A Quick Update

Hey guys! Just a check in before the weekend. Not really much going on. More than half of the group is going to Milan for the weekend, but I'm staying in because of the play. I had actually planned on Verona and Padua this weekend, but that isn't going to work out.

Insert witty comment here.

Not a whole lot happened today. I had shin of pig (and it was delicious) for lunch, but that really sums up my afternoon. I went for a run in the rain a little later (got lost) and ended up going a few more miles than I had intended, but that was okay. Came back, showered, and went to a mass commemorating Monsignor Luigi Giussani. It was a beautiful mass, even if I didn't understand most of it. Anywho... I'm off for the night.

God bless, guys! Much love!

The Second Class Trip Into Town

Almost forgot to post again. That would've been a shame. I've gone quite a few days in a row without missing to lose my streak over sheer ignorance. :)

Hey look! New photos! This was from the courtyard @ San Lorenzo.

If you hadn't noticed, I was able to take new photos from our class trip into town for our Culture class. It was awesome. Of course, I had to wake up obscenely early (in comparison) to start my day, but in the end I think it was worth it. We visited two churches to see how art had grown in Italy. It was another educational day.

After coming back to the Villa for a late lunch, we went back into class for our history lesson. Francesco was fantastic today and it made me want to read biographies of the Ninja Turtles. (I know it's lame to make the same reference within a week or so). Donatello, the oldest of the bunch, was the Father of Renaissance sculpting in Italy. The next century followed with the rest of the turtles: Michelangelo, Raffaello, and Leonardo. I don't know what it was about the second half of class, but he made their lives seem so awesome that I'd love to learn more about them. Add onto the fact that I love the Medici family (who built most of Florence) and I have quite a list of people to read about. In retrospect I shouldn't have left my pleasure book at home (Wizard's First Rule) because I really want to read it now... ugh!

Before you get up in arms about this being random, it's not. This is the TV Show based off of the Sword of Truth Series.

Anywho, (I think I like that word too much...) after class I went to my first St. Thomas Moore Society Bible Study. I was appointed the liaison between the main group in Florence and the BC students at the Villa. It was awesome to meet the others who showed up who lived and studied in Florence. We had students from Texas, Vienna, and Tennessee, to name a few. We studied John 6:1-15 and we had some very insightful discussion.

What else... what else... I'm not really sure if there is anything else to say. We're going to Monsignor Luigi Giussani's mass for the sixth anniversary of his death. I'm kind of surprised how much I like reading his writing. It is dense at times, but it is extremely easy to relate to and makes perfect sense. If you ever get the opportunity, don't hesitate to pick up the Religious Sense (the first of a trilogy).

Beyond that? I've got the Glass Menagerie this weekend. Other than that I'll just be hanging out at the Villa. Venice next weekend. Germany/Austria the weekend after that.

Oh but now I want to go on a rant because I miss some of the technology from the States. I've been a Google beta tester for over four years now and they just released their new operating system: Chrome OS. This OS is meant for netbooks and will run every process through the Chrome browser. This means that there is virtually no boot up time and that everything you do on the computer will be accessible from the "cloud."

Yes, I'm kind of a geek. Get over it.

The beta testers are sent one of these 12.1 inch netbooks to use. Sounds perfect for travel, right? Of course. Want to know when I got mine? The 26th of January. Two days after I left for Ireland. My very on Chrome book is waiting for me when I get back to the states. Kind of a good welcome home, I think.

I think that's enough of my rant for now. It might happen again sometime.

There really isn't a reason for this picture. At all.

God bless!

Lazy Monday

I have hit the lull in the semester. Classes are into their repetitive nature that just wears at me. I'm still enjoying it, but the length of these classes is almost too much sometimes. Aside from school, nothing really has happened today. I decided to not attend the soccer game on Wednesday and wait until March 20th to see AS Roma play.

Well, I guess something new or interesting happened today. Last week Giovanni asked if anyone would be interested in being an extra in a play in Florence. So I'm an extra in a Florentine production of The Glass Menagerie. This makes me laugh because BC will be doing the same exact play at the same exact time. So instead of going to Verona and Padua this weekend, I'll be in Florence yet again. Both Nathan and Dan will be gone for the weekend, so that'll be interesting to be the only one in the room for yet another weekend.

I'm sorry I haven't taken any new pictures recently, so I'm posting older ones. As soon as I go on another trip that warrants bringing my camera, I will post more recent pics.

The amphitheater in Lucca.

This trip has been both taxing and exhilarating at the same time. I miss all my friends back at BC terribly (especially after some great news from Gus) but I know I'm called to be here.

Until we meet again, God bless!