one re-evaluate their own existence. I never imagined I'd be working not 30 feet from where a 24-year-old pizza delivery guy was robbed, shot, and killed. I never knew how I'd feel in the aftermath of such an event. I know now.

The Poignant 'Aha'

2008-09-30T10:00:00.003-07:00

I always laugh when I see regular customers of Starbucks at other coffee shops. We always smile at each other once we realize who each other are. I can't go to the Frothy Monkey without running into a regular, and I just discovered I can't go to Bongo Java without seeing a co-worker. Coffee is an addiction.

Speaking of which... I'm at Bongo Java, but I have to leave in about fifteen minutes to go to Starbucks. My life does not lack caffeine, which is probably why I haven't been able to sleep well lately. I get so tired and then in the morning I wake up but not fully. I toss around for a while before I can really open my eyes. It's annoying. Perhaps I should try giving up caffeine for a while. That'd be crazy.

Currently in the works: Grad School.

2008-09-22T12:17:00.002-07:00

I've been out of school now for four months, and I must admit: "I hate it." I'm actualy a little jealous of my friends and co-workers who are still in the classroom. Thus, I have excellent motivation for getting on top of graduate school applications and also, yes... the dreaded GRE. I finally buckled down and purchased a vocabulary workbook which I've already begun pounding through. I'm debating signing up for a class, but I'm not sure enough of the programs I'm looking to apply to even require the test. A few do though including one I found today that is hitting the top of my list. Currently on the list:

Oregon State
Portland State
Indiana University
...and possibly a school in Colorado which I can't find in my grad school notes at this moment.

The list is sure to fluctuate as I narrow down or expand exactly what kind of program I'm looking for. I'm still debating the MFA option, but as of right now am heavily leaning toward a program that offers an MA in creative writing of the more traditional MA in Composition and Rhetoric. The end goal, for those of you who don't know, is teaching writing at a university level. I just want to go to school forever I suppose.

A little clip I wrote in half and hour...

2008-07-17T14:32:00.001-07:00

Gadget came bounding up the sidewalk to the step. He had only just seen the bird reach the branch and was determined to bring him down. (No one could make him believe he was a creature of inferior tree-climbing ability.) He sat down below the bottom step, pawing the air, trying to picture how his maleficence could reach new heights. Run at the tree, leap up the trunk of the tree, climb onto the branch all while remaining silent. The plan was infallible. Then all that was left was to sneak down the branch and storm upon the nest.

He readied himself for the attack just as he heard a susurration from within one of the shrubs that lined the porch. His ears perked, his head turned, searching for the spy. Electrolytes stirred in his veins, causing a tremble of excitement. Should he go on with the plan or risk attempting this task when the cat could be watching? He looked at the tree, then back at the shrubs, then back at the tree. The bird peered over the edge; the rustle of the shrub willed him to try and dared him to fail.

He readied himself once more, rising on all fours and glaring into the base of the trunk. He started at a trot, moved into a gallop, then darted at full speed running vertical up the trunk, grabbing hold of the branch with his two front paws. He had made it, but only barely. He had not put on such a farce since January’s incident with the snow. With all his might he pulled himself upward, swinging his legs down the branch, hoping to grab on. The branch shook; the leaves rustled.

Gadget let out a whimper as the cat bounded up the trunk and onto the branch above him, mocking his feeble mission. The bird, seeing both Gadget and the cat invading his branch, gave up his perch and flew into the shrubs. Gadget, unable to hold on any longer to the branch and fearing the cat’s ruthless mockery, let go of the branch, accepting his failure. The cat, feeling superior to both the cowardly bird and foolish Gadget, sauntered down the branch which creaked and cracked more loudly with each forward step. The bird began building a new nest but did not watch, Gadget sashayed to the backyard but did not bark, and the cat did not notice until he went soaring uncontrollable to the ground to the mocking laughter of the successful Gadget.

Living with Cats

2008-07-02T13:13:00.003-07:00

I have officially moved in with two cats, a missing closet door, blinds that don't work, a litter box, a broken porch step, and internet that doesn't seem to want to work. Not the best of situations at the moment to say the least, but I'm making do.

I am glad to finally have a day off of work after working 7 straight days while moving! I would NOT recommend anyone attempt this activity as it is extremely dangerous. I haven't been quite that drained in a LONG time. Drained and exhausted and living with shedding creatures.

Life can be terrifying, but then I'm sitting outside at a coffee shop drinking fruit tea because the internet at my new place refuses to cooperate, and I can't help but remember that life is also beautiful! And I am, despite the current less-than-perfect situation, pretty darn blessed.

Life is really one GIANT adventure.

2008-06-04T20:56:00.004-07:00

I graduated from college a few weeks ago and since then I've been working at Starbucks where I've been a barista since January. As I was getting in my car the other day after a long 8 hour shift on my feet, I was feeling rather exhausted. But as I tossed my purse into the front passenger seat and let out a sigh I realized something, or felt it I suppose. I realized that through the drudgery of working to get by and pay my bills and in the midst of feeling like maybe I should be looking for a job with a salary, I was in fact on the sort of path that may lead me to where I truly wish to go. I've been taking a risk, pursuing a direction of which I am terrified. I want to be a writer. And I know that if I were to look for a stable job with normal hours and perhaps even the comfort of salary, I'd be stuck. I know my own weakness for such traps, and through all that I've been heading toward as a writer I have learned that sometimes I must simply avoid the trap altogether and do whatever takes me a different way.

And so, as scary as it is I'm living with shaky ambitions and uncertain objectives, hoping that just maybe the writing will happen and I'll make it to grad school or I'll write something someone wishes to read - because I could take the easier road and use my "degree" directly, but then again I couldn't. I couldn't because I haven't chosen that way and that way has not chosen me.

And I feel free.

I need a muse

2007-06-09T16:31:00.000-07:00

Earlier today I was visiting Papa at the hospital (he had heart surgery, but he's looking great!), and he was asking me if I'd posted lately, so just for him, I'm posting... and because I'm very much in need of an update, though there is little to actually update.

I ventured to Washington last week to see Autumn get married. She was, of course, positively beautiful. Overall, I suppose it was a good trip, though rather exhausting. I rode some ferries which is always a plus because I love ferries. And Ben and I saw some of the city: Pike Place, Pioneer Square, Bainbridge (via the ferries), Capitol Hill.

But now I am back in the city and ready to start my job on Monday morning, bright and early. I shall be working for Midtown Printing, just down the road, and frankly, I'm pretty excited. I'm thinking it's going to be a good job, with which of course, I can't argue. Hopefully I'll get to do some fun stuff.

I've also started painting, which is a little strange, because I don't actually know how to paint, but nonetheless, I enjoy it. I'm trying to put together some books from Italy and Europe, but they are causing some problems. I can't seem to get my ideas together. We'll see. I made some progress today, and hopefully I can order some prints of photos soon and get the ball rolling.

Hopefully I'll have more to post later. For now... enjoy the sunshine and be sure to check out the flickr photos of Seattle!!

Summer in the City

2007-05-21T11:30:00.000-07:00

So, as of right now I'll be spending my summer in Nashville. I wanted to move to Raleigh and live with Steph, but alas, I shall stay here. Most likely this will end up being a good thing considering that in the past year I have lived in four different places! I moved from Bruin Hills to Hendersonville to Florence and then back to Music City.

Right now I am looking for a much needed job. My goal is to have a job set before I leave next week for Washington to see the lovely Autumn Rose get married! Insanity. My college roommate is getting married. I feel old. So, next Wednesday I'm going on another mini adventure. I will say, that's one plus to getting old. Since I've been back from Europe, I've still been able to go on adventures, and once I get a job and have an income I plan on taking a few more. First, this little trip to the Northwest and then hopefully at least two road-trips to North Carolina to see the sister. Maybe I'll fit a little trip to the beach in there, but I'd need to find somewhere free to stay, or free transport, but it's more likely I'll find somewhere free to stay. Maybe I'll just go to the beach while I'm in North Carolina, or maybe I just won't go to the beach, but I'll go to Amish country again!

The important thing, though, is still the job, and thus the income. Darn. I like working, if the job is good - it keeps me busy. But I hate job searching; it makes me so nervous. Anyways, I have some good leads, and I'm pretty excited about trying to find a job that does not require all weekends and nights. I'd love to work weekdays!

So, we'll see, and perhaps I'll attempt to be more dedicated to updating. Wouldn't that be unusual.

I'm getting old.

2007-05-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

I should be finishing my paper on The Secret Life of Bees, but instead I'm writing a long-awaited post to the much-forgotten blog. I've officially lost all motivation to finish this semester, which can mean nothing good, considering I still have the following assignments to complete:

1 8-10 page research paper for Faith in Southern Contemporary Literature
1 packaging design project for fictional company 'Sweet Tooth'
1 final paper for my stupid third year writing class
1 reflection essay on my class participation
1 final examination on Faith in Southern Contemporary Literature
1 group presentation on certainty and ambiguity in current religious thought
1 journal on something I'll have to look up when the time comes to write said journal

Somewhere I'll have to pick up some motivation. If only you could add that to your coffee - instead all I get is shots of peppermint to add to my latte, a concoction I thought I'd enjoy much more than I actually do. I suppose I should just stick with mocha for the time being.

Anyhow, no more classes this semester, just the above mentioned final exams, papers, and presentations. As of Monday of next week, I'll officially be a Senior in College, which might just be the craziest thing ever. Well, maybe not ever. I felt something similar to this after my sister got married - something like disbelief. When did I suddenly get so old? Someone tell me the answer to this question.

When I have the time...

2007-04-12T20:06:00.000-07:00

Summer Book List:

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (July 21st) by J.K. Rowling
Digging to America by Anne Tyler
Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler
In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
The Beloved by Toni Morrison

When I have the time...

La Primavera

2007-03-29T15:11:00.000-07:00

Oh, spring hath come and summer hath battled and won. Today was hot and a bit humid, but the shade was nice, so I suppose summer hasn't won the fight altogether.

Here's the deal: I've been working at this language center on campus since the semester began. The purpose is to tutor/help people with Italian, but as of now, I've helped/tutored no one. So, instead, the computer entertains me, and I pretend that I have two hours to do homework. These two hours are rarely actually filled with homework doing, but occasionally I read, which makes up approximately 50% or more of my homework. I went to Borders yesterday and bought 3 books, none of which will be read in their entirety. So unfortunate. Not unfortunate that I purchased them - unfortunate that I had to spend money on bad literature.

Right now, I'm missing the cobblestone streets and walking by the Arno after class and watching the sunset over the apartments across from the steps of the Santa Croce. This guy one night when I was in Florence told me about the crazy symbolism in the Architecture of Florence and the one thing I remembered and went to find out about was he said it was significant where the Dante statue in that piazza pointed. I did it once. I went to the foot of that statue and looked out to where the Dante was looking and it was right at the Palazzo Vecchio, which was the seat of government. This signified a relationship between the church and the government. Not sure why it's significant right now, to me, in this post, but I was just thinking about that day I went and stood at the feet of the statue of Dante in the Piazza di Santa Croce. I'd go there right now if I could.

view from the steps of Santa Croce.

Magnolia Trees

2007-03-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

Tonight I climbed a magnolia tree with a girl from Pennsylvania that I had met only a few hours earlier and with whom I ate spaghetti. We hung out about half way up the tree chatting about Europe. Then she left and went to Florida. Good story, huh? It really happened. And now I'm here on my bed avoiding the fact I have to read Parzival that might just be in the top five things I've been forced to read since being in college. Actually it might be the top of that list. Also I need to read something about food probably - don't ask. If you do ask, I'll tell you, but you will regret you ever asked.

If only everyday could be spring.

2007-02-22T16:39:00.000-08:00

Glorious I say. Glorious. I'm wearing my chacos, and I sat out on the quad today, and I'm wearing my favorite white shirt and corduroy jacket combination. Life doesn't get much sweeter. Plus, tonight is Grey's Anatomy and the Office and as long as Meredith doesn't die I will go to bed one happy girl. Then tomorrow my mom is coming into the city, and we are going to lunch.

If only I didn't also have a 400 page book to read, three papers to write and an Arthurian Romance midterm to study for. If only.

My new obsession is Mocha. I've just come to the conclusion that American latte and cappucino don't quite compare to Italian ones, but the mocha - oooo buddy. That's one delicious concoction. I had one yesterday simply to wake me up since I was falling asleep at 10 am and still had a three hour class ahead of me, plus an engaged scholars seminar and babysitting (for the cutest kid ever). But then today I had the hugest craving for another one. I've also been craving chinese food lately, something that might just have to be cured sometime this weekend. What I'd do to have Jing Jing right outside my apartment. We had the cheapest Chinese place half a block from my apartment in Italy. I could get fried rice and chicken and bean sprouts for like 3 euro. I'll just have to settle for the five dollar China Spring by Kroger on 8th I suppose. I need to learn how to make mocha so I can make them at home. That'd be pretty wonderful - sip my mocha during Southern Lit tomorrow morning. Beats coffee. Coffee, I have decided, is gross. It's too weak and so far, all the coffee I've ever had tasted burnt. Who wants to drink a cup of watered down burnt stuff? Not me.

Second to the right and then straight on til morning.

2007-01-22T20:15:00.000-08:00

Classes at Belmont. Long... work oriented... homeworked. Who thought of the concept of homework? is what I want to know. I want to go back to Compiti (Italian for homework). Just this week, I have a book to get read so I can write a Reception study on it, a really stupid food class to read about and for which I must complete something by the abbreviation "CP" (I don't know what it stands for and frankly don't care to find out), three chapters to read about the legend of Arthur, at least 20 line studies to do for a book series entitle, "Let's Dance," a paper to write (which I am of course doing on Italy), and then two articles and three biblical readings. Wow. Surprisingly it looks a little better when I write it out like that.

School is my best excuse for why I've been neglecting updates, though I can also blame my want of a new heading for the next chapter of the blog - not to say that living isn't an awfully big adventure when you're not in Italy, but still. The point is, I am returning to this place after being gone for quite a while, and I'm not in Italy anymore. It was good; it was perfect; but it's over.

In the words of the Wendy-bird, "We must leave at once... before we, in turn, are forgotten."

the ordinary things.

2007-01-09T12:55:00.001-08:00

I keep trying to remember things that happened to me over the past four months and somehow the only things I can think of clearly are tiny things.

I can remember walking down my street or sitting on the steps of Santa Croce watching the sun go down. I can remember my cafe and the market. I can remember what it felt like to walk by a massive piece of renaissance architecture - the way it makes you feel like your floating. But I can't remember all these things together. The whole thing is in pieces, like it happened a long time ago. I can remember things, but I have yet to refeel them.

Coming home is a strange phenomenon.

My window now overlooks a power line and a gray brick house. I can sit here and see my neighbors walking their dogs, the mailman pull up the road, a lady with a cat. These are the ordinary things. I drive in a car. I call up my friends. I stay up until 3am talking to my roommate. I watch primetime tv and eat lean cuisine. My suitcases are stuck way back in my closet and will likely remain untouched for months. My passport is somewhere safe and out of reach. My money exists only in dollars. I have to buy all my groceries at a supermarket with an english name like kroger or harris teeter and there are aisles and aisles of preserved food with which to stock my massive refrigerator. I don't dress according to the weather, but according to where I am going. I miss Italy and wine and cappuccino.

nine countries, twenty-three trains, five hostels, and one plane in ten days

2006-12-27T16:23:00.000-08:00

Where do I begin the story of something so overwhelming, exhausting, and utterly incredible? I, for one, don't quite know. The whole thing was just what I have said: overwhelming, exhausting, and utterly incredible. I was tired; I was ready to come home; and yet I was having the time of my life and ready to go back and live in Austria. . . or Germany. . . or Switzerland. . . or Brugge. . . or England. Not Amsterdam. Holland maybe. But not Amsterdam.

Home. Home is good. At the moment, though I'm home for sure, I still feel as if I don't live anywhere, which is how I've felt for a while, I suppose, and especially the last week living out of a backpack and sleeping on top of my passport and plane ticket. But, Christmas happened so soon after I got home (sooner than you may believe as my sister came home!!! but that meant we celebrated Christmas a day early which was the day after I got home) that I never had time to unpack and now it's already time to repack and move back to Nashville or unpack and move in here, and I don't think I want to unpack twice. Conclusion - it still hasn't hit me that Italy is in the past, and I have to go back to Belmont.

Did I really just spend the last four months in Europe??

non c'è il posto come a casa

2006-12-12T04:40:00.000-08:00

Things I’ve learned. (a message written on 10 dicembre from my apartment).

It’s a strange place to be, to know you are standing on the edge of something great. Few times in life, at least from what I have noticed, do you know when you are about to encounter something big. I thought I knew that before I came here, but I was still unable to grasp what kind of big it truly was. Now I’m in my apartment sitting below my roommates laundry that’s hanging on an indoor clothesline she set up since the rain seems to not want to tell us it might come later in the day. And sitting here I’ve been trying to write a research paper about Brunelleschi and the Old Sacristy of San Lorenzo, which as interesting as that might sound, I’m falling asleep at the computer. So, as it usually happens my mind began to wander to life things.

Here I am sitting in my fourth floor Italian apartment underneath a clothesline of laundry, and you know what, I love it. I’ve been on the verge of about 73 emotions over the last few days. First I’m terribly homesick, next I’m overwhelmed with research papers and 20 page fictional pieces and studying for an Italian final that covers at least 15 tenses (and though 73 was a slight exaggeration, I can say with complete confidence 15 is not), and then I’m just excited that I’m about to go to seven countries in seven days, and then I want to cry because I don’t want to leave here. I honestly think I tried to not get attached to people thinking it would make it easier to leave. But then, how could I not get at least a little attached to my roommates. They’ve been so great. I mean, sure, we get frustrated with one another about dishes and groceries and how we’re always running out of toilet paper, but I’ve grown to really like them. And then there are other people like Sarah and Laura. Then, there’s my cooking class. They’ve been my fill-in family. I’m seriously dreading tomorrow night (tonight by the time I post this) when I have to go to my last cooking class because I know it’s going to be the worst goodbye ever. I will likely never see some of them again. What will I do without Duccio and Victoria on Monday nights?

[The above mentioned final cooking class has now occurred, and it was a pretty sad departure, but we had so much fun too! I will truly miss every single one of them: Duccio, Victoria, Chelsea, Jamie, Cindy, Tori. They were like family, no joke.]

It’s not just the people, this place has found a special place in my heart, but at the same time it has made me grow fonder of my roots. (that sounds pretty cliché, but frankly it’s true.) Earlier this semester Autumn sent me this song about Tennessee and it came on my ipod while I was washing the dishes earlier tonight and I think it describes really well how I feel. It’s a Mindy Smith song and I don’t know the name of it, but these are the lyrics:

“Tennessee
You’ve been good to me
Yes, I’ve come to believe
You’re where I want to be
You may not be what everybody needs
But Tennessee
You’re good enough for me
I can’t see
Stars shining in your night
Your daytime sings like Cash and Patsy Cline
They may not be what everybody needs
But they touched my soul
And that’s good enough for me
It’s been ten years now, and I’m rooted in your soil
I am rooted in your soil
Give me ten more years I’ll be rooted in your soil
Right here in your soil
You may not be
What I will always need
But I call you home
If I can call you home
Then you’re good enough for me”

Basically, I miss home. I'm ready to be home. But I'm going to miss here too. I'm not sure this was the best way to explain - and I didn't intend to have posts like this, but it seemed necessary this time.

Things I'm about to do. (a message written right now, 12 dicembre from an uncomfortable white chair at FUA.)

Okay, I know this is already superlong, but, because I have much to do before I leave Thursday evening, and don't know when I will be able to sit down this long at a computer, I wanted to post a little summary of the upcoming trip.

I leave Thursday evening at 11 from Florence (sad) on a sleeper train for Zurich. Over the ensuing seven days we will visit the following cities: Zurich, possibly Lucern, Salzburg, Munich, Stuttgart, possibly Heidelburg (or another German city), Amsterdam, Bruges, Brussels, and then London. Then I fly home on the 23rd and arrive sometime that evening, at which point I hope to be eating chocolate chip cookies and drinking purity 2% milk.

I'm going to be one tired cookie come the end of next week.

(P.S. I will most likely find computer access along the way and will try make time to post, but I apologize ahead of time if this doesn't happen.)

Ciao Ciao!!

What am I gonna do when I run out of pocket coffee?

2006-12-06T04:47:00.000-08:00

My book project is finito and now all I have left is two papers of varying difficulties, three midterms and two critiques. Oh, and then 9 days to trek through Europe.

I have decided there is no doubt in my mind I will miss the following:

pocket coffee
Italian cappucino
people speaking in italian
the san ambrogia market
cooking class
bookbinding class
vespas
italian food (only after a significant time lapse)
the view from my apartment
feeling like my neighbors are in my apartment when we have the windows open (I don't know; perhaps I won't really miss that so much)
Piazza della Republicca
dolci
San Miniato
wine (for three months anyway)
walking everywhere
going to three hundred stores to buy my groceries
having fresh food all the time
the euro
borgo albizi
the random markets and events that appear in Santa Croce (i.e. the german christmas market)
going out for half-off gelato on tuesday night with my roommates and avoiding all our homework until it's time to go to bed
Jian Jian
being extremely tv-deprived
and more than anything (puo darsi) my favorite cafè, Enoteca de Macci

There're probably more, but at the moment I'm pretty much starving. So, I think I shall go to the german market and get me a pizza brezel before la clase.

Only 9 days left in italia.
17 left in europa.

Vin Brule almost makes up for there being no hot apple cider.

2006-11-30T04:06:00.000-08:00

I was sad that I missed Christmas village with my mom (at least for her, she got to go with her sister, and I heard they had a splendid time,) and now, I don't even have to be sad because the German Christmas market has arrived in Piazza Santa Croce bearing treats of all kinds, including, but not limited to the following:

Bratwurst and Saurkraut (I can't spell German.)
Brezel (aka. Pretzels, which are incredible)
sausages and salamis
ornaments
gloves and hats
potpouri and candles
jewelry
befana dolls
vin brule (delicious)
dutch cheese
goolash (again, Italian I can do, German, not so much)
German and Austrian cookies
pretty much all things that smell heavenly

Apparently there's a Scottish Christmas market that opens next week in Santa Maria Novella and an ice skating rink in some piazza I don't know how to get to but will find.

Oh how I love the holidays.

Mercato San Ambrogia and the shortest lady I've ever seen

2006-11-28T04:16:00.000-08:00

As the days pass by and I have begun to realize how little time I actually have left here I don't want to leave. (I will leave though, Dad; I miss you way too much to stay.) This has been the most incredible experience of my life thus far - hands down.

Actually one of the things I will probably miss most is having mornings exactly like this morning:

I don't have class on Tuesdays, so I slept in a bit and then got up and headed to my favorite cafè where I had a capuccino and a paste con cioccolato and wrote in my journal and read my Bible. Just so you know, for future reference, this is practically (a word my bookbinding teacher can't get enough of - and which, when she uses it, means precisely) the best way to begin a day. My favorite cafè is just 10 or so meters from the San Ambrogia market where you can buy fresh veggies and clothing articles and housewares and, if your brave, a whole dead and skinned rabbit, head and all. I didn't get a rabbit, as I'm not brave when it comes to dead creatures, but I did get some veggies and such to make dinner this evening. I browsed around the market, attempting to listen in on conversations, and then strolled down the road a bit to Bacco di Nudo, the enoteca where I get my wine, except next door they have another store that doesn't sell wine, but jams and pasta sauces and olive oil. Here is where the shortest woman in the world works. I'm not even lying. So, I walked in (actually I've met her before, but I didn't realize it then) and she gets up from her chair behind the counter and comes over to me to tell me (for she speaks English very well) about every single sauce and jelly in the store, and no joke, she comes up to my waist. She was short. Very short. She went on and on and on about each and everyone of those "prodotti tipici" that I though I would never get out of there, but I did by this Balsamic vinegar cream that she said to try in yogurt. I plan to do that this evening if I make it to the supermercato or if the bakery I usually go to sells yogurt. I'll let you know how it tastes, but the cream is spectacular. I had it on some bread for lunch.

Allora, sorry to bore you with the everyday happenings of my Tuesday morning, but I felt the need for a post and well, this is the real Italian life, not all that other travel stuff. This is the kind of thing that makes me want to stay.

"Do all turkeys have feathers or just Italian ones?"

2006-11-23T05:58:00.000-08:00

(the above title was the cause of much laughter at borgo allegri 24 yesterday evening.)

So, I don't have time for much of a post as I have to get home to cook a turkey and pumpkin pie and stuffing and make sweet tea. My roommates and some of the girls from my cooking class are coming over this evening for traditional homecooked Thanksgiving dinner. I'm so excited, but I'm not going to lie - today is a little depressing knowing that my family is at grandma and papa's house having dinner together, eating turkey and drinking sweet tea and probably not having pumpkin pie, because that's always my job.

I hope all of you Dentons and Vaughns and Harrells and Carrolls know how much I am missing you right now! Have fun playing Catch Phrase and making Christmas lists and taking naps and scanning the shopping flyers without me, and hopefully I'll be talking to you or will have by the time you all read this. I love all of you so much!!

Buon Giorno della tacchino! (Happy Turkey Day!)

P.S. Just so there is no confusion - they don't celebrate Thanksgiving in Italy, (shocking, I know) and I had to go to class today. Boo.

I live in Italy...for 25 more days.

2006-11-20T05:58:00.000-08:00

Man, it both seems like I've been here forever and like I've just arrived. One second I'm going crazy missing people and the next I don't want to leave. I'm sure I'll be ready to go when the time comes, but I also know I'll be ready to come back soon after getting there. I'm going to miss this place and the newness to everything. There is this refreshing feeling that comes with the unfamiliarity of life in a foreign land. I wish there were a way to recreate such a feeling in a familiar place like home. I guess that's why they say you experience reverse culture shock upon return; they also say it's worse than the original case of culture shock. I believe it.

Okay, so moving on past the inner thoughts of me:

On Saturday I went to Venice,
and
On Sunday I went to an Olive Press.

I had a supremely successful weekend.

Venice was. . . grand. Yes, that word will do; it was grand. I mean, the place has no cars. In fact, it has no streets, at least not the kind of streets we have. We (my roommate, Amber, and I) stepped out of the train station and suddenly we were standing only meters from the Grand Canal. So, we hopped a Vaporatto (which is like a bus, but it's a boat, so it's a bus/boat), and we headed down the canal to Piazza San Marco. I'm not even kidding; I've never seen a place like it. It was grand. (And here I need to put in a slight apology to one fantastic mother of mine - you would have just loved Venice. Mi dispiace.)

There's not really much else to say about Venice. We only got lost once, and Murano glass is sweet. That'll do.

The olive press was also quite grand, though intriguingly amazing might be a better description. The trip I went on actually included a two hour hike through Fiesole to get to the Olive Press, which I didn't know about, but which turned out to be pretty awesome all on its own. The rainy season is trying to actually begin, and so, from the hills of Fiesole we could see a light fog hanging over Florence. Incredible.

After a strenuous, mostly uphill, hike, we sat down for lunch at this fattoria above the olive press. I had agnello (lamb), which was delicious. The Olive Press tour would be better explained with pictures so I'll just put a link to the fotos on here once I get them uploaded, and I'll put explanations under each foto telling what the stuff is. And then, when I get home, I'll give everyone a lesson in buying good olive oil.

Fotos and Explanations.

Probably the best thing about yesterday (maybe even better than the fact that I toured an olive press) was that I spoke Italian for probably half the day. I made two foreign friends who I had the opportunity to speak to during the hike. The first was actually a girl from Germany who is working as a aupair for an Italian family. The second was a guy who lives in Florence. He was great because, though he obviously spoke fluent Italian, he spoke slowly for me and repeated himself when needed, but didn't get frustrated when it took me and minute to comprehend. Josefina and Armondo. An olive press. A nice hike on a foggy day. Un bel tramonto. The perfect Sunday.

Canolis, Volcanoes, and the Mafia

2006-11-14T02:25:00.000-08:00

Man, where the heck do I begin? Sicily. Sicily is an island of the coast of the boot of Italy forever away from Florence. So forever away in fact, that one must ride an overnight train to get there, which means that one's first day in Sicily is spent rather smelly and unshowered and minus some bits of necessary sleep, but these things are far overrun by the fact that one is in Sicily and closer to Africa than one has ever been (unless you're Kendra Jo Crabtree that is), and therefore one does not care about being smelly and tired and one eats a delicious canoli and an arancini for lunch and then it's all okay. I'll start there.

So, this past weekend I went to Sicily. We met Thursday night at the Campo di Marte train station in Florence where we got on overnight trains with beds and sinks in your cabin/carraige/room. The train ride was in the least...interesting. I slept on the top bunk of a moving thing that rocked back and forth and occasionally made quick stops that made things tople over (including me). It wasn't so bad though, and I mean now I can say I slept on a train...twice in fact. When I woke up the next morning I washed me face in this awkward sink behind the ladder and then went into the hall to find out that I was just in time for the train to board the ferry. No joke. The train boarded the ferry at the tip of the boot of Italy and took us across to Sicily. Once the train was securely on the ferry we could actually get off and go up. Then, when we got to the other side they put the train back together and we went on our way. I want to meet the person who woke up one day and said, "why don't we just put trains of ferries and take then across the sea."

So, then we made it finally and hopped on our bus and began to see the island. The first day we visited Taormina and then this beach which I believe they said was in Catania. In Taormina we had real Sicilian Canolis! Fantastic! First thing I'm doing when I get home is making Canolis for people (well, after showering and a good night's sleep). I love canolis, which is why I'm so glad we learned how to make them in cooking class. I also ate this fried rice contraption thing called Arancini for lunch. The canoli was better, but when in Sicily you must eat Sicilian things, and I efficiently played by this rule.

The beach we went to was fantastic as well. I walked out on this getty of rocks and sat and watched the sun begin to set behing the shore. Oh my word, I am speechless.

The next day we spent the whole day walking around Siracusa. We began with Greek ruins, went through the Roman invasion, and then discovered the early Christian's hideout underground. Somewhere in all that history lesson we visited the market in Siracusa where I ate cactus fruit. (I should make a list of all the crazy things I've eaten since I've been in Italy.) Hmmm, oh and then I ate another canoli and some delicious pasta (not in that order). Then we toured the natural harbor of Siracusa, and then had hot chocolate, and I bought Crema di Fragola and some post cards.

I promise, it was much more exciting than I just made it sound. Cactus fruit is something pretty exciting all by itself, and if you'd seen the sun glistening on the water off that natural harbor you wouldn't have listened to the whole of the history lesson either (I listened to most of it, but I had to take some fotos too.)

Almost done... forse.

The last day I woke up kind of sick, which was rather unfortunate as I haven't been sick for real in so long. But, I dealt, and we went to Noto where we saw lots of men out wandering the streets looking rather mafia like wearing their traditional Sicilian hats. (There were not many woman out though, and according to our guide there is a lot of Arab influence in deep Sicily where Noto is located and therefore all the women were inside keeping house.) Then (and I just decided I hate the word then as a transition - it's so overdone). Following Noto, we adventured to another beach where I laid down in the sand in an attempt to not feel sick anymore. It only kind of worked. We tried to eat lunch down the street from the beach, but that was a disaster I don't want to relive, but luckily our bus didn't leave us, and we did get to go see the Castle near where the supposed Cyclops lived. There are even these two rocks out in the sea named after Ulysseus. We saw the sunset from here as well - positively gorgeous. Again, no words.

So, you'd think the real adventure stops here, but no. We got back onto another night train and were heading back to another giant ferry that carries trains (seriously - incredible) when our chain-smoking guide, Francesco Sommariva comes by and tells us if we look out the window we can see Mt. Etna erupting. Mt. Etna erupting. I saw a live volcano. Really all you could see was pink streaks in the sky, which was molten lava flowing down the mountain, but it was so amazing. I attempted to take a picture and it only kind of worked because we were on a moving train, and it was pitch black outside other than streets lights and the pink streaks in the sky, but anywho.

Eventually we made it back to Florence, and after I slept for many many hours last night, I don't feel sick anymore and have to register in an hour.

And, that was my adventure to Sicily.

I also went Olive Picking last Thursday which I don't feel like writing about right now, but I will give more substantial time to at a later date - perhaps after I go to the olive press which may happen this Sunday.

List of things I did this weekend I'd never done before looks like this:
1. went olive picking
2. ate cactus fruit
3. rode a night train
4. rode a train on ferry
5. got really really close to Africa
6. stood in the Mediterranean Sea
7. ate take-away mussels (not a good idea, ever)
8. saw an active volcano

Why Don't They Have Cheddar Cheese In Italy?

2006-11-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been realizing some of the things I miss from the states... so, I've decided to compile a list. Probably not exactly the best thing to make me miss them less, but at least you can now appreciate the following things a little more knowing some people (i.e. me) live without them on a daily basis.

Cheddar Cheese
SVU and tv in English in general
Target and supermarkets that are really super
Milk that tastes good by itself
Sheep blankets
My car
Grass
Microwaves
Frozen Chicken
Dryers
The smell of fresh laundry
To Go Cups
Self Check out lines
Stars
Mexican Food
The US Dollar
Carpet
Peppermint Hot Chocolate from Bongo Java
Small White Monkeys
Card games
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
My mom's cooking
Haircuts
Sweet Tea
The South

...and next time I'm in a similar mood I'll compile a list of things I shall miss about here when I am there.

Just Follow the Duck

2006-11-04T13:03:00.000-08:00

So, tonight as I was walking home I saw this lady carrying an umbrella with a duck handle; she was holding it up in the air to lead her tour group, and I had the urge to follow the duck, but I refrained and instead ran home so my toes wouldn't freeze into ice cubes.

I think the temperature dropped at least 15 degrees celsius just in the last three days. I'm not even lying. I haven't warmed up since it first got cold, but last night I did discover how to turn on the heat in my apartment, and then I curled up under the covers and slept all warm and cozy. So, I suppose I have warmed up...once...last night.

Perhaps you are wondering what was the reason I braved the cold this evening and almost lost my toes. Well, it was a pretty darn good reason. Today, 4 novembre 2006 is the 40th anniversary of the flood in Florence, and during a quick read of The Florentine I discovered that this evening at 19:00 they were going to illuminate the Arno River at Ponte Vecchio. So, I went, cameras in gloved hands, wearing two pairs of socks and four layers.

Aside from the frigid temperatures the days lately have been just about perfect. Not even in terms of weather, but also in terms of my lazy activity. Wednesday we had no class, and I thought I was going to get to go olive picking, but alas, the olives just weren't ripe. So, I slept in and went to my cafe instead. Then I decided to go walking leisurely about the city. I came to the San Lorenzo market and browsed the many stalls (since they were actually open) and ended up buying a hat. The people selling them were really nice, and I ended up having a conversation with an American lady who knew the guy who makes the hats. Then this other lady who was working at the stall too started helping me pick out the hat. It was just an adventure of sorts walking through the market on a cold afternoon buying a brown fuzzy hat.

I wore the brown fuzzy hat yesterday morning on the way to Lucca until the sun had been up long enough that I didn't need it anymore. Lucca I liked...about as much as I like the brown fuzzy hat. It's a small town in Tuscany an hour and a half from Florence with its city wall still intact. There's even a moat. (And apparently a comics and games festival the first weekend of November). Just so you know, I crossed the moat, and I biked the entire city wall. And to top it off, my bike had a bell that sounded like the bell on a mailman bike. I'm not sure I've actually ever seen a mailman bike, but if I did, I'm sure the bell on it would sound exactly like the one on the bike I rode around the city wall of Lucca.

We finished the day out by eating bucceleta (I think that's what it was called) and drinking cioccolata calda. Then we rode the train home, and I bought soup at the Standa and watched the Office with Laura.

I have no complaints, not even about the cold, because I have a blue pashmina and a brown fuzzy hat, and now I know how to turn on the heat in my apartment.

Positively splendid.

My Parents Left me in Europe

2006-10-28T06:33:00.000-07:00

So, midterm week actually ended over a week ago, but as soon as they were finished my parents came into town!!! That's my sad excuse as to why I have left no REAL post in about two weeks.

Sadly, now it is just me again chillin' in Florence as my parents left this morning to return to the U. S. of A. I know they were probably ready to be back, but we had a wonderful time, and I loved having them here for a little while. We saw Florence (in fact I think I saw some of Florence for the first time - it's different being a tourist), and then we went to Rome for two days and Cinque Terre for two days and then Florence again, and we finished with a nice lunch in Chianti. I hope they enjoyed Italy as much as I have since August.

Pictures of Florence Day 1 (post jetlag)

Have you ever seen the Colosseum? Well you should because it's awesome. I think it was actually bigger than I imagined. We took a guided tour through that and the Roman Ruins on our second day of Rome. On the first we saw the pope. Yep, that's right, the pope. On Sundays at noon he comes out to bless the crowd and we were in the crowd. It was so cool, especially when I understood some of his little mini-sermon which was in Italian. He did greet everyone about 7 times in a different language each time. I'm not catholic, but it was still quite an experience. That same day we saw St. Peter's Basilica which was also beautiful. There was some sort of Parade/Spanish Mass going on while we were in there, but it almost just added to it. They were singing in Spanish and these priests came down while we were slowly walking around checking out the statues and the high altar and the dome. We also saw the alleged tomb of St. Peter (the first pope) and John Paul II. I also mailed myself a post card from the Vatican - now how many people have something postmarked "Vatican City." Well, I do as soon as it gets to me. Not to brag or anything.

I Saw the Pope.

After Rome we returned to Florence, but only to catch another train the following day to Cinque Terre. I'd been before, but it was raining. And I'm not going to lie, I was a little disheartened when the morning we left was looking a little cloudy, but it cleared up in no time, and I finally got to see the five little cliff side towns in the sunlight instead of in the gloom. Going to Cinque Terre was also a nice relief from the hectic travel of seeing things in Rome and Florence. We hiked and ate crepes and road trains and stared astonishingly at the sea. It was wonderful.

Absolutely Stunning.

We finished off with another more relaxing day in Florence. We started by returning to the Central Market and then visiting the Boboli Gardens which I'm sad I hadn't ventured to before as they are also beautiful and quite relaxing. Then we headed up the hill to Piazzale Michelangelo and San Miniato for the fantastic views over Florence. When we got to San Miniato there were either priests or monks chanting or singing inside and we sat on a pew for a little while and listened. (I still say they were chanting monks, but I'm not sure the dilemma will ever be solved.) Then, oddly enough someone decided to turn San Miniato Pink for a night. They had these giant pink stage lights set up and as it started to get dark they turned them on and the whole facade of San Miniato turned Pink. If nothing else I got to take some good photos. My mom and I decided that San Miniato thought they weren't getting enought visitors and the whole show was a crazy marketing scheme as you could see the church that is typically hidden in the dark, clearly from the other side of the river.

The Pink Church.

On our final day, we turned the pace down even more and took a bus to Chianti where I went only a few weeks ago and did a tour of the wine cellar and the vineyard and whatnot and then had that amazing five-course meal again. I have to say, I think it was better the second time, but just as filling. I may even ride that bus out there again, just to go through the countryside and see all the fall colors again. It is getting so gorgeous when you actually see trees.

Florence needs more trees.

I shall try not to go so long again without a good post, but as you can see, it was only in an effort to have a number of big adventures to share. Everyone say hello to the fall for me and enjoy the trees.

And since I'm way behind:

I made Octopus and Chocolate Cake.

Troppe Cose Fare - Too Much To Do

2006-10-18T03:30:00.000-07:00

Apparently Italians take midterms too, or at least Americans in Italy have to.

I still have so much to do, including, but not limited to the following:

finish my book for bookbinding
study for my architecture exam
print out my pieces for writing
take (and possibly study for) my Italian exam
finish buying a few things to send home with my parents
pack for next week
go to the Boboli Gardens (just cause I feel I should)
sleep so I don't get sick from this sudden surge of cold weather
anxiously await the arrival of my parents

So, I would leave a more lengthy post with more interesting detail about things such as the beauty of going to Chianti and eating five course meals or making Octopus in cooking class, but these stories will have to wait until the above list is a little shorter.

Alla volta prossima, Jessica

I want to live on a Ferry

2006-10-10T03:03:00.000-07:00

No, really - I do. (beware - there are plenty)

So, the sun rises in Florence beginning just before seven in the morning. I discovered this Friday morning while sitting in the train station wondering whether or not they were kidding about how serious it was that we arrive at 6 since it was approaching seven and we hadn't moved from the meeting spot. Fortunately we did finally get on a bus and pull out of Florence for Amalfi, but it wouldn't be Italy if we didn't make about 300 stops along the way including two unexplanable ones, where we all sat on the bus and watched our chain smoking guide from Cinque Terre take a smoke break. Honestly, I think at least one of those stops was specifically for that.

I think I sound cynical, but really, it was just funny. Italians are rarely rushed. So, we then stopped in Naples too, just to see the sea and let a few people get their wallets stolen. Seriously, that place is sketchy. We hadn't been out of the bus for two minutes and someone had already gotten pickpocketed. Thankfully, it wasn't me, but I still felt really bad for the girl. At least, now I can say I went to Napoli, but I don't think I'd ever return.

The Amalfi Coast, on the otherhand, was splendid. I don't know that I have ever seen water so blue and skies so clear. Being outside the city and near the sea was completely refreshing. We drove up and onto these winding roads and suddenly we were overlooking the most beautiful sea. We drove along there for 30 minutes or more (probably more) and I just sat and stared at the sea. I stared partly because it was so gorgeous and partly because I had to do something to keep my mind off of the thought that our bus wasn't going to make it around the next winding turn. Scary. But we made it.

The next day was filled with ferry rides and chillin' in Capri. I love ferries I decided. They are fantastic. The breeze, the scenery. I think I could've gone all the way there just to ride the ferry around the island, to and from little coastal towns. Actually, on our way to Capri that morning, the ferry made a pick-up at Positano, which is another town in Under the Tuscan Sun. I mean, Capri was great, Amalfi was great that evening (I bought limoncello), but the ferry I loved. I know that sounds insane, but it was relaxing and beautiful out there, and it was great to just be able to rest and enjoy.

So, then Sunday we went to Pompeii. We had a crazy guide. She was hilarious. She kept referring to us as "you who stay in Florence." It was great. And more importantly, I got to see the city that I always heard so much about from Mrs. Clark-Brown. My High School Latin Class came to life before my eyes in the form of columns and volcanic rock. Crazy.

Last night I made Foccacia Bread.

I made Pasta on a guitar.

2006-10-05T02:14:00.000-07:00

I'm not kidding. We made Maccheroni alla Chitarra; that's macceroni on a guitar. It wasn't your normal, everyday looking guitar, and it is unlikely that it would play any sort of beautiful music, but still, it's the principle of the thing. It was also delicious - the pasta, not the guitar.

The fact that I made Pasta from scratch is all that matters here.

Once Upon a Time a Monk and Two Nuns Had Lunch at a Cafe in Assisi

2006-10-01T11:08:00.000-07:00

So, I decided shortly after arriving that one of my goals while I was here should be to get a picture of a nun or a monk, so when we sat down to lunch at a cafe outside of the Basilica di San Francesco right across from a monk and two nuns I decided to be brave and accomplish my goals. I mean, seriously, how often do you find the opportunity to take a picture of a monk and two nuns eating gelato? Actually, I've made a few random nun friends in the last few days, and Amber even said she saw a monk staring at me while we were in Assisi, but I don't know how I feel about that last one. One of the nun friends was this cute little nun from India that we sat with on the train to Perugia the first day of our little weekend adventure. She was nice and told us when to get off the train - always helpful.

Alright enough with monks and nuns - now on to the adventure gone awry - very awry in fact, and then the adventure amazingissimo (that's not really an italian word; I made it up).

Friday we went to Perugia. We didn't see much of Perugia. We mostly saw this really giant hill that we walked up though we should have ridden a bus, but seeing how I didn't understand the lady at the bus ticket window, I didn't know that. Fear not though, because my Italian skills increased tenfold on Friday. After walking halfway up the hill, we decided that a little espresso would hopefully bring the smiles back to our faces so we stopped at a bar where we put down our very heavy bags and asked the kind guy who made our caffè how to get to the bus station. I should actually say, I asked and attempted to figure out what he was saying. I did understand him mostly, and we continued on toward our destination. We finally got to the bus station and caught a bus to our hostel on this lake. The hostel at least was beautiful, but a little bit out of the way. A lot bit out of the way, and fortunately for Amber and I, the train only stops in the town where our hostel was like two times a day. Thankfully, we didn't know that until we got there and needed to get back to Perugia to catch another bus to La Perugina (the chocolate factory). Yeah (huge amounts of sarcasm)...so we got a ride from the owner of the hostel who drove us quickly through the countryside to catch a train in Magione instead of Torricella. The rest of the day went by fairly well, except that we had to call the owner of the hostel one last time because we read the train schedule wrong so we had him pick us up at Magione.

We were unhappy people waiting at the train station at the end of that day, but we had chocolate.

Assisi went much better. We checked the train timetables as soon as we got back to the hostel from Perugia and caught the 9 o'clock on Saturday morning out of Torricella to Assisi; then we caught the shuttle bus that took us the 4 km into the City Center where all the beautifulness was. We landed at about 10:45 in the city, and I got a much needed Caffèlatte and dolce before we headed into the Basilica di San Francesco (the church of Saint Francis). That place was beautiful. I had studied it a little in my architecture class, but seeing it... incredible. I wish I could have taken fotos of the inside, but it was not permitted. Most of the churches here are these giant open cathedrals with giant columns. They are all very grand and decorated and beautiful, but something about this one, with its long nave and lack of aisles was more richly spiritual. I can't explain it, but I bought a book of Saint Francis' writings, and what I have read about his life so far is pretty amazing.

After spending the whole morning in the church, we stopped for lunch and then headed up the hill, mosying in and out of shops and seeing this beautiful old city. My only regret was that we walked so long and so slowly up this hill, just enjoying the day, that we never made it all the way to the Basilica di Santa Chiara (Francis' girlfriend). I hear it is also a sight to behold. Perhaps I will just have to return to Assisi. I did see a gorgeous sunset though on our powerwalk down the hill to catch the bus.

Absolutely Amazing.

... just a little more.

Calcio. Soccer.

Today, I went to a Soccer Game - Fiorentina (Florence's Team) v. Catania. We won. Italians are very much into their soccer. The whole place was filled with Purple and singing and chanting and excitement. I'm amazed daily at all the things I've done here - the figuring out transportation schedules, the speaking Italian all over the place, the going to a soccer game and jumping up with a bunch of smelly men chanting things I don't understand, the drinking caffè, the monumental amounts of walking. I also just noticed that two of my MUST DOS from the long ago posts have been completed: hike Cinque Terre and Visit Santa Croce. I've done both of those, and two weekends from now I'm going to Chianti!

Now, I just need to find a hat shop that sells hats in hat boxes...

I love the Tuscan Countryside

2006-09-25T04:27:00.000-07:00

Really.

This weekend I ventured to Cortona and Arezzo with SAI for the much anticipated Tuscan Movie Tour. Imagine watching a movie, looking out the window, then looking back at the tv and seeing the exact same scene that is outside the bus window. That's what I did this weekend in a nutshell.

We began by going to Cortona where Under the Tuscan Sun was filmed. First of all, I love that movie. Second of all, I walked on the land that it takes two oxen two days to plow. No joke - we were driving up this hill and around these really curvy curves in a giant charter bus (I was a little afraid we were going to hit either an ancient wall lining the road or a mophed parked along the side of the road; fortunately we hit neither.) and watching the scene where Paolo and Chiara are getting married. There is a shot of a church on the side of a hill. We passed that church and then moments later watched that scene.

The town was quite wonderful as well - small and quaint as all Tuscan towns should be. We toured through some churches there, ate a quick lunch, then hiked down the road to 'the villa.' 'The villa' in fact where the movie was actually filmed. I think the best part of all may have been that though we were with this tour guide from Florenc for Fun, and it was an organized outing with 70 or so students, we actually snuck onto the property. This was just the type of activity Sarah Rumsey would have loved - trespassing.

After Cortona we hopped back on the bus and began watching La Vita è Bella as we travelled to Arezzo. To get into Arezzo though, we actually had to ride a bunch of escalators up a hill and through the city wall. It felt as though we were in an underground train station or subway, and then suddenly we walked through these modern automatic doors and onto a stone road standing in front of a 12th century church. After that it didn't feel at all modern anymore, and there were no more escalators. Around a few corners from the church we walked into the piazza where some of the scenes for the movie were shot. Actually a similar thing happened when we got back on the bus in that the very next scene to appear was in that very piazza. I bought candy and foccacia bread in Arezzo.

Then I watched the sunset over the Tuscan countryside as we drove back to Florence with the end of La Vita è Bella playing on the television.

I like Italy. I enjoy travelling around, but just as much as I like Italy, I like Florence. I like that I live in Florence. I'm not a tourist in Florence or just passing through, I live here. I like waking up and going to my favorite cafè and shopping for fresh things and sweaters at the San Ambrogia Market. I like drinking caffèlatte with a dolce filled with nutella. I like eating il pollo and spinaci from a Salumeria. I like sitting in Piazza di Santa Croce and watching the day turn into evening and then into night. I like drinking wine with my dinner and getting stuffed on bread and olive oil. I like that the streets aren't smooth and not all the cars have four wheels (some have three). I like sketching statues and listening to street music from Loggia della Signoria. Italia. firenze. La dolce vita.

- io

Her name is Simona.

2006-09-19T05:13:00.000-07:00

I spent a few hours at my cafè this morning journaling and reading la mia sacra bibbia and in the end discovered that my favorite little cafè worker's name is Simona. (I hope I spelled that correctly.) It's just fantastic. She smiles at me everytime I come in.

This past weekend I went to Cinque Terre which was beautiful in pretty much every respect. It did rain on us though in the afternoon, and the wind made the water choppy so we ended up not being able to take our ferry and then hiked in the rain. But that place was so beautiful, it barely mattered. I take that back - it mattered, but it was still a great trip. Besides just seeing Cinque Terre, I got to ride on a European train through the hills of Tuscany, through Pisa and then north. On our way home I looked out the window and saw clouds just sitting on the hills. It was truly a beautiful sight.

Check out the fotos, but keep in mind I think this may be one place you just have to see for yourself.

It's really beginning to feel like home here. I suppose I mean it is beginning to feel as if I live here. I have decided that there are some things I will be so excited to get to have again from home and then things from here I will miss terribly when I leave. It's strange to be missing everyone and everything from home, but at the same time absolutely loving that I'm here. I need to think on that.

Two little notes of interest:
I found the best enoteca in Florence (well, that I've seen so far). It's really close to the best cafè in Florence which works out well. They fill up the bottles of wine from big barrels and then you bring back your bottle when you finish the wine and they refill them. I bought the Chianti last time, and it was delicious. Today I bought a white wine from San Gimignano.

I bought a journal at a bookbindery. That's right, straight from the bookbindery.

-jessica

(P.S. The comments come to me now before posting, so don't freak when they don't appear immediately. I get to read them first!)

So, I have this favorite cafè...

2006-09-14T01:59:00.000-07:00

Quite often I find myself getting up in the morning and going to this little local bar (bars are what the Italians call coffee shops), and I call it local because really, it's down this street near my apartment in the opposite direction of the city center. You go out and turn left instead of right onto Via Ghibellina and suddenly you are in local Florence heaven. Professoressa told us before we left to choose a cafè or "bar" to frequent instead of trying them all. Well, Enoteca de Macci is mine. The lady who works there was so kind to me the first time I went, and she grins at me as I try to speak to her in Italian. Today, when she saw me come in she simply smiled this huge welcoming smile and came to let me order. She doesn't speak to me in English though I know she knows some, and for this I am thankful. All the people who come in are locals as well. They come in and order their morning caffè (though caffè in Italian is really espresso), and they down it in about 15 seconds standing at the bar. But while they wait they talk to each other, the customers to one another and the lady to the customers. I don't know what they talk to each other about yet, but my Italian will hopefully only improve as the semester goes on.

Soon, I hope to find out the lady's name. I bet she has a beautiful story, I think for me she is like the man with the flowers was to Francis in Under the Tuscan Sun, except she acknowledges me. But still, it's that mysterious quality about her and her smile and the fact that she never charges me to sit down. €1.80 for my caffèlatte and a cornetti. I can't wait to have another morning there.

Buon Compleanno a "Daddy" (e Erin 2 giorni fa)

2006-09-12T05:50:00.000-07:00

Beware, this is going to be a long one.

Wow. This weekend I did so much I barely know where to begin telling about it. Well, Friday. Friday, after spending my morning reading my Bible at my favorite cafe on Via de Macci I met up at the school for a walk across the river and up to Piazzale Michelangelo and the church of San Miniato. It was so nice to venture away from the buildings everywhere and to see some trees. I decided this weekend that I miss trees. But from Piazzale Michelangelo I could see the whole city and the wall that goes around Florence. It was so beautiful up there. Then at the top there was this church. The church itself was not too spectacular from the outside but there was this amazing cemetary. I know, that sounds a little wrong, but seriously I'm so glad I had my slr camera with me to take film fotos. Hopefully I will get into the darkroom sometime this week, because I think I got some really amazing ones of the statuary and headstones. The tour guide left us, because the church was not open as she had expected (a common occurence here in Italy - nothing is ever "for sure"), but a girl I recently met, Rebecca, and I stayed until it opened about half an hour later to see the inside. I love going in the churches here, because they are so quiet and peaceful. This one, I do not think, had any electricity so the only light came through a few tiny windows. I liked it.

Fotos of Piazzale Michelangelo and the church of San Miniato.

Friday evening was the perfect continuance of such a splendid afternoon. My roommate, Rebecca, and I went out for a nice dinner at this place called Antico Noè. I will definitely be taking my parents here. They have slow food, which means everything is in season and very fresh. I had the most amazing spaghetti ever and a very nicely complimented glass of white wine. After our delicious meal we went to this concert my architecture teacher had told me about in the duomo. Yep, I went to a free concert in the duomo of Florence. Papa, you would have loved it. You told me I should try to go to a symphony while I was here, and you were right. I loved it. I did get a little tired there at the end, but then I looked up again at the gorgeous fresco over my head and went, um, I think this is worth every moment.

Then, the weekend just kept on getting better. Saturday morning, I got up fairly early, met up with a few people, and we headed out by bus to Fiesole, a small village like town on the outskirts of Florence. Pretty much, we just walked around looking out over Florence again. These were even more spectacular views because we could see not only Florence, but the amazing Tuscan countryside. Somehow we stumbled upon a convent too, up on this hill. Around the back of the convent we followed this little path back around to the city and as we walked through this wooded area, we could hear bells chiming in the distance. I wanted to lay down in the dirt and just soak it up. I want to go back up to Fiesole one day just to write, to listen to those bells again and write (don't get me wrong, there are bells all over Florence, just not trees).

Fotos of Fiesole.

So, then after Fiesole, my roommate and I were on our way back to our apartment when all the sudden the Florence soccer team was coming out of a hotel to load their bus. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.

And, I had my first caffè latte the other day. I don't know what day it was, but I had it. Steph, you will be proud. The first one was good, but I needed the dolce I had with it. The second one I had in Fiesole after lunch, and it was great. And now I have them all the time. In fact, I've already had two today - how sad is that.
Awe yes, just a little bit more...cooking class. I'll keep it short, but I ate sardines. We made food from Sicily (it's Italian Regional Cooking). So I made spaghetti with mussels and the people behind me made sardines. Then we also made canolis. But, I actually thoroughly enjoyed the sardines, and will likely eat them again - possibly when I go to Sicily. The mussels were good too; I'm not sure if I've really ever had mussels. They were interesting to make - I know I've never made them. But you can see me cooking them below.

Fotos of cooking class.

Perhaps that is all; I'll probably think of something else in a little while, but I think I should probably spend some time doing my homework. I have a lot to read.

And since everyone has a birthday in September: Happy 20th to Erin two days ago on the tenth, and Happy Birthday (I'll not put your age up) Daddy today!!

Buon Compleanno a Mark

2006-09-07T07:28:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful day in Italia. It has yet to rain on me here except our first night which only added to my inability to sleep which had much more to do with jetlag than the rain. Today is yet another sunny one, though it has gotten a slight bit hotter. I'm not one to complain though about heat when it is not accompanied by miserable humidity like in Tennessee. I recently heard a rumor going around that this weekend will be cooler; I'm hoping this is true because I'm planning on walking to Piazzale Michelangelo on the other side of the Arno tomorrow with FUA and then hopefully riding out to Fiesole with Emily on Saturday. The countryside will be a nice change from all this city. I love it - don't get me wrong, but some fresh air could be nice.

As far as classes go, I just returned from my last one, and for the most part, they will all be enjoyable. We even went on a sight visit in my architecture class today - the first day! We went to the duomo (just the outside unfortunately) and then to the Opera del Duomo Museo (or something like that - it's the museum that accompanies the duomo) and toured around. Since I had already recieved free entry to the museum through my class, I stayed for a while afterwards to look around. Michelangelo's unfinished "La Pietà" was there - beautiful, as well as the original panels to Lorenzo Ghiberti's bronze doors for the Baptistry. I wish I'd had my camera with me, but seeing as how this was the first day of class and I had no idea we would do a sight visit, I did not bring it along. The bronze panel doors were incredible (Dad, you should be reading about or have read about them at the beach in the book I gave you before I left, Brunelleschi's Dome). They are these huge doors on the east side of the Baptistry next to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Each panel depicts a different scene from the Old Testament. I spent so much time in that room - they were incredibly detailed.

My other classes are alright as well. Writing about Florence will surely be an enjoyable class that will feed right out of my journals - most likely an excellent supplement to my own record keeping. The teacher is, well... British among other things. Bookbinding I don't even need to say anything about because it's called bookbinding. Graphic Design also has a British teacher who, though I think I'm the only one that found it funny, kept saying words like "clutter" with an American accent when no one understood his British. Italian is going to kill me. And Italian Regional cooking I absolutely love! The teachers' names are Fabbio and Duccio. Yep, that's right - Fabbio. I loved it.

Man, I promise I don't mean to make these things so long; it just happens. And, send me e-mails if you haven't already. I feel lost as to what's going on in your lives! So, send me beautiful updates.

And...

Happy 21st Mark! Spero che è bella e divertente. Let me know how it goes.

Firenze è Bella

2006-09-04T03:48:00.000-07:00

I've been around this crazy city about a million times now. From my apartment to the Santa Croce to the Duomo to the Piazza de Republicca to San Lorenzo to the Piazza de Uffizi and back again. My feet have been well used, but I'm beginning to learn my way around. The key is to learn a few major streets that take you to key places so you don't feel lost. My favorite street so far is Borgo Albizi. Not only does this bustling borgo take you to the Republicca, but it also contains some of the best shops. I found the most amazing Cartoleria sort of shop. Basically it is a shop where you can buy everything from journals to handmade papers or pens that require a bottle of ink to use them. I believe I could spend at least a few hours in that place or another one I found which I believe was on Via Verdi. Then, I have also found some splendid bookstores. Edison on Piazza de Republicca reminds me of Barnes and Nobles with a little cafe upstairs. It's large and roomie. Then the one on Via Dei Neri which is an English bookstore so I can read all the titles. The markets are also amazing at San Lorenzo especially, but they are just about everywhere - people with their little carts selling leather goods and cheap souvenirs or knock-off purses and sunglasses. Anywho, I think I may just come back a bit less directionally challenged.

A few days ago, maybe Saturday (all my days are running together now) Emily and I walked around the city with the sole purpose of taking photographs. I think I may have gotten some good ones, but besides that we had so much fun. At the Piazza de Uffizi we saw the most amazing mimes. We took pictures with two of them even. Emily even got kissed on the hand by a man acting as some sort of white statue. I'm not going to lie, he was a little creepy. Then we watched this crazy mime run all over this one corner, sneaking up behind unsuspecting tourists and scare them or grab one of their hands and wait for them to notice and then scream or jump or scurry away.
We probably sat there for twenty or thiry minutes laughing. Emily got better pictures of him so you'll have to check out my favorites link on flickr where I'll select those from her photos. We also met these funny old painters just sitting outside the Uffizi. They just started talking to us and teaching us Florentine slang (good and bad). I believe they taught me the Florentine way to say "How's your momma and them?" which my dad will enjoy knowing.

Nights here are beautiful as well. All the little street musicians come out and set up everywhere. Last night my roommates and I walked to Piazza de Republicca and watched these Latin Dancers. They were playing some pretty interesting drum/Latin music. I'm sure one of my more musically inclined friends would have been able to better label that music genre, but you get the idea. On our way there we passed these three guys that I had seen a few evenings earlier. I hope I pass them again too; they were pretty good. In fact, Emily and I stood on the sidewalk for quite a while the first time we walked by them.

Awwe, so good. They had a cd for sale and last night my roommate bought it for 10 euro, so if it works I'll be rather excited.

It's amazing to be out and about around the city seeing things and wearing out my feet, but even sitting in my apartment can be its own adventure. I did laundry the other day - intriguing really. Buying the laundry detergent was even difficult; I know some Italian, but apparently not enough for everything.
Well, I wish I could write more, but my battery is dying, and I've been wanting to try out this great panini shop called the Oil Shoppe and my stomach is telling me it's ready for lunch.

P.S. I hope the pictures show up for everyone. If they don't, let me know, and check out flickr. (the first one is emily's picture, but I was there.)

Sono Qui

2006-08-31T03:47:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's right, I'm in Italy. At this very moment, while all of you are sleeping away, it is 12:15pm here and I am sitting in this wonderful little cafe drinking tea and eating a chocolate pastry. Yum. We found this cafe right down the street from my apartment that has free wifi. So, my roommate and I got up today (after sleeping in a little - jetlag is a pretty serious ailment) and headed to this cafe to check some e-mail and whatnot. It is so good to hear a little from home too.

sidenote - a dog just came and left the cafe.

Okay, back to being in Italy. The flights were long, the lay overs were longer (not really, but it seemed like it. I sat in Frankfurt for 4 and a half hours.) But, alas, I am here. My apartment is fantastic. Sarah Rumsey would love it!! Someone tell Sarah that I said that, because I have a feeling she won't check this for a while. We live on the top floor, up about 70 flights of stairs (really 8 I think, because we live on the American fourth, and Italian third floor, and there are two flights of stairs per floor). Either way, it's way up there, and lugging my luggage up that was a chore. We have two beautiful views. One overlooks these awesome red rooftops, and trees, and the other is to this little area between all the apartments where everyone hangs their clothes to dry. That's right, we have one of those great hang your clothes outside on lines places. It's just awesome. I wish I had uploaded my pictures. Somehow I messed that up, so you'll just have to wait a few more days. Maybe I'll get them on tonight, but doubtful.

The whole city is just, I don't even know if I can say. All the buildings are old and everyone speaks Italian. That's the easiest way to describe it, but I know that helps you absolutely none. I love just walking down the street and listening to the people around me, and knowing that in a few days I will begin to hopefully understand some. When that happens I'll be able to get up early in the morning and listen to the neighbors below me who cook the most amazing smelling breakfast and spy on their conversations. We have to leave our windows open for airflow. The windows are even amazing. Sarah would like them too. And she would like this dog that keeps coming into this cafe and the cashier keeps saying, "Vai, vai" which means go, go. Awe.

The Duomo - I cannot forget the duomo. We saw it first at night - my first night here in fact. I was with my roommates and we were just wandering up this street thinking it would be a few more streets 'til we came upon it and then suddenly it just began to appear around the corner. Beautiful. Absolutely incredible. Again, my pictures. Darn.

And the Santa Croce. I live probably two minutes walk from the Santa Croce. I have serious plans to do all my homework sitting in the piaza overlooking it. Our first dinner was at this restaurant (where whatever I ordered was not what I wanted), but we sat outside, right next to the Piazza di Santa Croce. It was beautiful. The weather here is nice too. I don't miss humidity one single bit. I like the breeze and the shadows all the tall buildings make for the streets below that keep everything cooler.

La Vita é Bella

Deep Breath.

2006-08-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

By this time tomorrow I'll be chillin' over the Atlantic Ocean. And man am I ready to be there. My bags are packed; my camera's charged; my ipod is about to be updated. I have run more last minute errands than anyone should ever attempt. It has been a long summer of preparation and working and stressing, and it all comes down to tomorrow - and the next four months.

Whoa! I'm leaving for Italy tomorrow! Yeah, that sounds strange. The next time I put a post on here it will be from an Internet Train somewhere around Florence. Seriously, that's totally strange. I mean, I've been talking about this for a while, but tomorrow really isn't that far away. It is in fact... tomorrow. I can't think about it anymore.

Enough with the goodbyes. Bring on the hellos.

- 17.5 hours

preparativi

2006-08-23T19:02:00.000-07:00

Check it out.

Preparing is not as fun as it should be. It shouldn't be this stressful to put my entire life into two medium sized suitcases. I mean, it is just packing, but a serious, scary kind of packing. The whole thing is starting to feel more real though. I mean, I'm actually leaving for Italy on Monday. Not, "I'm going to go to Italy one day," but "I'm going to Italy next week - this coming Monday." That's strange.

So, yeah - there's not much else to do now except wait. And pack. And say a few more goodbyes. And drink as much sweet tea as I possibly can in the next few days. And make a lot of copies of a lot of documents. And make too many decisions for an indecisive person to make in five days. And get my teeth cleaned. And celebrate my mom's 50th birthday. And keep reminding myself that in six days I will be staring at the duomo saying, "wow, all that stress was totally worth it."

- five days.

solo 10 giorni

2006-08-18T13:53:00.000-07:00

Correction to the previous post.

My apartment is actually located here.

I was moved. Sadly I'm about 20 minutes closer to the school, except that's not sad at all. So, now I will be approximately 10 minutes walk from the school building.

Only 10 more days.

due settimane

2006-08-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

Only two weeks more now and I will be nervously going through security (minus any liquids) and getting on a plane that will take me to an airport that will take me to a foreign country far far away. And, upon arriving (in two weeks and one day), I will be taken to the main building of my school located here. Then, I will be further shuttled to my apartment located here, where I will live with five other girls on the third floor of what I assume to be a very very very small apartment.

And there I shall live, while enjoying the Tuscan countryside and and living among the Florentines for the next 3 and a half months.

All in 14 days.

la visa è arrivata

2006-08-10T12:52:00.000-07:00

My visa finally made its way here, and boy do I feel relieved. Seriously, I can now breath again. I was pretty worried about it, but I can officially enter the country... if I don't lose any of the five hundred and thirty-three papers I have to keep with me and have available when I go through customs. (The aforementioned number is both an approximation and an exaggeration.) But the point is, I have the visa and the papers and a plane ticket and luggage and will be getting traveller's cheques tomorrow, and so I pretty much have all the big stuff done. Now, it's just down to packing and figuring out if I want to take the blue shirt of the green one? or will both of them fit in my bags? or ... well you get the point. And I can handle it.

As far as field trips go, I finally made a decision after much deliberation. I will be taking a three day trip to the Amalfi Coast as well as a five day trip to Sicily which includes an overnight train ride and, well, did I mention it was to Sicily? Yep, I'm going to Sicily and the Amalfi Coast. P.S. for those who know Mrs. Clark-Brown and have enjoyed her multitude of lessons about Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius, the trip to Amalfi Coast includes Capri and Pompeii, so I will be seeing my sophomore and senior years of high school latin class in action. I have no complaints. Edith Hamilton and your mythology - I'm gonna have one up on you.

18 days.

Waiting...waiting...waiting...

2006-08-04T18:06:00.001-07:00

I have hit this point in my adventure preparation I like to call the waiting period. I'm done with the major forms of preparation, and now I just have to wait. Wait. Wait. I'm a little sick of that. Honestly, it's beginning to make me nervous. This sort of nervous was one of the things for which I hadn't really prepared.

And the goodbyes have already begun, which is another thing to which I failed to give necessary consideration. My sister is coming in town this weekend, and when I say goodbye to her, it's goodbye until December. That's over four months between goodbye and hello. I am going to miss her a lot.

(Sigh)

Along with the goodbyes and the waiting period, there is the last minute decision making. I hate making decisions like this. Field trips. Should I go on the Tuscan Wine Tour or to the Amalfi Coast? Or should I go to Sicily with FUA or on my own? Who knows? But I probably should have decided that...yesterday.

24 days.

One month

2006-07-28T21:06:00.000-07:00

one month.

check out my map

2006-07-24T12:49:00.001-07:00

I purchased the coolest map of Florence at Borders this weekend. It's a map, but yet it is so much more. Not only does it tell you street names, it shows you stores and restaurants and hotels and such that are on those streets. I think you just need to see it, and buy one for yourself (both of which you can do by clicking here. The map I bought is the one on the far left, except it's of Florence, not San Francisco). Enjoy!
Also, I once had a dream to buy a hat in a hat box from a quaint little European boutique. I think I will do this too while I am there. I mean, why not?

Blackstone Merlot and Bongo Java Coffee

2006-07-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

So...
In the last two days I had my first glass of wine and my first cup of coffee. The former was good, though I only had half a serving, which in terms of wine isn't very much.
The second first was positively revolting. I made it about a quarter of the way through the cup of coffee and thought I was going to be sick. The worst part was that even after eating Qdoba, the taste was still in my mouth. Yuck. I guess my dream of sitting in a piazza drinking an espresso and watching Italian people while reading the Italian newspaper is looking grimmer by the minute. Perhaps I shall change the dream to drinking a cappucino, but still, I just don't know. I suppose I shall just wait until I get there and find out what they serve at these cafes of theirs (which by the way are called il bar).
Addition to the MUST DO list: drink Chianti in Chianti.

49 days.

Lost in the Stumble, Stuck in the States

2006-07-05T15:26:00.000-07:00

In a little less than two months I will embark on my first real international adventure. As the days draw nearer they seem to be picking up speed, and I can't seem to determine if I am scared out of my mind or simply excited beyond belief. I keep reading the travel books I have and have begun a journal to keep up with all the things I need to do before I leave, all the things I can't forget to pack, and all the things I must do while I am there. Each time I flip to a page and see one more thing I MUST do. There are so many, I fear three and a half months won't be enough time. Crazy, I say, crazy.
Things that have made the MUST DO LIST so far are bike Lucca, hike the Cinque Terre, and visit the Santa Croce, which is very near the school I will be attending and contains the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli.
I have also convinced myself I must go to Greece for a weekend, but it's looking a little expensive, and I have to keep reminding myself to focus on Italy, though how cool would it be to not only go to Rome and study Romans but to also go to Corinth and read Corinthians. -Pretty sure I should do that someday-
Besides all the places I have to visit and the cathedrals and museums I must see, I am thrilled about the photos I will have the opportunity to take. I received the go ahead a day or so ago to use the photo labs at FUA while I am there even though I won't be enrolled in a photo class. I had almost accepted my unfortunate fate when Cosimo (yes, someone named Cosimo) sent me an e-mail telling me they will allow me to use the black and white photo lab.

Anxiety. Excitement. Sheer joy. Utter terror. 54 days.