A Camera and a Book

I set out today after taking some time to shower to find a park. I invited my friend Khai along, I figured I could walk along and get some pictures done before sitting on some nice grass to read a book. What we ended up finding was an amazing park, a bit unkempt for Rome, which of course I loved. Ok, the first two are from a different time, oops.

Oh yes, I can upload the video (sorry dad, I'm just so confused)

Sometimes I find funny things

So for those of you who don't know, my computer hates me, therefore I am borrowing my dad's comp for the semester. So sometimes I discover pictures (lots of fish of course) sometimes I find things that make me laugh... like the 2 videos I found today. The video consists of fish swimming around in a large fish tank, with the camera following it. It was in an eerie glow, and for awhile I couldn't even figure out what it was. But then behold! The fish swam up to the top of the water (now audience it's your time to oooooooh aaaaaaaaah). It reminds me of the plastic bag scene from american beauty. Were you trying to be artsy dad? We're you? Sorry if this was some childhood pet that is deeply upsetting and I ended up offending you greatly about (some version of Heidy?).

Food Coma

I don't have much time because I still have to do a fair amount of reading and prepare a slide for tmrw, but I think I haven't really been telling y'all what I've been up to. So recently what has been going on and consuming all of everyones' time is the begining of the project that we will be workin on for the rest of the semester. So as I've already said I really like our group (even if other ppl are trying to show us up). We've been spending a fair amount of time looking at the area, it isn't anything particularly amazing, but it's not so horrible either. Yesterday we went to see what it was like at night (dead by the way) and ended up in somme store for little kids buying toy type thiings (including a fairy princess wand for a friend). So yeah, that's that.

In other news my weekends have been filling up very fast. This weekend is my birthday weekend and Marla is coming to visit YAY! The next weekend is a field trip, after that I was planning on taking a trip to Brussels/Amsterdam but it doesn't look like that will be happening. Upon looking at my schedule i realized btw field trips and visits I don't have much time, so I might go and visit David in Geneva this weekend (for those of you who don't recognize these names they're home friends). So Emily will be coming the weekend after that, then there is a long trip then spring break. So yay for friends!!

So most of my friends are talking about how they could stay in Rome forever, but I'm not one of those ppl. Maybe I've just gotten so used to moving around so much that I can no longer stay in one place, or maybe it's the lack of green near me, or ALL the monuments, or being w/ the same ppl all the time and not having other outlets... but yeah sometimes I get antsy. I've also realized that I've been here 3 weeks and I want to get out more. Part of it is that I am in class all the time, or on field trips but yeah I'm going to be better from here on out, exploring farther (although I've already seen lots through differnt classes) I think I need a hobby.

The other thing that has been going on and is a happy thing to report is that I am teaching myself to cook (or at least follow recipes. Today I made crepes, w/ brocoli, onions, artichoke hearts, peppers, and tomatos w/ a cheese sauce (and bananas and nutella for desert) well Caitlin really made the crepes, but hey, I mixed the batter? I also made a very good vegetarian lasanga the other day. There is hope left for me!

Just A Reminder

I know I haven't been blogging much, I've been really busy. I just wanted to remind everyone to check out my pictures on flickr.com (username romansdo) those have been updated fairly frequently because I have been taking lots of pictures for class, oh and don't forget 4 more days until my birthday (I'm turning 21 for those of you who can't remember)

Friday time is heeere... lots of (what's that lyric anyway) and cheer?

Well Friday is finally here... YAY!!!! What will we do to celebrate? Same thing we ALWAYS do, work, work, and more work. I got a chance to sleep in for a bit but then it was over to the palazzo for some ever so fantastic art history reading, hooray, house churches and dismembering dead people because it's holy! After that we had a lecture from someone at the embassy which reminded me a bit of all the sex ed classes that you always hear about in the movies (don't have sex because you will get STDs, and DIE!!) except it was more along the lines of "these are real stories of people who drank too much and are paralyzed, or DEAD" I know it's sad but just the way of presenting... I get a little frustrated with all that because honestly, don't be stupid... it's the same lecture that they give when they're doing college tours "the neighborhood is fine, but walk w/ someone..." Luckily I got to leave a bit early becuase we had an evening art history class. We trecked all over going to an escavation and to the national museum, both were really cool but by the time we got to the museum we were all exausted, I would like to go back sometime though. Then I came home and had Shabbat dinner with 2 other cornell ppl and a girl my friend met from dartmouth... the night finished off with watching pan's labarynth. Tomorrow we have a field trip to hadrian's villa so i really should sleep... i also have to take 40 pictures before tues... and go visit my neighborhood, oh yes I forgot to mention! Yesterday we picked our groups (well kind of picked they asked for skills then we seperated into different groups trying to put dif ppl w/ dif skills in them) we will be working w/ the same groups for the rest of the semester, luckily I have an amazing group which i am really happy with. That's all for tonight, I believe it's time for me to go to bed now.

People say the funniest (stupidest) things

Today was the longest day we had in Rome... woke up early to discuss our presentation, listened to 6 other presentations each consisting of 3 parts then finally it was onto ours. Now those who know me know that I do not like to present infront of people, I also talk fast, and when I think people don't care I talk even faster. Anyway we describe our different neighborhoods including the Jewish ghetto. Well anyway our 3 groups go, someone asks a question of the artists, then this girl raises her hand. So the professor calls on her and some stream of words consisting something of "well I'm Jewish, and I think that you have to consider that, and I think that you have to realize that the Synogogue is a place to visit blah blah blah blah blah."... .... .... YEAH............. So needless to say I was a bit caught off guard, because, well, I didn't understand what she was saying, and I set out to try to answer her question "well I'm Jewish too, and I went to the Synogogue for religious reasons, something something, does that answer your question" "well... no, I'm sorry I forget your name (points to my friend/group project partner Caitlin)" "Caitlin" "yeah... I just don't understand why you said that the synogogue isn't a place worth going" Caitlin: "I must have mispoken (she didn't) I'm sorry, what I meant to say is that it is a cultural boundry." So then the conversation switched. Meanwhile there are people in the class (specifically planners) who are pretty close to outright laughing at this. Anyway just a strange interaction of the day that I thought I would share.