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A revelation just hit me: I've met quite a fair share of celebrities in my 21 years on Earth ('met' in the loosest sense of the word). If you don't know me, I may try to hide the fact that any disgustingly gossipy piece of information about the entertainment industry will most likely be regurgitated by yours truly. It'll take a full-blown panicked all-nighter to memorize a pile of notecards about the entire history of communication in the modern world. But hand me an issue of People magazine and I can quote it verbatim cover to cover one week later. Yes, this is as useless as it sounds. I would much rather be able to beat your arse (isn't British slang so much more fun?) at Halo but there's the small matter of never having owned a game console.For kicks and giggles, I'm jotting down who I've met or seen and would die if I was ever in the same room.*Met (as in actually spoke to):- Orlando Bloom - as evidenced by my photo above (yes, I was thisclose). Please excuse his 'stache. It was for his debut on London's broadway stage in the summer of 2007 for In Celebration. What a skinny skinny man, my entire high school career was spent pining over his lovely fair Elvin self in LOTR and once presented with the real deal, all I wanted to do was sit him down for a big steak dinner. EAT! Supermodel girlfriends be damned.
- Gavin DeGraw - lovely winning smile that just lights up his boyish face. The man of many hats which in turn made me quite giddy when he complimented mine. And signed it with a flourish which alas has faded over the years. Might have snuck in an extended hug. =)
- Janelle Monae - at Bumbershoot 2009, she walked in right next to me in a sharp white suit and her hair flung into her trademark pompadour. My brilliant witty self said "hi, you're Janelle Monae" (you know, in case she might have forgotten). She beamed, called me 'sweetheart' and asked if I'll come see her show. Um. YES. She's got vocal cords! And paints on stage! And throws said painting into crowds! That's 10 cool points.
- Tyler Hilton - sheepish to say that I attended the One Tree Hill concert tour, I've seen maybe 5 minutes of that show and it's premise is soapier than a bathtub full of bubbles. But he's adorable & made a killer Elvis in Walk the Line.
- Sean Patrick Thomas -remember that dude who taught Julia Stiles what was up in Save the Last Dance? Came into my studio for an interview promoting his stint as Othello in a local theater. Totally star-struck and promptly put foot in mouth.
- Tristan Prettyman - not mainstream but a fab. singer who once held the title of "Jason Mraz's girlfriend."
- Missy Higgins - why is she not popular yet? Why? She rocks the piano and has cute short hair, all the elements of a star! (okay, maybe not all).
- Mae - Wikipedia tells me their name stands for "Multi-sensory Aesthetic Experience." Um, if you insist. I have no idea who I met and their members keep rotating but perfectly nice gents.
*Seen (in real breathing flesh, concerts aside):
- Will Smith/Rosario Dawson - yes, that photo on the right was also taken by moi. I was just dilly dallying by the Spanish Steps in Rome with a classmate when we saw a hoard of paparazzo. We flipped our hair and stuck up our noses dismissing it for Italian reality stars that we've probably never heard of. Until I caught a glimpse of the Fresh Prince himself. The world stopped and I snapped a few pics one step down from them. Promoting 'Seven Pounds,' and the encounter wasn't terribly interesting.
- Kelly Osbourne - Played Mama Morton in Chicago in London. Nothing to complain about but the movie > play.
- One of them Madden brothers - He had a lot of tattoos and I thought he was addled in the brain for trying to crowd-surf in a room full of teenagers. Shoved right past me, harrumph.
I'm bored now and I'm sure your eyes glazed over somewhere around Gavin DeGraw. It's all gravy. I'd trade all of them for James MacAvoy, Edward Norton and Jensen Ackles (look him up). My blog needs a facelift, botox and tummy tucks i.e. new fresh template, wittier commentary and followers who didn't stop reading back in April. In the words of Tim Gunn: "make it work!"
Taking a break from studying to be stupid and make things completely up:
(Some adapted from hilarious comments on the Seattle Times article about a WA outbreak)
1. You become OCD: must wash hands, must wash hands, must wash hands
2. You have an unspeakable urge to roll around in the mud to "cool down"
3. A little sneeze or a polite cough causes a minor evacuation around your perimeter
4. Suddenly, you have no desire for bacon, pork, ham ... even bacon salt. I mean, that's carnivorous right?
5. If you have symptoms and board an airplane, does that mean swine can fly?
6. Pink is now your favorite color
7. You decide to change your name to Wilbur or Piglet.
8. AND your bff's are a spider named Charlotte/a bear who has a dangerous attachment to honey.
I'm trying to make light of the situation. Pandemics and wild global panic are not my cuppa tea. =(
Attention! The tone of this blog is about to have a "face"lift (har dee har har). Since I'm back in the good old rainy dreary city of endless coffee, it's not much of a travel blog anymore. Albeit my life in Seattle isn't as action-packed or stimulating as Europa, this will be a place to broadcast my thoughts on pretty much anything and everything. So one day, I might be ranting about a ridiculous new fashion trend (a MC Hammerpants revival people? Really?) or a restaurant that have tantalized my tastebuds recently or simple blurbs about the current going-ons about my hectic life. Take Exhibit A in the upper right-hand corner - it was inspired by horoscope pages in a womans magazine a few years back. Sketching, drawing and really amateur fashion design has been my passion since I began filling up school notebooks with more doodles than actual notes. When I see the current sad state of my sketchbook, I'm disappointed in myself for abandoning it. To be honest, I can sew a small tear in a shirt and that's about it. Maybe after graduation (with all the spare time I'll have from being jobless I'm sure), I'll take sewing classes and get right back into the groove. And be a walking brand of my own mad designs. Who knows eh? I'll try to be more update-savvy with blogging, it's one of more enjoyable outlets of writing
nowadays.
And I'm determined to make sure 99.9% of the photos on this blog will have been taken by me. Because I'm egotistical? Nay. Since I'm really delving into bonding with my camera and want to share the results with you.
It's going to be a weird transition to go from strolling past the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain while stumbling on cobblestones and fighting hoards of tourists to walking back along the Ave at U.W. in less than 2 weeks. My apartment is all cleaned out (only damage: a broken lamp, not our fault!) and its time to say ciao to our quaint stone floors/hanging laundry outside to dry/eating gelato twice in one day right back into the stream of Seattle life. Bright and early tomorrow morning, I'm hopping on a train through Pompeii and a ferry to Corfu, a day on the Amalfi Coast, Athens and Santorini, back to Rome and then homeward bound I go! I've lost track of time, learned embarassing little Italian (I try, I try but I'm much better at remembering food names, very essential that). Maybe I'll even miss the ridiculously pushy peddlers who hawk everything from roses to bubble guns ... or maybe not. My camera is exhausted from photo overload but Europe, its not a one time thing, I'm leaving with the mindset that this is just a taste of the multitude of return trips that lie ahead. No "this is the last time" thoughts here, no negative Faithy! On another random tangent: I realized the extent of technology when I could participate in a conference call with 3 people in Seattle via Skype while I sat in my school building in Rome. Times, they are a'changin'!
No, I didn't get to try Absolut Vodka although Stockholm is its birthplace! That and H & M, the gigantic clothing empire. The plane ride was straight out of a movie complete with rocket ship take-offs that about rearranged my inner organs and a landing that made my life flash before my eyes. Ryanair ... the things I put up with to fly for cheap. The best food I've had during this trip tend to be outside of Rome (sorry kids for bursting that bubble of amazing Italian food being in Rome - maybe I just can't afford the good stuff). And oh yessss, I had thai and sushi, in Sweden to boot! Typical me. I was going through withdrawals. The Swedish meatballs pictured above were pretty decent with lindonberries and pickled things. And an epic vegetarian buffet spread at a restaurant by the water - almost made me want to convert from my carnivorous ways ... almost. Weather? Snow, snow, ice and more snow but not too bad - mostly light & pretty flakes drifting down. There was even a make-shift ice rink where my friends and I slipped/slid like we were 6. These Russian looking children (I swear they weren't Swedish) were dancing around a Maypole with colorful costumes on (it's not May or spring!) and selling little hotcakes and doughnuts that they fried right before your eyes. Do you see a pattern here? Apparently, I remember all my travels by the food I eat there. haha. The Swedes speak perfect English putting my bilingualness to shame and it's a really modern city complete with, get this, 7-11's, McDonalds and the fanciest Pizza Hut I've ever seen. (I peered through the window like a creeper). Kroners though, can't handle that type of currency, I was madly dividing every price by 10 to try to figure it out. I'd love to go back for more than a day and visit the rest of Scandanavia!
Venezia blew away my (semi-low) expectations like the confetti that clogged the pavements. I have no idea what I was thinking but for some reason, I thought the canals would be flooded and everything would be falling down and still over-priced. I was right about the latter but the buildings were in a beautiful state of decay. The city really is trying to renovate and keep things the way they are, this is the place that explodes in color and costumes during Carnevale and is mentioned in Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice." I rode a water bus for the first time (twice for free, shhh) - took over 300 photos like the one to the left making me feel quite artsy, at least for the weekend. The costumes were magnificent and insanely creative from ones that you might see on Halloween to towering courtesans with feathers, sparkles and more. I swear every costumed person was 7 feet tall or maybe I just felt like an ant in comparison to their bright, shiny greatness. haha. Murano glass is everywhere but the prices vary widly from place to place, artisans can shape a perfect fiery red glass horse in five minutes flat. As for the night life? It was basically a gigantic street party with people stuffed on the Rialto Bridge, streaming out of piazzas and identities masked and hidden everywhere. A sampling of what I saw: a crowd of crayons, Groucho Marx, vampires, pirates, stormtroopers, cross-dressers and cupids. I never wanted to leave, I was part of the congestion making it difficult to maneuver around but I didn't get to see half the things I wanted to see! In the end, the glittery black and gold mask I purchased will hang on the wall along with all my memories ~
Gah, I told you I was horrible at blog writing! Once a week is unacceptable but you should see my journal (on second thought ... don't) - there are entries weeks apart. *shamed face*
I went on a volunteer program called the "Weed & Read," yesterday at the Protestant Cemetery. And yes, there's only one of those, basically where most non-Catholics who die in Rome are buried. Don't think they're banished or anything though, the grounds are lush with trees and flowers and very well kept. Some of us students just came armed with brooms, rakes and gloves to put some sweat back into the Earth and help maintain graves where family members may no longer be around to upkeep them. Photo on the right are wilting pink flowers at the foot of the famous author, Percy Shelley's grave but the title of this blog is from a poem by John Keats, also buried in this cemetery.
Plus, just came back from Tivoli, this sprawling landscape of a town that would be any gardener's dream. A cardinal built his summer house there but "house" doesn't cut it - there are over 200 fountains in the backyard alone! And one even has an organ installed, it's beautiful and serene enough to want to throw an extravagant wedding in the height of springtime. Fountains gushing, birds chirping and the rustling of wind, pretty romantic I must say. But now it is time for a nap and then on to making some sort of dessert for my program's Valentine's Day "Festa d'Amore."I'll probably be in a chocolate coma soon.
A quartet of us girls decided to take it upon ourselves to troop to these hot springs we've heard of. 2 hours on the train, trudging in the downpour and a bus later ... we saw the vapors rising from lonely green pastures. Viterbo delivered.4 tranquil blue pools lie in the middle of nowhere in the Italian countryside with fragments of ancient ruins nearby. A muddy area functions as a makeshift parking lot for the locals who drive by and languidly spend their entire days here. I decided to forgo the Terme de Papi nearby (Terme = "thermal baths" in Italian) since it cost 18 euros to get in but they do have a 2,000 square meter pool - so epic! And I'm too lazy to convert those meters to feet. The outdoor pools we found were free, free, free and being fed by a natural source trickling right into the shallows of water.Most of the bathers were older folk and yes, speedos are apparently still in fashion, not that I wanted to know. The sky was gray and stormy with a few streams of sunlight, the water sulphorous but deliciously soothing and the girls and I practically had an entire pool to ourselves. The day ended once our fingers resembled raisins and we shot out of the pools rounding the corner of a limestone wall to change back into civilian clothing. I don't think I've had a photo of me only in a bathing suit since I was 15 (for good reason). But what the hey! We even had to bust out umbrellas at one point as the skies opened up and let loose a smattering of droplets, it was simply glorious.
I know next to nothing about sports but futbol a.k.a. soccer? You get the ball into one goal or another and the players aren't too bad to look at if I do say so myself. The entire world over sans the U.S. breathes and sweats futbol, 24/7 from one season to the next.
With a group of 5 other hearty girls, we trudged for 3 hours to multiple stores to try and get our hands on some prized tickets to the Lazio vs. AC Milan game on Feb 1st. After waiting in a giant, swelling crowd (in the rain!), I managed to wiggle through to the front and score 6 of them for row 18 - not bad at all! And being short obviously has its advantages. I don't know how sports fans do it, everything takes so much energy and I applaud you for it.
Sue me for sporting a Beckham jersey but he's pretty much the only player I knew. He's on loan to AC Milan till the end of March and if you ignore his terribly high-pitched voice that completely clashes with his toned physique -- he's a decent player and not just a pretty face. Albeit, I did sit on the Lazio side of the stadium prompting several avid fans to shoot me evil eyes at my red/black stripes. But too bad! We won 3:0 and I got great action shots all the way through! The Manchester United game is the next big 'un and the cheapest seats are 100 euros O_o. I like how I did this instead of going to go see the Superbowl at the Hard Rock Cafe, haha.
It's been crashing and pouring rain in Rome for the past few days (I think it was the tail-end of a raging cyclone that's hit Europe) but today was crisp, clear and sunnnnnny. What else is there to do but embrace the tourist within and rent bikes in the Villa Borghese Gardens?
Not quite on the grand scale of Central Park but the gardens are a welcome change from all the rough and tumble cobblestones of Rome. It's also probably the only place where you see people exercising outside, people stare at you all funny if you try and do a morning jog weaving between alleyways and vespas. *cough* At least I've heard they do, if you think I've been doing anything to fight this Italian carb fest, you'd be sadly mistaken. The IMA is a distant memory as far as I'm concerned.
Only one steering wheel really works so the extra is just a toy and dang, it was harder to control than the motorized go-karts in Barcelona! I'm whipping out dresses as soon as the sun stops playing hard to get again, haha.
I hopped on an Eurostar train bound for chilly Florence for the weekend with my giant 32 person group. (I swear I will never travel in herds, packs, flocks or gaggles ever again - it's an absolute nightmare). Daylight hours were a blast but nightlife? There could not be more drama and we all know how much Faith loathes drama - I don't roll that way. I got chewed out by my professor for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. You don't want to see an angry South African man in all his fury at 3 a.m. YikesThe sepia washed photo is from inside the Duomo or Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence (a.k.a. Firenze, the origin of the name of which I still need to wikipedia). I huffed and I puffed all 463 steps up to the top of the dome overlooking the soft fog that nestled all over Florence. Stairs were killer but absolutely worth it for the bomb diggity view. The only export is leather, I swear. I could smell cow hide in every twist and turn down alleys and every shop window flaunted rows upon rows of leathaaaa purses, jackets and wallets. But where else would you want leather than Italy?? So yes, I now have a rockin' leather jacket but from Rome. I like to think it makes me look tougher than I really am - gotta make up for my being vertically challenged! Mwah
"We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around. When yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen."
From Reverend Joseph Lowery's Inaugural Benediction January 2009
I thought I would miss Seattle coffee and I do to some extent but the comparison is difficult to make. It's a completely different culture - Italians do everything slow and leisurely, except when it comes to drinking espresso. They're in and out of the cafe (or bar as they call it) in 90 seconds, giving you whiplash. No studying and savoring your drink for over an hour but its so fun to watch how cafes operate. I usually despise hot drinks (what's the point? they get cold so quickly) but I've adapted here, yum yum. Espressos are in wee little cups and customers drink it first and then down an entire cup of hot water afterwards. A touch odd and I haven't tried it yet but sign me up! Not to mention a cappuccino is usually under a Euro, making Starbucks sound extravagantly priced. I haven't seen a single store here and good riddance, despite having a McDonald's, I have a feeling the Italians would never go for setting up a Starbucks and threatening the local little cafes. The photo is of this AMAZING hot chocolate but it'll have to do! And yes, Barcelona was one of the best weekends of my life. Nightclubs on the beach, flaming drinks, nights filled with salsa dancing and the fun all beginning only after midnight. Goodness and I thought NYC was the city that never sleeps. P.S. Note to self: Start a journal. I completely forgot to bring mine here and I hate having fragmented diaries (I get bored and start new ones ... because they're pretty & hard to resist) but I'll just have one specifically for my stay here. Not everything can go into this blog. =)
Photos need to accompany this post so that´ll be a separate entry when I get back to Italy. One night in Barcelona has officially blown away 10 days in Roma. Maybe its because its more metropolitan but the people! the buildings! the things to do! There´s so much to keep my head spinning. And the hostel I´m currently staying in is the first I´ve ever been in but I have a feeling every one I will be at thus after has big shoes to fill. Free internet, neat beds, nutella for breakfast and ... the nightlife is fantastic beyond words.
This guy at my hostel took my entire group and met up with another hostel to hustle us into taxis like a herd of sheep and sent us to a nightclub on a BEACH. Entrance was free for us and these stairs on the boardwalk and first drink was on the house too. It was a swanky place with a 10,000 euro bottle Dom Perignon on the menu O_o and the audience was dressed to the nines. One guy barely got in since he was sporting a sweatshirt and a lot of sharper dressed Spaniards couldn´t get in past the bouncer later. The Mediterranean Sea was crashing waves right in the back porch of the club (Carpe Diem, which means ¨seize the day¨ in Latin). What a way to start a weekend in Barcelona out right.
And today? Drove around a mini motorcycle-go cart hybrid all around the city for 3 hours, getting lost, pulling in the sights and getting stares and waves from everyone who gawped at the bright yellow vehicle and the obvious tourists (moi) within. I must have circled the entire city and am still in shock I could even navigate the roads of a major European city. But it´s time for a ¨siesta¨now, a slang term to take a nap while everyone else takes breaks from work all around.
Baci Baci
Ah Italia, I just started hitting a bit of a slump here. Don't worry, no bringing out the sympathy cards because I know it's just the little things and I have absolutely no real basis to be complaining. It's not quite homesickness but an odd unexplainable feeling of sadness and frustration that just hit me like a punch in the face. The only way I can call people is on Skype and that's only if I have my laptop plugged into one particular spot in my apt, a 25 minute walk from school. It's also been weary dreary rain here for a few days pretty much shutting down any motivation to go and explore. These cobblestones become all these individual seas of muddy rainwater - oi.
Rollercoaster Times- The food is delicious but there's only so much pasta and bread you can consume. I'm craving pho, bubble tea, steak, fries - the list goes on and on. I've actually bought groceries but too lazy to really check if I'm actually saving money that way. I need a little variety to excite my tastebuds!
- I think I almost get hit by a couple of scooters, a bus or tiny little Fiat every single day. The alleys are so narrow and you almost don't see the vehicle coming until your hair whips around you and you're choking on exhaust while clutching the side of the alleyway for dear life.
- There's a little store for everything! One with the mindnumbing wafts of baking bread, a store with displays of every meat available etc. It's nice since you can get the best of the best at speciality shops but that also means no more one stop shopping a la Safeway.
- Siesta - The Italians aren't too keen on working overtime and completely scoff at one of the golden rules of U.S. retail: "the customer is always right." Almost all the places shut down for two hours in the middle of the day for lunch and who knows what else. Course I end up slinking away from the barred gates with a sad face half the time because I plumb forget they close.
- Oh, and even policemen check you out. Well if you're of the female variety that is. There must be three different precincts of cops around here from government sancitoned to local ones and something akin to the FBI/CIA. Not a lot of suits walking around, just uniformed officials - v. weird to get used to.
- And only in Rome (right next to the Vatican City) are there shops where you can buy the garb that nuns, popes and cardinals wear. Early Halloween costumes anyone?
xoxo, FAITH
Yesterday was certainly eventful ... wine isn't very fun to drink quickly and red wine is practically running through my veins at this point since its the only other thing to drink! I carry a water bottle with me everywhere (thank you SIGG!) and fill it up at public fountains (no, not the actual fountains with statues and the like) since they charge for water at every restaurant. Redonk.
I sat on the Spanish Steps that were flooded with sunlight and soaked in the views, chatter and read a bit. It was utterly relaxing not to mention there is certainly some nice eye candy around those parts. ^_~
And bumping into Will Smith there wasn't so bad either!! Some of these outfits I see are wacko. I saw a couple and the woman strutted her stuff in snakeskin pants and platform shoes thrown back to the Spice Girls era and the guy was decked out in a white tuxedo in the middle of the day. V. Italian.
The array of cones above are at an elaborate gelato place near the Spanish Steps where they put everything from umbrellas to cookie straws in your cone - adorable!
Funny Story of the Day: Faith tripped down part of the Spanish Steps in front of a 1000 tourists, typical.
Much Love!
These are the two bedrooms that two other girls and I are sharing. There's kitschy little throw pillows and blankets everywhere with patterns that completely clash -- and I love it! Random artwork scatters the walls and the rustic tile floor is toasty warm at random times. And oh yes, somehow, they gave me the big double bed in the photo to the right. All the better to flay out my arms and legs at night. =)
Gelato of the Day: San Crispino's Vanilla Creme with Honey ~ The best thus far! Its been rated by the NY Times and is located right by the Fontaine de Trevi, which is 2 min. away from my apt. And although I feel lame for liking something that's already been voted the best gelato in all of Rome, who cares?! It's heavennnn.
Funny Story of the Day a.k.a. Faith's Miscommunication Tales: I wanted to find Bulmer's Irish Hard Cider which I've craved since London last year and I swear I spotted it in a store. So I asked the shopkeeper if they carried it and he goes "B?" like "Bee"? and proceeds to flap his arms like a buzzing bee. So I go "Yes! That's it, it starts with a "B". He gets very very excited and I follow him to an aisle where he proudly presents me with ... a jar of honey. Oops. So my next mission is to track down that cider!
Baci ~ (It means "kisses")
Praise the Lord!
Roma is absolutely, breathtaking, jaw-dropping amazing. I've barely taken out my camera in fear that I'll never put it away. The plane ordeal was a drop in a bucket once I landed, my apartment is ridiculously cutesy and quaint. It oozes Italian in every nook and cranny. These folks don't believe in dryers so we have to hang up all our clothes in the apt. I'm sure its adorable in the summer when everyone hangs it outside in the wind, just like in des films. Everything is furnished down to pale shell pink plates to rockin' gramma-style crocheted blankets. I shall post some photos of it when I can to spice up this blog.
Other than that, I tried Nutella gelato and yes, I will tell you what flavor gelato I tried in every blog post, much like the word of the day. This can be educational too dear ones! The word of the day is: "Dove" (the e has an accent on it), pronounced "dohv-ay" which means "where is." That was a life saving phrase if I ever heard one, I went all around Rome at 8 pm navigating narrow alleyways with half my luggage trying to find my school twittering "dove Campo d'Fiori?". People here are extremely sweet though. =) And I'm off to do some errands like get me a spiffy Italian cell to use in case I get myself into all sorts of ruts!
Till next time, buongiorno
I lied.I'm in Heathrow Airport in London and my freaking gate number hasnt been announced 45 minutes before departure!! I'm going to tear my hair out, plus I spent 6 dollars to go on the internet for 50 minutes and I'm damn well going to use it even if it means running to my plane.This is a no good, very bad, horrible start. But I am calm. Cool. Collected. Breathe in, breathe out. British keyboards are all kinds of messed up, it took me a minute to find the @ button. I still have time left on here and do you know what I'm gonna do? Be the nicest person ever and let someone use the rest of my minutes since now I must dash to my plane. Gosh, pat myself on the back. haha. Cheers folks, I'm gonna need all the good wishes I can get!
Don't get too excited now, I'm still in Seattle - at the Hilton Hotel - wearing the same clothes I donned 24 hours ago. How did I end up in this predicament you say? Why, let me tell you the tale of how Faith found herself in this ball o' fun.
I sat on the runway last night (in the plane, not on the ground, just to clarify, haha) for about 5 hours as they de-iced the wings over and over again as all the passengers' hopes got lifted and shot down faster than you can say "boo bop panda gumdrop." So they shipped us off like cattle (British Airways is accomodating though, I must say) to the nearby Hilton for the night as our flight was re-scheduled. So it looks like I have free miniature toiletries and will be arriving in Rome 24 hours late. Now how's that for an entrance eh?
So I'm gonna go cash in my free lunch voucher here and then play 6 hours of Gameboy at the terminal yet again, gosh, its like deja vu!
If my next blog isn't from Italy ... there will be hell to pay!
Argh! I. am. completely. unprepared. Do you think its possible to cram enough Italian phrases worthy of a beginner with one looooong plane ride and 8 hour layover? Ha, I scoff at my silliness. And my baggage is way over 50 pounds but it's not like I can dump out essentials that I need! Plus I still don't have internet, hence, I type away furiously during my 30 minute online session courtesy of the local library. I hear Italian opera playing in the behind me in the book stacks, it must be a sign. A sign that ... I must visit Pavarotti's grave? Ok, I'm nixing signs. Almost blogging from Rome but not quite, till next week my dears! Ciao ciao.
A revelation just hit me: I've met quite a fair share of celebrities in my 21 years on Earth ('met' in the loosest sense of the word). If you don't know me, I may try to hide the fact that any disgustingly gossipy piece of information about the entertainment industry will most likely be regurgitated by yours truly. It'll take a full-blown panicked all-nighter to memorize a pile of notecards about the entire history of communication in the modern world. But hand me an issue of People magazine and I can quote it verbatim cover to cover one week later. Yes, this is as useless as it sounds. I would much rather be able to beat your arse (isn't British slang so much more fun?) at Halo but there's the small matter of never having owned a game console.
