Jennifer Aniston

Life on Strike

Graduation

I just submitted my application for graduation. Finally the end getting close. I have so many plans for my life after I graduate.

I have sacrificed too many things during school and now I'm going to get back to them full speed.

1. Increase my time in the ministry each month.
2. Hopefully, volunteer for the Circuit Assembly Hall Construction Project. (I'm submitting my application this weekend)
3. Increase my personal bible study program (i.e. read the yearbook and other recent publications).

I'll keep you posted.

Lost Season 4 Trailer

The places in your heart

There are times in your life when you have to stop and take stock of your life and the people in your life. I have been fortunate enough to have gained a really good friend in the past year and last night, I really got to see the depth of that friendship.

I think that each person we meet fills a particular space in our hearts. When you have a lot in your life, your heart can be pretty full. My heart isn't completely full yet. I'm still waiting for the great love of my life. But there is a lot of love in my life.

These will make you cringe

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From You Tube -

Kim Fields and Lisa Welchel

American Popular Culture

I've been going over my notes for my American Popular Culture final on Monday. I've feel woefully unprepared for this final, mostly because we haven't had an exam in this class, so I'm not sure about his testing style. Also, my nose decided that it was going to sneeze all day to the point of giving me a massive headache. Who knows what that's all about.

I'm going to do some more reading. I have 5 textbooks to go through.

Pray for me.

The Golden Compass

Before you go see the "Golden Compass", make sure you do some research on the story line and themes. I've read some disturbing things about the movie and books. This seems like another case of an author promoting athestic or anti-religious themes and framing them in children's story to make it seem ok.

Some people say that it's good to have a story for "free thinking" children who don't believe in God. But my concern is for the children who do believe in God and who will be influenced negatively by this movie. Or worse yet, those children who are confused and need some positive guidance in learning about God.


Read more at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,305487,00.html and http://www.vh1.com/movies/news/articles/1573421/story.jhtml and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Dark_Materials:_The_Golden_Compass

How did I get here

I was driving home from class tonight and I had this strange feeling come over me. I don't remember how I got to be 34 years old. I remember when 34 seemed so old to me and now, here I am.

I feel like it's so important to spend each moment in a purposeful way. I don't want to look back at my life in 30 years and feel like my life has been for nothing. I'm at a pivotal stage in my life and I want it to have meaning and purpose. The next few months will see definite changes in my life. I want those changes to make a difference.

It could be just me

A friend of mine reminded me of a statement I made a couple of years ago. I said that asparagus is a vegatable of white people. I only said it because I've never seen it at any black person's house that I know. It was inappropriate, but in reality, I didn't know any black people who eat asparagus.

So for the past few years, she's been trying to convince me that I'm wrong by informally polling black people to see if they like asparagus. I'm going to say this once and only once:

I may have been mistaken about the asparagus thing. Perhaps I judged asparagus too hastily instead of giving it a chance. This doesn't mean I'm going to eat asparagus any time soon, but I won't speak against it either.

The Foreigner

I saw the Foreigner tonight at the Black Box Theatre. As always, I loved it.

- From the Dramatists Play Service

THE STORY: The scene is a fishing lodge in rural Georgia often visited by "Froggy" LeSeuer, a British demolition expert who occasionally runs training sessions at a nearby army base. This time "Froggy" has brought along a friend, a pathologically shy young man named Charlie who is overcome with fear at the thought of making conversation with strangers. So "Froggy," before departing, tells all assembled that Charlie is from an exotic foreign country and speaks no English. Once alone the fun really begins, as Charlie overhears more than he should—the evil plans of a sinister, two-faced minister and his redneck associate; the fact that the minister's pretty fiancée is pregnant; and many other damaging revelations made with the thought that Charlie doesn't understand a word being said. That he does fuels the nonstop hilarity of the play and sets up the wildly funny climax in which things go uproariously awry for the "bad guys," and the "good guys" emerge triumphant.

******************************************************************

This play was hilarious. It gives the audience a lot to think about in terms of how we each treat people who are "foreigners". We do and assume some absurd things when we think people don't understand us. The play makes a commentary about people and how they interact, but not in a preachy way, but in a very humorous way.

The Foreigner runs through Decmember 16.
http://www.howardcc.edu/visitors/studentarts/productions

Setting Goals

It’s good to set goals for yourself. I heard it said once that until you put to paper, an unwritten set of goals is merely a wish list. Goals help you focus and see your future self in a positive place in life.

So that’s what I’m going to do. I want to set goals for work, school, and most importantly, I want to set spiritual goals. I’ve been working on those for a while, but haven’t put pen to paper yet. For the month of December, I’m going to make a schedule for the ministry and personal bible reading. Now that I have my new iPod classic, I can take the listen and read the bible almost anywhere. I can even listen to my Watchtower and Awake magazines on my iPod as well. What I want to do is get myself to the point where I’m doing some sort of spiritual study everyday and I don’t want a week to go by without going out into the ministry and having a meaningful share.

Once school is over, which will hopefully be in May 2008, I think that I’ll be able to spend more time doing the things I really want to do. I can’t wait.

A Light at the end of the tunnel

OH JOY OF JOYS!!!

I just registered for Spring classes and got a happy surprise. The "elective" I signed up for is a class I can use for my major. I don't have take CMIS102 or IFSM310. That means that I only need 12 credits to graduate.

A decision

I made a decision. I really want to take a photojournalism class, but I've decided not to take it because I would have to drive to College Park every wednesday during the spring semester. Instead, I've found two seemingly easy courses that I can take instead.

I've been so stressed, as you've probably noticed. The spector of graduation has been looming over me for a while. Everyone is telling me that I can do it, but no one has practical suggestions. "Just hang in there" is the least helpful thing to hear sometimes.

But this afternoon it came to me: work smarter not harder. If I have to take five classes, I need to find the easiet classes possible. I already know that my social science is going to involve alot of reading, so I'm going to push that one off until the end. But in the mean time, I don't need to make this hard on myself.

So I've narrowed it down to three classes. I have to take the last one for sure. They're all online.


CMST 340 Computer Applications in Management (3)
Prerequisite: CMIS 102, CMIS 102A, CMST 103, or IFSM 201. An overview of computer-based information-system concepts and operations and how these capabilities are applied by management to improve the work processes of business, government, and academic organizations. Topics include management planning at the strategic, tactical, and operational levels necessary to effect continuous improvements. The interchange of electronic information and the application of various computing tools such as spreadsheet programs are introduced. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: CAPP 340, CMIS 350, or CMST 340.

CMST 311 Advanced Electronic Publishing (3)
Prerequisite: CMST 310. A project-oriented study of the advanced concepts and methods of electonic (desktop) publishing. Emphasis in on effective transfer of electronic files to service bureaus and printers. Features essential to multimedia presentations are integrated with techniques for capturing and editing photos to produce business publications. Students learn to publish printed documents on a Web site. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: CAPP 311 or CMST 311.


CMIS 102 Introduction to Problem Solving and Algorithm Design (3)
A study of techniques for finding solutions to problems through structured programming and step-wise refinement. Topics include principles of programming, the logic of constructing a computer program, and the practical aspects of integrating program modules into a cohesive whole. Algorithms are used to demonstrate programming as an approach to problem solving, and basic features of a modern object-oriented language are illustrated. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: CMIS 102, CMIS 102A, or CMSC 101.

Overwhelmed

I need to say something in all seriousness. I cannot keep up the pace the I've been going for the past few weeks. It's wearing me out mentally and physically. i'm not sleeping well and I'm constantly anxious. Today I had to do something that I didn't really want to do; give up being a coach for a student. In some ways, I feel like I'm the one that needs a coach.

Every week, I try to be encouraging to my student, telling her about all her resources and that if she just holds on, she'll make it through. For some reason, I can't accept my own advice about my own situation. It's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when so many things stand in the way. It feels like having a black canvass bag over my head and everyone telling me that I can maneuver my way across a busy intersection. I can't fathom doing it; much less doing it well.

The problem started when I realized that my goal of graduating in May 2008 was unattainable. I'm missing one prerequisite class that will make it so I have to put off graduation until the summer. I want this to be over so badly, that I can taste it. So having that road block completely threw me for a loop.

I was talking to someone the other day about helping students develop alternatives and I realized that I don't always have a plan B. I had my mind focused on attaining a certain goal and now that the goal is out of reach, I'm at a loss.

I have done one thing to let myself be able to handle this better. I have begun giving up some responsibilities at work that were taking away a part of me. It's one thing to be on a committee and find a way to passively exist on the committee. It's a whole other thing to chair the committee or at the very least have an active role that cannot be ignored. I find myself in that situation as we speak. I don't know how to let go. I had to do it today for one committee and it just about broke my heart because I love being a part of it. On the other hand, I have my mental and spiritual health to consider.

So, I'm going to keep plowing through. But if you see me crying in the rain, please come over and give me a hug.

The Funeral

My Grand Idea

webkidjulie (11:07:01 PM): so I had an idea today
suzygee315 (11:07:01 PM): ?
webkidjulie (11:07:49 PM): I want to host convocation one day, kind of like ellen hosted the oscars...except that before we start, I want to do Q & A like Carol Burnett
and in between people speaking, I can do jokes that way, people won't want to kill themselves during convocation. it will be fun
suzygee315 (11:10:11 PM): YAY! SOUNDS VERY COOL!

Driftin' Away - Verse #2

For G.

With all of my heart, I know I disappointed you
And although Im real sorry
I don't know how to save this time
But, if I would lose you
I know I would go completely out of my mind
Im running out of time

And Im so afraid that youve forgiven me one too many times
And Im so afraid to give my heart again just to have a change of mind
And Im not quite sure that you can trust me
And I would hate to have you find me again
like the wind, driftin away

-By Garth Brooks

The demotivating motivator

I woke up Tuesday morning with this very singular and clear thought:
If you hate your job and the people you work with, you should quit.

I think you do yourself a disservice when you try to stay at a job you don't like. There's nothing noble about sticking it out because in the end your sticking it out only serves to hurt you in the long run and the people around you.

If you're sticking around to prove a point, all I can say is that it better be worth it. But if it isn't, move on. Hatred can be like a cancer that eats away at you. If you continually put yourself in situations that fill you with hatred, in the long run, it will kill you either emotionally or physically or both.

So, do yourself a favor, just quit.

Drugs in American Pop Culture

I've finally finished my paper on drugs in popular culture and mass media. After I started doing research, I instantly regretted picking this topic. I know that there is plenty of information on drugs. But I couldn't find what I needed. Eventually, I was able to start writing and ideas started to flow.

I wasn't able to get the paper done on time. I explained to my professor my dilemma and he said that I could turn in tomorrow. Fortunately for me VH1 aired a four hour series called The Drug Years which gave me the information that I had been trying to find all along. It was a huge blessing because I had no idea how I was going to finish my paper.

I don't think my paper is ground breaking in any way. I only scratches the surface of the real drug problem. But then again, it's really not supposed to.

The Breakup

Never underestimate a Tone Ranger:




For your next beer, wine or cocktail party:


This one has people in the background...

My New Store

I found a site that will let you create designs for apparel, books, household items and tons of other things.

I've just started, but there's more to come:

http://www.cafepress.com/jmjdesigns

Coming soon - 2008 Calendars with pictures from Tuscany, Italy

In other news

What a crazy couple of days...

There's still no definitive solution to my shoulder problems. The latest diagnosis is that it's "partially dislocated". So I have to go back to the orthopedists for another exam. I have to go get the films from the radiologist. Also, I had to make an appointment to get an ultrasound on my shoulder and arm. My doctor wants to see if there's anything circulatory going on as well because of the occasional numbness and tingling that I'm experiencing.

*********************************

Also, I had the strangest phone call today. We were looking for an online ticketing solution and we looked at a certain company. We decided, after looking at several companies, on another company. I emailed the sales rep and then she called me to ask why we didn't pick them. I didn't want to get really specific so I told her that we felt that the other company was a better fit.

She didn't take that well, so I had my boss call her. She was rude to him when he called and so that sealed the deal. This phone call took place about two weeks ago, at least. So out of the blue today, she calls me as if it's the first time we talked and said that someone from another college referred me to her. The key to the conversation was that the president of her company insisted that she call me. So she called and had no clue who I was.

I told her that we had talked before and that I had already let her know that we were going with another company. She was insistent that I tell her why and wanted to know what the other company had that she didn't. She was very hostile and condescending. She acted like I was too stupid to know what I was "passing up". So I told her that I'd call her back when my boss came back.

After I got off the phone with her, she sent me an email that was basically marketing spam and she sent it to my personal email address. I replied back and asked her to take my personal email address out of her address book; a reasonable request, I thought. Then my boss came back and left her a message saying that we had decided to go with another company and that she shouldn't call back anymore.

Well the lady must be extremely dense because she actually called back and wanted to know what she had done to offend us. Umm, how about continuing to call when we've already said no... how about not remembering previous conversations... how about answering the phone with "Wait a minute" when we called once before... how about insisting that we go with her even though her product costs more. This woman is out there.

So my boss gave her one more call and he actually spoke to her this time. It was the funniest thing I had ever heard. He spoke loud enough for every one in the office to hear and we were cracking up. He said, "I thought that we made it clear that we weren't going with your product for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the customer service. Apparently, she got super polite after that, but by then the bridge was burned and the support beams complete destroyed.

So she asked if there was anything she could do to get us to use her product and short of it being free, he told her no.

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Here's your You Tube clip of the day:
CITIWIDE CHANGE BANK

Mr. Vicadin

I had to take Vicadin last Friday for my arm and shoulder pain. I fell asleep on the couch watching the Flintstones. I had the weirdest dreams that night.

My first dream was about visiting a friend in Manhattan. Her apt was no bigger than my cubicle and she told me that her rent was over $900/month. It was crazy.

My second dream was about being an extra in the Fall production of the Foreigner at HCC. It was the strangest thing because I don't remember audtioning or even being asked to be in the play. All of the sudden I was in the middle of rehearsals. I couldn't go to the rehearsals on Tuesday and Thursdays because of the book study and Theocratic Ministry School and Service Meeting. I don't know what I ended up doing.

My third dream, the most embarrassing one was when I was in love (and stalking) Gary Coleman. Now mind you, I'm not talking Gary Coleman at the height of Diff'rent Strokes. I'm talking Gary Coleman, security guard. In my dream he was a hair dresser and for some reason I was completely in love with him.

Old Lady

I'm sitting at my desk at work with a bowl of oatmeal, tea, a calcium supplement, fiber supplements, a sling, and advil.

When did I get old?

Short Paper

I have to write a short paper about some concept that spans the different pop culture media of the late 19th and 20th century. I thought about this during class and on the way home and I was thinking about the portrayal of minorities in major media in the past 100 years. I'm not sure how to approach this topic. But I know that I don't want it to become a "there were no black people in movies" paper.

I have tons of research to do. If you have any ideas/suggestions, let me know.

Tiny Little Fractures

TheSueG (2:46:35 PM): how's your arm?
webkidjulie (2:46:45 PM): it doesn't hurt right now..
webkidjulie (2:46:54 PM): but I've been in the sling all day
TheSueG (2:47:10 PM): how long can you keep that on?
webkidjulie (2:47:24 PM): I'll find out how long I'll have to wear it tomorrow morning
TheSueG (2:48:25 PM): are you thinking of moving in to the doctor's office to save all the travel time?
webkidjulie (2:48:38 PM): you're funny, sue
TheSueG (2:48:52 PM): I try


So if you didn't know, I went to the ER on Friday because my shoulder was killing me. After waiting two hours, I found out that I have chip fractures on my shoulder. I have to wear a sling and see the orthopedist. So I go back to see Dr. Yeh tomorrow. He probably thought that he'd never have to see me again.
I'll keep you posted on the shoulder.

When Things Go Wrong, Stay Above the Fault Line

Read an interesting article about the blame game.

Cultural Tip of the Week

Here's your cultural tip of the week. To make sure you don't offend your friendly neighborhood Middle Eastern friend, DON'T EVER, EVER, EVER give him the thumbs up. I was doing some assigned reading for my anthropology and found out that that the thumbs up is the equivalent of the middle finger to many cultures in the Middle East.

Bitter Grapes

The best clip ever:



I didn't get to do this in Italy.

Good Day

I finally got my check...YAY!!! Now I can pay my cellphone bill, which makes me happy and I'm sure AT&T as well. I got a turn-off notice in the mail on Monday and I've been getting phone calls every other day for about two weeks. Today, I made payment arrangements with the nicest lady. She gave me until the end of the month to completely pay off the bill, but as soon as the check clears, that bill is history.

Today, I got re-energized...I found that place of joy in doing my job. I met with a department on some proposed software and they were great. We talked and brain-stormed and it looks like we're going to go with the software. This is the great thing about my job. I wasn't there to shove my thoughts down their throat. I was there to facilitate the move to a new and improved process. My relationship with this department has grown so much in the last year and a half in a positive way. They make me love my job.

Big Girl

I'm going to be brave and sleep in my bed tonight. Everyone has told me that I can't except dust mites...they're every where and despite my worst fears, I'm told that they won't eat me in my sleep. I'm still going to get some mattress covers on Friday. Also, this weekend, I'm going to vacuum everything under the sun.

Last night was my first class at College Park. I felt totally overwhelmed on that campus. It's so huge. But after making a panicked call to Jurea for directions, I was able to make my way to my class - American Pop Culture. This class is going to be interesting, even if it's not what I was expecting. We five books to read, but I think I can keep up with the reading. I more worried about my Anthropology class. That also has five books, but the amount of readig seems to be higher than the other class.

I was putting away my clothes tonight and thought to myself, "I wish they had these textbooks on CD". I do so much better reading when someone else is reading aloud. I don't know why that is... I guess it's a learning style.

American Pop Culture... and Sandy

Tomorrow is my first day of American Pop Culture at UMCP. Check out the map for College Park. You let me know if you can read it. I had to zoom in to 600% to really get an idea of where I'm supposed to go.

As for the class, my instructor left some kooky messages on the webtycho site. They make him sound like he's going to do his best to make the class fun. My idea of the class is watching tv and listening to music for 15 weeks.

On a completely different topic, I've decided that I want to meet Sandra Bullock. Not just because she's the basis for my alter-ego. But also because she's such a great actress. I watched two of her movies back-to-back today...not on purpose, mind you...there just happened to be two Sandra Bullock movies (The Lake House and Hope Floats) on in a row on HBO today. She has such a wide range and she just seems so geniune. Some actors seem to play the same role over and over again. For instance, Matthew Perry, for the most part seems like he's playing Chandler Bing in every movie I've seen him in (except for the Ron Clark Story). Jack Nicholson is another one... he plays a psycho in every movie he's in.

Yet Sandra doesn't. It's a joy to watch her perform mostly because it doesn't feel like a performance. I get the same feeling watching Ashley Judd. I think it's a rare gift to have.

My Wish List

It's Oprah's fault

I watched an episode of Oprah the other day that totally freaked me out.. The topic was about keeping your house clean and the measures that we should take that most of don't know about. Once of the things that they talked about was how often we should vacuum the mattress and change the sheets. They showed dust mites under of a microscope and it freaked me out.

My mom told me that dust mites are everywhere and really you can never totally get rid of dust mites. Still, I've been nervous about getting in my bed. So tonight, I'm sleeping on the couch.

Projects

Talk about writing a check I can't cash... I had the bright idea to start a project that seemed easy enough. But in reality it was more time consuming than I realized. One day I was sitting here minding my own business and a thought popped into my head.

"Why don't we use our calendar service to create a TV guide schedule for HCCTV?"

Oh my goodness... I should've brushed that off as a mere passing whim and kept on going. This project, that I thought would take a few days, has taken me a few weeks to complete. And I'm still nervous that it's not going to be completely correct. Hopefully, it'll be ok and not the complete and total mess that I think it might be.

The Corrs

This is why the Corrs are the greatest Irish folk/rock band. I just love their music because it always lifts my spirit. I wish they would tour in the US.

Much ado about nuthin'

I haven't written much of substance lately. I've had a busy summer and my brain has needed a break from deep thought. Have no fear, though. I'm starting classes this week and I'm sure that I've have something highly intelligent and brainy to say soon enough.

I'm taking an anthropology class and an american pop culture class. It's the first semester that I'm not in class that requires me to make a website (YAY!). As much as I love working on the web, lately, it hasn't interested me as much.

To be honest, working hasn't interested me as much either. Everytime we finish a major project, I feel like I lose a little piece of my desire to work on the web. It used to be fun and now, more and more, it's feeling like job.

I want the fun back.

2007 Follow the Christ District Convention

We're leaving for the "Follow the Christ" District Convention today. This is the first time for me going to Reading for the convention. Thankfully, there are lots of people that we know staying in the same hotel. So there will be some friendly faces.

Going to the convention is a highlight of my year because, for me, it's like getting a spiritual jump start. I always learn something new. The convention also helps me set better spiritual goals for myself.

I've heard from other people that this year's program is the best yet.

Intranet theme song

Our intranet was launched yesterday at work. My department worked really hard on it and we decided that we needed a theme song for the launch. We picked the song below:

50,000 coaches

I watched Akeelah and the Bee last year and in a scene between Akeelah and her mom, Akeelah laments that she can't possibly learn 5000 new words. Akeelah's mom told her that if she just looked around, she'd see that she had 50,000 coaches willing to help her prepare for the spelling bee.

I realized this morning that I have 50,000 coaches too, figuratively speaking. There are so many people who have been encouraging with my weight loss goals. It gets frustrating for me sometimes, but then someone will say something encouraging and it helps me go on.

Sweet Freedom

I finally got the peanut butter double-stuffed oreos out of my house. They've been here since last Tuesday and they've been haunting me. Every time I walked into the kitchen they called me, telling me that one wouldn't be so bad.

I was brave and resisted, but I was glad to get them out of the house this morning. Who knew that you could be traumatized by a bag of cookies?

Role Model

I walked four times this week, 3 miles each. It's a good work out, but I feel like I'm hitting a plateau. Part of it is that I'm not eating quite the way I was before Italy. And mentally I'm not where I was before Italy.

Ever since I started this weight loss program, I've felt pressure not to let people down. Losing weight can never be a personal battle. Everyone can see the results. When they are good, everyone is happy. When the results flatten out, it is mentally taxing - at least it has been for me. I want to do the best that I can because I don't want to let anyone down. But at the same time, there are days when I need this to be my own thing; a journey that I go on inside my own head without discussion or input from anyone else.

It's so hard to keep this going and there are days that I want to give up. The thing is that I need a support system. It's just that some days, it's more than I can take.

I don't want to be a role model today.

Fall Textbook List

ANTH344 - Cultural Anthropology and Linguistics

• Kottak, C.P. and Kottak, C. Cultural Anthropology with Living Anthropology Student CD and PowerWeb, 12th edition McGraw-Hill 0073315095


• Weiner, A.B. The Trobrianders of Papua New Guinea Holt Rinehart and Winston 0030119197


• Spradley and McCurdy ANTH 344: Cultural Anthropology and Linguistics Coursepack: How To Do a Fieldwork Project, UMUC Fall 2004 MBS/UMUC 0006586848


• Ottenheimer, Harriet Joseph Anthropology of Language Thomson Learning 0534594360


• Ottenheimer, Harriet Joseph Anthropology of Language /Workbook reader Thomson Learning 0534594379

HUMN398 American Pop Culture

• Irwin, Conard, Skoble, eds Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh of Homer Carus Publishing 0812694333


• Sklaar, R. Movie-Made America: A Cultural History of American Movies Random House 0679755497


• Altschuler, G. All Shook Up: How Rock n Roll Changed America Oxford University Press 0195177495


• Wright, Bradford Comic Book Nation John Hopkins University Press 0801874505


• Spigel, L.Welcome to the Dream House Duke University Press 0822326965

CMST303 Advanced Software Applications

• Shelly/Cashman PowerPoint Introductory 2003 Course Technology 1418843644


• Shelly/Cashman Hutchinson Modular Package MS Office 2003, 2n ed (Windows XP, Word 2003, Excel 2003, and Access 2003) Course Technology 1418895113

It's a struggle

I've been feeling this obligation to maintain this new life style, not only for my health, but also for the well-being of other people. I find that people are reacting to me as if I am a new person. Maybe I am in some ways. I do feel a little more confident in my newly baggy jeans. I also feel healthier.

But when I have to get up in the morning and go walk 3 miles, that's where the hard work kicks my butt. Everyday, I'm tired, a good tired, but tired nontheless. That's the part people don't see; the part that I do for me.

Every day is a struggle and there are times when I want to eat everything that is bad for me. I carry around Dr. Ian's book everyday, but I must confess that I read it less and less. I need to go over it again because I desperately feel like I need a week back on phase I. Right now, I'm maintaining my weight, but I want to lose more. I'm still 50 lbs from my goal.

Some days, I want to give up and other days, I'm hard core. I keep hearing the words that I said "It's not that you can't do it, it's that you won't" and that makes me go on. I don't want to become a victim of my own mind.

Stay in the Fight

I heard some thing inspirational the other day. Fran Drescher was talking about a technique she used to get thought her cancer treatments. She kept two rubber bands on her wrist. Any time she started having negative thoughts like "I can't do this" or "This is too hard", she would snap one of the rubber bands. It was like a quick snap back to reality and a deterrent to allowing the negative thoughts that she would inevitably have from taking over and consuming her.

I got to thinking that her technique could be applied in just about any situation. We all face challenges in our lives and negative thoughts are more than abundant inside our heads and hearts. We have goals that we want to reach, but there is something holding us back. Taking that step is scary, but you know what, not taking that step can be even worse.

Are you stuck in a job you hate? Why not quit and do the thing that really fulfills your real passion? Do you want to lose weight? Who doesn't ? I know I do. Taking that step, making the step to take my life back was one of the hardest decisions I've had to make. I was stuck in a vicious of negative thoughts and bad habits.

There are always reasons why you can't do something. But the truth is that it's not that you can't, it's that you won't. Everything is hard when your attitude is led by the negative thoughts in your head. It's time to break out of the cycle of negativity and surround yourself with positive thoughts, from within yourself and from the people closest to you.

So go grab two rubber bands and stay in the fight!

One of those days

Today was one of those days that I would've like to have a do-over. Things at work refused to work, users found my phone number, and an irrate father yelled at me. The father was actually funny because he just needed someone to listen to him get things off his chest. After he said his peace, he apologized for ruining my day.

On the flip side, I met my friend Marie's sister Julie. It's so funny to put a face with a name. I felt we were old friends because Marie is always talking about the "other Julie". The other fun thing that happened was that I actually went to the market in shorts. Now this may not seem like a big thing, but I've never been terribly comfortable about wearing shorts out of the house. But for some reason, I felt like going for it today.

Sunday 7.08.07

Coming Home...


I planned for this trip for months and although we had been to some extraordinary places, I was ready to go home. Don't get me wrong, I love to travel. but there's nothing like your own bed and your own bath.

That morning we loaded up in the van and headed off to the airport. When we got there, Celeste made sure we made it to the right counter. When it was time for us to leave, it was surprisingly very emotional. She wasn't coming with us and for each of us, it was like leaving our mom at the airport. It was difficult for all of us.

The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful, except for the fact that the flight attendent in Canada took a special liking to Marie, Sara, and me because we wanted to know when she was coming by for the last time for trash. She was mildly amused by us and we by her. By this time, we were are all a little punchy and extremely anxious to get home. There were laughs had by all.

Reflections...

I learned a lot about myself and other people on this trip. I learned that as open-minded as I try to be while traveling, I learned that even among new surroundings, I still need structure. I'm someone who needs order in my life and I think that one of the more difficult things about traveling in a group is that I can't be in control of every situation. I'm not saying that I'm a control freak, but giving up complete control is something that I'm not completely comfortable with yet.

The other thing that I learned and you may be surprised to read this, is that I'm 34 years old. This is significant because for the first time, I was the second oldest student on the trip. There were a lot of students who were between 19-25. I felt completely out of place among them. One of the things that I hadn't been prepared for was the fact that the things that people find fun in that age group don't appeal to me anymore. The thing is that it doesn't even bother me.

The last and most important thing that I learned is that I would love to visit Italy again and even other places in Europe as well. Of course, I think that I would go any plan my own itinerary. Italy was gorgeous and there was so much we didn't get to see. I've always said that I if I ever got married, I would like to honeymoon in Mexico. But now, after being in Italy, I think that Europe is running a close second.

All in all, I'm glad that I went on the trip. There were days that made me wish I hadn't left Columbia, but I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.

Saturday 7.07.07

Vatican City

We started our day in Vatican City...and no, even though it is considered another country, you don't need to show your passport, nor do you need to go through customs.


We left the hotel and boarded the bus which left us at the border of Vatican City. It was a bit hot out and having to wear a blouse the covered my arms completely made it feel suffocatingly hot.

We made our way in and our first stop was the Vatican Museum. There were a ton of paintings, mostly like the paintings we had seen for the previous three weeks. But there were still interesting. In every room there were floor to ceiling paintings, mostly scenes from Italian history or of the Catholic Church.



Of course, you can't go to the Vatican and not see the Sistine Chapel. Here's the only thing about the Sistine Chapel: it's like the Hotel California, you can check out whenever you want, but you can't ever leave. We walked around for a while, with necks craned to the ceiling looking for the "fingers".

After walking through a ton of hallways and still not seeing the fingers, we decided to take a break and sit on bench and watch people go by. After sitting for a few minutes, I remembered that in the Agony and the Ecstacy, Michelangelo's painting was in a large room with a pulpit, not in a hallway. So we soldiered on, getting more and more lost within the chapel. Apparently, the Sistine Chapel is more than just one room; it's the entire building. We ended going through room after room of paintings and even ended up going through the modern art exhibit where they had a modern version of the pieta.

After what seemed like 4 hours, we finally made it to the "room". It was so crowd and I had a hard time finding the "fingers". Thanks to the binoculars that I lugged with me, I was able to see the fingers close up. It was great seeing the ceiling, but I have to say that if the 40,000 other people hadn't been in the room at the same time, it would've been a lot better. As much as I wanted to take a look at all the parts of the ceiling, the crowds made it unbearable.

Leaving the chapel is as hard as finding it. We wondered around, again, looking for the exit and ended up in a fenced in garden. We wondered around some more and eventually made it out by the Vatican museum exit. By this time, we were starving, so we dragged our malnurished bodies into a restaurant across the street. The people welcomed us and encouraged us to "mangia". A kind young man carried our trays to the table and brought us crushed ice. We felt like queens, that is until we got the check. Our food, which wasn't that good, came up to 81 euros ( $110). Now, keep in mind that I said that we brought our food to the table on trays... so needless to say the meal was not worth 81 euros. We were 4 angry women for a couple of hours after that.

After we were robbed, we decided to try getting into St. Peter's Bascillica. But the lines were so out of control and the sun was so hot, we decided to leave and try again later. Of course we didn't know how to get back to the hotel... we only knew the number of the bus. We chased down the bus and eventually made it back the metro station. The streets of Rome are so choppy and I had to go to the bathroom in the worst way. I just knew that my bladder was going to explode. But like the big girl that I am, I was able to hold it.

At the metro station, Marie and I decided to stop and have a glass of wine and talk. Keighley and Tiffany, who by this time had become fast friends, went back to the hotel to take a nap and watch tv. Right near the hotel, we found a restaurant that had french fries and waiters who cared to serve people. We sat outside reflecting on the past three weeks and wishing that we had done more together. It hadn't been until Thursday that we got to do something together. During our visit to the museo dell Opera in Florence, we decided to let everyone walk ahead and we just caught up. It was nice.

After the drink and fries, we were summoned by Tiffany and Keighley. We decided to head back out and try to get back to St. Peter's Basillica, the bone museum, Bocca della Verita (on the right), and a few other places. Nothing was open or should I say, everything closed early that day. So we decided to go back to the Pantheon and find some food. By this time, everything was funny to us. We had a massive case of the giggles. All was good with the world.

But as much as we loved Rome, we were all ready to go home. We talked about the food we wanted to eat. We were so close... only 24 hours to go.

Friday 7.06.07

Traveling to Rome

We started the day with a trek to Rome, our final destination in Italy. We travelled by bus, metro and by foot to get to the Marco Polo Hotel in Rome. Let's just say that it was a long trip and leave it at that :(

After arriving at the hotel, we all scrambled to get ready for our 3pm appointment to at the Colosseum. We took a bus to the metro to the Colosseum and made it there in just the nick of time. The colosseum is awesome and I had a hard time believing that it has been around for 1900 years. It is also hard to believe that it was the site of incredibly violent gladiator games and even the martyrdom of early Christians.

Not long after arriving, Marie, Keighley, Tiffany and I met up with TJ (Tiddly-D), Marie's newphew and his new bride, Mel. They are a cute couple, even though TJ is like two feet taller than Mel. Mel was determined to see all of the Colosseum, while Keighley was just glad to see a familiar face. We managed to get some great pics of the big C and then we emerged into the blistering sun on the prowl for bottled water and a meal. Tiffany and I decided to let Marie and Keighley have some alone time with TJ and Mel. So they went off shopping, while we went to find some food. We walked for a while looking for the Pantheon and ended up going by the Monument of Vittorio Emanuelle II, the place where Mussolini gave many of his speeches.

A couple of hours later, after a meal and visit to a local music store, we met up with the gang at a restaurant in front of the Pantheon. Since TJ and Mel were only in Rome for the day, they had to leave after dinner. So the gals and I decided to go see what was inside the Pantheon. Inside the Pantheon, which is an old church, there are alot of paintings on marble walls. The weird thing about the Pantheon is that at the top of the massive dome, there is a hole, which is completely open. We couldn't figure out why there wasn't massive amounts of bird poop on the floor. But after doing a quick check on Wikipedia, we now know the story of the dome. The hole is the only source of light for the Pantheon and the only source of air ventilation. When it rains, the water that falls inside is automatically drained away by tiny holes in the floor.

Here's the funny thing about the Pantheon...When it's time to close, a lady announces it on a microphone sort of the way Target announces that you have ten minutes to bring your purchases up to the front counter before they throw you out of the store.

After the Pantheon, we headed over to the Trevi Fountain, which was very cool even though every other tourist in Rome had descended on the fountain. The rumor about the Trevi Fountain is that if you throw in some money, you'll come back to Rome. It's a good thing that I'm not given to superstition. My thinking is that if I keep my money, I'll be closer to going back to Rome.

Not far from the fountain, we came upon a marble shop that had a ton of things carved out of marble. We were really impressed at first because they seemed to be selling fruit at 11pm...that is until we realized that the super realistic fruit was actually made of marble and that we weren't supposed to touch it. We had a really good laugh and crank called Marie's sister Julie.

Thursday 7.05.07

We took our final trip to Florence to visit the Bargello and the Museo Dell Opera - Duomo. The Bargello has the "other David" the bronze version by Donatello. This version came before Michelangelo's David and is believed to be the inspiration for Michelangelo's David. When we arrived they had David up on cinder blocks. There was a lady doing restoration work on David. It looked like she was cleaning him with a Q-tip.

Besides seeing the David, there were a lot of sculptures in the Bargello. Each of the sculptures was more intricate than any of the other sculptures we had seen at any other museum. There was also a wood carved model of the Palazzo Strozzi (Giulianio da Sangallo).

After the Bargello, we went to the Museo dell'Opera near the Duomo. This museum has a ton of sculptures, but the highlight was seeing the Gates of Paradise. There were individual panels (originals) on display and it was so interesting to see the detail on each panel. Each panel contained a scene from a biblical story. The other panels are on the Baptistry across the street from the Duomo in Florence. When we went the baptistry, there was a huge crowd around the Gates. Each person seemed to be trying to identify what each panel represented.

The last thing that was really interesting was seeing the Deposition. This sculpture is a variation of Michelangelo's Pieta which depicts Christ being carried away from the torture stake by Mary (his mom) and Mary Magdalene after his death. There are two interesting things to note about the Deposition:

1. - The man in the sculpture is Nicodemus or possibly Joseph of Arimathea. However, the face is widely considered to be a self-portrait of Michelangelo himself.
   
2. - The female figure on the left was not completed by Michelangelo. After working on the sculpture for eight years, Michelangelo became frustrated at the impurity of the marble and tried to destroy the sculpture. After his death, Tiberio Calcagni was assigned the task of completing the sculpture.

Wednesday 07.04.07

Today has been the cloudiest and coolest day in Siena. We didn't have any set plans to see museums. We did, however, plan to spend the morning with Marie going over questions about the art journal. I was sure about some things in the book, but had questions about other things. So we planned to meet at the student lounge.

While in the lounge, I got to work on my blog, read some news, check some email and update my website. I still have a lot to do on my website. I never seem to be able to finish websites. I tend to have bursts of energy when I can be really productive. But for right now, I'm settling for functional.

While we were sitting and chatting, Marie and I started talking about the hotel arrangements in Rome. Because the number of people is uneven, some roommate have to be split up. Thankfully, Tiffany and I will stay together. Tiffany is planning a "bad movie night" in the hotel.

For lunch, we went to Osteria il Tamburino. It's less than five minutes from our apt and I've walked by it every day. We went in solely based on the fact that we saw french fries on the menu and to my amazement, we were all able to order our food, drink and of course, french fries. I ordered veal in tomato sauce. Marie and Keighley order grilled chicken and Tiffany ordered salad. The fries were like steak fries, thick, freshly salted, and hot out of the oven. It was the first thing I've eaten in 2.5 weeks that felt like home. All four of us had a glow of happiness that surrounded us. The rest of the food was good and I have to say that between the food and the company, it was the best meal I had in Siena.

Tuesday 07.03.07

The Duomo
The visit consists of three steps; the Duomo itself, the museum and the baptistery. We visited the Doumo and the museum today. You can see through all the ornate carvings why it took 200 years to construct. Every building contains orginal columns that seem to be made of marble. As with most places, you can't take pictures.

But I did get this picture from the outside:

Monday 07.02.07

The Palio in Siena
We watched this on TV from our apartment. But we were actually only a couple a blocks away.

Sunday 7.01.07

We didn’t have anything on the schedule for Sunday. The congregation that we visited last week was away at the district convention, a challenge, that neither Tiffany nor I could handle. We struggled through the 45 minute public talk. We told Chicita that we would wait until we were back in the US to go to the convention.

I also welcomed the day off because I had killer blisters from all the walking we’ve done. So to have a day off my feet was like manna from heaven. I did go out to the bottega down the street to get a few snacks. Otherwise, Tiffany, Stephanie and I just sat in the house and watched music videos. MTV Europe is so different from American MTV. The first difference is that they actually show videos most of the time, albeit it the same stale 20 videos. We talked most of the day and watched the people going by on the street below.

Saturday 6.30.07

Pisa is only 10Km from the Mediterrean Sea and has been an important port city since the 11th century. Beginning in the in the 11th century, Pisa had its greatest development. It won major naval battles, saw the development of several famous monuments and the establishment of several universities.

The thing that makes Pisa most famous is the Piazza dei Miracoli, which contains all the monuments that make Pisa famous; the cathedral, baptistery, and hanging tower. The cathedral and baptistery are impressive structures, both taking over a century each to be completed.

However, the real reason to visit the city of Pisa is to see the Hanging Tower, which is more commonly known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The tower’s construction began in 1174 under the direction of Bonanno Pisano and took over 200 years to complete because of structural problems. By the time the first three stories were complete, the tower had already begun to sink. In 1275, the first attempts were made to counter the tower’s lean. By 1301, the six stories were complete and the tower was completely finished by 1350. The exterior is adorned with multicolored marble.
Besides leaning, the tower is famous because Italian physicist Galileo Galilei conducted his famous experiments with gravity and the relative speed of falling objects from the top of the tower.

On our trip to Pisa, we took a bus, two trains, and another bus to Pisa. Pisa is an interesting place for a short visit. After you see the tower and realize that it really does lean, there isn’t much else to see. There are ton of vendors and we did a lot of shopping there.

Friday 6.29.07

Today we had a short day planned. We were going to the Doumo, right around the corner. Every city in Italy has a Doumo, which basically is the main cathedral of the city. We went bright and early just to find out that it doesn’t open until noon. So we decided to head over to San Domenica to see the cathedral that is dedicated to Saint Catherine of Siena.
Saint Catherine (Caterina Benincasa) was born on March 25, 1347 and was known for her help with the poor. She also worked with the popes of the day in establishing the church in Siena. She is also known for helping to establish peace among the regions in Italy during her time.
Inside the church, there are a variety of renaissance painting depicting the Madonna and Child and the founding fathers of the church. In addition, off in wall, near a shrine, you can actually view Saint Catherine’s mummified finger. It is said that her head is there too, but it wasn’t out for viewing.

Thursday 6.28.07

We visited the public library and it was very interesting. The library was built over a street and you can see the street and even the street signs inside the library. The public side was really nice because it had two children’s rooms and a room for movies. It also has internet access and by all accounts, it looks like a regular public library…but much cooler. There were Italian copies of American classics by Charles Dickens, George Orwell, and Agatha Christie.

The other side of the library has more reference materials, some of which can be checked out. The best part of the tour was seeing all the original manuscripts dating as far back as the 14th century. There is also a special room that houses all those documents and they are all carefully maintained. In many cases, there are handwritten, first editions of book from centuries gone by.

The library itself has a rich history, being over 650 years old. It originally belonged to a rich man, who left it to a university. Once the French came to Siena, it was closed down for a few years. When it was reopened, the library was given to the city of Siena as a public library.

In the afternoon, I worked on my slide shows. I managed to break them the day before and of course, I didn’t save any the project files. I managed to find a nice wi-fi friendly spot in the school’s student lounge. It was quiet in the lounge because everyone had pretty much left for the day. Since my laptop started acting crazy, I only have a limited amount of time before it overheats. So I had to work fast. The laptop did eventually over heat, so I went to the internet train to upload all of my slide shows and check my email. The internet train is very convenient, but I have spent about €15-€20 in the past two weeks.

Later that evening we watched the Italian version of 1 vs. 100 and I actually got two questions correct. I didn’t understand any of the dialog, but it seemed the same as the Italian version.

Wednesday 6.27.07

We started the day in the local open air market. There were so many vendors and it quickly became clear where “regular people” buy most of their clothes. The stores are way too expensive, so the market offers a cheaper alternative. I bought a skirt, a gift, and some fruit. Tiffany got a dress after a huge amount of deliberation.

After the market, we ran home to drop off our purchases and ran back to Piazza Gramschi to catch the bus to Florence.

Florence trip #2
This trip to Florence took us to the Accademia, a museum that houses the original sculpture of David by Michelangelo. The sculpture is 12,000 lbs and 17 feet high. We also saw some of Michelangelo’s other sculptures, most notably the sculptures that he was working on for the tomb of Pope Julius II. He didn’t finish those sculptures.

In the room dedicated to music, there were a variety of harpsichords, guitars, violins, wood wind instruments and other cool pieces. There was one guitar that was really cool. It was made out of marble (by Michele Antonio Grandi) with black and white designs. While were in the music portion, we saw some computers, but they weren’t for the internet. They had video presentations about music and instruments. At one computer, there was a woman who looked just like Deborah Kent, a music professor at HCC.

After the Accademia, we headed for the Bargello. Unfortunately, the Bargello closes at 1:30 every day. Of course we got there around 2:30. So everyone was bummed out, so I took a really funny picture of the group looking sad. It is the funniest picture ever.

After the Bargello, we decided to just walk around and try to find the pig market. We didn’t find it, so we just went home. I think everyone was exhausted anyway. We all looked like we needed naps desperately.

In the evening, we went to dinner with Stephanie and Gail as a goodbye to Gail. She is leaving on Friday for Paris. Afterwards we walked through Il Campo which is in full Palio mode. I’m going to stay clear of the Campo on Monday because I hear that it is complete and total madness during the Palio.

Tuesday 6.26.07

We went to the Pinacotea Nazionale di Siena, which is an art gallery up the street from our school. There are (as you would expect) a huge collection of Renaissance paintings. Most of the paintings were of biblical scenes or scenes depicting the foundations of the churches in Siena. The one painting that you see duplicated at every museum is Madonna and Child, or Mary and the baby Jesus. After you see it five or ten times, it become less exciting and you start noticing little things.

For example, Heather suggested that they didn’t use really babies in the portraits because the babies always looked like little people (adults). The other thing we noticed was that, at least with the Sienese paintings, the noses are very thing and elongated, in an almost unnatural way. Also, fingers are usually proportionally longer than normal. As for Mary (Jesus’ mother), she’s always depicted in blue, while Mary Magadeline is always in red. We also noticed that Mary (Jesus’ mother) is always depicted as an older women, but she is always shown holding Jesus as a baby. This was odd because Mary was young when she had Jesus.

After the museum, we had some lunch and then went to the botanical gardens. It started to rain, which was a welcome change from the heat we’ve been experiencing. Since it was a light drizzle, we decided to go the botanical gardens, which was very pretty. We only got to see half of it because some people had to leave to do laundry. I took the rest of the day to rest.

Monday 6.25.07

We went to San Gimignano which is known for Medieval and Renaissance buildings. But here’s the deal with San Gimignano: There are a ton of shops and good prices in all of them. I bought some marble eggs and a set of alabaster eggs. They are really colorful and pretty.

The line of stores reminded me of the stores at Six Flags. Everyone has pretty much the same thing. Although, I was really tired that day, I could see going back to San Gimignano.

Sunday 6.24.07

On Sunday, we went to Chianti, the region famous for Chianti wine. This town is the only place that specializes in Chianti because it is the only place that the grapes used in Chianti are grown. First we stopped in a museum of geography, I think. It had the history of the landscape of the Tuscan state. I didn’t understand anything the guide was saying, so I just walked around and read the English translations under the photos. Afterwards, we went to a sculpture garden nearby. It had sculptures created by artists from around the world. The artists incorporated nature into all the pieces and they each had a story.

After the sculpture garden, we went to a vineyard and saw where Chianti grapes are grown, processed and transformed into wine. The barrels are beyond huge. The wine is stored for up to 6 months or more after being bottled. It was very interesting to see the inside of the winery. The room where they bottle the wine reminded me of the opening scene of Laverne and Shirley (at the brewery).

After seeing the bottling room, we got to sample some Chianti and have some food. Most of the food was good, but it was a little salty or oily or in some cases, both. That seems to be the trend in Italy. The chianti was ok, but I’m not a wine drinker. Everyone else seemed to really like it. We were given four samples, but I didn’t really like any of them.

After we got home, Tiffany and I set out to find the local Kingdom Hall. We go the information to take the bus, but we didn’t really know where we were going. On the way, we saw some witnesses under a tent with literature. We introduced ourselves and managed to ask if the kingdom hall we were heading for was the closest one. They told us that it was and we went on our way. Well, the bus time we had was wrong, so we started to walk home. On the way back, I decided to tell the witnesses that the bus time we had was wrong. I can only say that Holy Spirit directed me to do that because, the first time we talked to them, they didn’t understand English and we could barely speak Italian to them. This time, two sisters who speak English were under the tent and we explained our situation to them. Then one of the brothers said that he would take us the kingdom hall. So Jehovah made it so we could go to the meeting.

At the meeting, we said hi to a few people and eventually one of the brothers found someone who speaks English to come over and talk to us. Her name is Chicita and she is Australian. She decided to come to Italy to learn Italian a year ago and she decided to stay to live. Here in Italy, she teaches English at a local school. She’s also learning French at the same time.

We asked her about getting the bus home after the meeting and she told us that the buses don’t run that late at night. So she arranged for us to get a ride home. Before we left, she told us about the book study and that the congregations would be at the district convention on the weekend. We’re not going, but it was good to know so that we didn’t show up to an empty kingdom hall.

Saturday 6.23.07

On Saturday, we went to Firenze (Florence) to visit the Duomo and the Uffizi. The trip was long, but it was well worth it. The Duomo had lots of paintings in the main hall including the painting depicting Dante and the Divine Comedy by Domenico da Michalino.

The Uffizi had mostly renaissance paintings and sculptures. Most of the art looks like the same guy painted them because the colors and styles were basically the same. There were lots of dark tones and pudgy people. There were some paintings that I saw in our Florence guide book that I actually saw in the Uffizi. For example the Battle of San Romano (by Paolo Uccello) depicting Florence’s victory over Siena.

The other piece that we saw was Michelangelo’s David, but it wasn’t “the real David”. The sculpture at the Uffizi is a copy. Italy is freakishly obsessed with David in a way that is disturbing. Michelangelo choose to depict a nude David going to slay the Philistine giant Goliath. Here’s the thing, nowhere in the bible does it say that David was nude when he did this. In fact, if you read the actual account in the bible at 1 Samuel 17: 38-48, you actually find out that David was completely dressed for battle. So why did Michelangelo portray David in the nude? The thing I that really don’t understand is the fact that Italians almost deify David and his nakedness. It is depicted on t-shirts and boxer shorts and all kinds of paraphernalia that is probably meant for tourists. They have turned a very important historical bible character and made him into a phallic symbol that they knowingly or unknowingly worship.

From the outside, the Uffizi looks like two buildings joined by a hallway or bridge on the southern end. The Florence guide book suggests taking two days, if possible, to see the entire Uffizi. But for us, that really wasn’t possible. Tiffany and I wandered throughout the rooms, but somehow miss the Michelangelo and Botticelli rooms. We did see a lot of nice sculptures in the hallways, including the bust of Vespasiano. It is a multi-colored marble sculpture that was very realistic.

After the Uffizi, we had to make our way back to the bus station. But first we went to Ponte Vecchio, which is a bridge that has a lot of jewelry stores. This is where you get the gold and silver that people talk about when they talk about shopping in Florence. After the Ponte Vecchio, we started walking back to the bus station. Somehow we wandered into an open air market that had lots of purses, scarves, t-shirts and other stuff that a tourist would like.

Friday 6.22.07

The last day of language class… We learned more about prepositions and other household vocabulary words. I’ve been waiting for this day to come all week, but suddenly I feel like I don’t want it to end. I don’t have enough grammar and vocabulary to go out in the world and effectively express myself. Now I want to learn more Italian. But what would be cool would be if I could download a huge chunk of Italian straight into my cerebral cortex the way seven of nine downloaded voyager’s library on Star Trek Voyager. I think that my closest alternative is listening to my Teach Yourself Italian CDs, which I think I’ll need to do starting in the next day or so.
We did get certificates to prove that we took Italian in Italy. That’s going in a special place at home.
The afternoon was far less interesting. Instead of visiting a museum, we did laundry. Quite of number of us needed to wash clothes, so we found a place that is self service and conveniently located near a restaurant where we could eat lunch in between loads. The Laundromats weren’t too different from American Laundromats except that you don’t put the change in the machine. There is a machine on the wall where you feed your money. Tiffany and I got a couple of loads done, but she ended up re-washing our white clothes again at home. We didn’t do much after that, except prepare for our trip to Florence the next day.

Thursday 6.21.07

We learned numbers today, at least the numbers up to 100. We even played a counting game. Learning language almost makes you feel like you’re in kindergarten. That is until you go outside and hear five year olds speaking way better than you ever could.

In the afternoon, we went for a walk to Piazza Gramschi for lunch. We ate Panini, which weren’t like the kind you get at Giant. Here in Italy, Panini just means sandwich. We had our lunch over in the park because eating at a restaurant actually costs more if you sit down and eat it there.
The park was nice. There were trees and I suddenly realized that I hadn’t seen any trees in the city since we arrived. It was a hot day, so sitting in the shade was a refreshing change. While we were there, Celeste told us a little about the history of Italy. There was a statue in the middle of the park of Guiseppe Garibaldi, the man who helped unify Italy into a nation. Apparently, back in the day, each state in Italy was its own country, which accounts for the variety of Italian dialects. It wasn’t until the 1800s that Italy became a unified country. Today, Italy has a socialist government.

Celeste also told us about the physical differences between northern Italians and southern Italians. Southern Italians tend to have more olive skin tones while northern Italians tend to have lighter skin tones. Because Siena is situated in a huge tourist area, it is harder to distinguish one Italian from another Italian.

After the park, Celeste, Tiffany and I went shopping. We finally found tennis shoes which came in handy because we have plans to go to Florence on Saturday. There is a store called Bata, which is similar to H&M with similar prices. We both found shoes that were about the same prices as American prices. I got some Nike Running shoes that ended up being the perfect shoes for the trip.

I think we wore Celeste out, because she didn’t join us for food shopping. We have gotten the hang of the local supermarket now. We bought a bunch of food only to realize that we wouldn’t be eating at home for a day or so. We went out a restaurant with the group that night. The owner of the restaurant made us four piattas (courses). They were all good and if I had had the room, I would’ve eaten more. Afterwards, we walked through the streets, listening to various jazz bands along the way. Thursday was the city wide jazz festival with bands playing in fourteen different locations throughout the city. The music was nice and it reminded me of American Jazz. At 11:00 we walked Geri to her bus and then headed on home.

Every night, no matter what we do, I am thoroughly exhausted; but it’s a good exhaustion. But it does make for rough mornings. I just discovered that there is a coffee machine in the student lounge. It has way too many choices, but it does the trick for me in the morning.

Wednesday 6.20.07

Today in class we learned more vocabulary words and the conjugation of the regular –are and –ere verbs. There are so many verbs in Italian that are similar to Spanish verbs. We also played Pictionary, which was interesting. My team kept getting hard words like “match”, “sing”, and ”play” while the other team got words like pizza and scissors. Despite that, it was really fun; probably the most fun we’ve had all week.
I was asked if the style of teaching at Dante Aligheri was good for learning Italian. This was a difficult question to answer because I haven’t taken an introductory language class in nine years. Even then, I had some Spanish under my belt from high school. I honestly forgot how hard it is to learn a new language from scratch. I feel like, if I ever do this trip again, I definitely want to take a semester of Italian first. I definitely feel lost because I’m not able to communicate with people like I would like.
In the afternoon, I finally posted to my blog. The Internet Train, the internet café near our apt is great. We can get in and get out without any problems. After the Internet Train, we headed over to the bank on Banchi Di Sopra. This bank is the oldest bank in Siena and it houses some great Senese paintings. Too bad we didn’t get to go in and see them. Apparently, the website that tells you how great these paintings are forgets to mention that they’re not available to the public. The man in the lobby was extremely rude to Celeste. But she held her own.
Afterwards the group split up and Tiffany and I went on the hunt for some shoes. My canvas converse split a hole on the side and they were making my feet hurt. So I wanted to find some running or walking shoes. Every store wanted an obscene amount of money for the plainest and ugliest shoes. So we gave up for the night.
When we got home we set up the laptop and watched Freedom Writers with Hillary Swank on DVD. It was a good movie, but had an unnecessary amount of profanity. The theme, though, was good and I even thought that we could watch it at diversity committee retreat. It gave an interesting prospective about how the educational system works in poor areas and in particular in one school in Los Angeles. If you get a chance to watch this movie, it is really good. The advertisement made it look like the typical white teacher going in to save the helpless black kids. But under the surface it was so much more than that. The movie is based on a true story, which if you watch the DVD extras, you get to see more of the real teacher and students about whom the movie is based.

Walking...

Wednesday June 20, 2007
We have walked and walked and walked and then a few hours later, we walked some more. I had blisters before we left because of some ambitious morning walks. So now my feet are on fire on a daily basis. The lace-less Converse that I searched for over a month, now look like I’ve been wearing them for 15 years. Today, I’m going to find some sensible walking shoes. We’re also scheduled to go to the bank today to see some art that is in the bank. Hopefully, it is more exciting than it sounds.



Yesterday, after class, we went to the Palazzo Publicco in il Campo (the center of town). It looks like a large church, but it is actually their city hall and a museum. Most of the frescos were of ancient popes, biblical scenes and what seemed to be historical paintings of a Siena gone by. There was one painting in particular that showed the Florentine soldiers taking over Siena and building a great wall that still stands today. Most of our students live outside that wall, but their homes are still considered Siena.


The frescos were interesting and very intricate, although I have to admit, they weren’t the style of art that I like the most. Having read some information about the art work of that era, I find some of the paintings, or should I say the content, a little unsettling because some things just seem historically inaccurate and some things seem to glorifying a system or governing authority that in reality oppressed its subjects. I guess, I like contemporary, 20th century art more. But then again, I think that for me, 20th century art is more relatable. I probably need to read more about medieval and renaissance art.


My body is still adjusting to the time change and the eating schedule. People eat on another time table than I am used to eating. So Tiffany and I made our way to the local supermarket (Conad) to gather food stuffs for a couple of days. We got breakfast, lunch and dinner for about €15 which is about $19 US. I was surprised because we would have spent close to $30 if we bought the same amount of food at Giant in Columbia. Our apt mate, Gail, came with us and we got food for dinner. When we got home, we all cut up veggies to make a sautéed veggie dish and pasta. It was light and inexpensive, which was just our taste and price.


There are a flurry of activities coming up within the next week. Once we are finished with language classes we can go on more day excursions and see more sights. As soon as I am able to, I’m going to start posting pictures. The wireless internet connection at school takes a long time to kick in and we don’t have long breaks at all during the day. For now, I’m just writing up my blogs, saving them to a thumb drive and going to the Internet Café down the street.