Hamburg? I've Been Here Before... O Wait... That Was Iowa... My Bad!

I got to use my new journal today to start recording my thoughts and whatnot while I'm not at my computer. Hopefully that will make these posts more on point and just better in general. Today started out on a really good note. I went into Florence at 12:10 to meet Veronica for lunch as I was telling you all in my post last night. It had been awhile since I had been to Santa Maria Novella and I almost got lost. This made me kind of late. Of course, she ended up being late as well, so it really wasn't that big of a deal. I had no idea where she lived, so I figured SMN was the easiest place to meet. Turns out she lives by the Duomo and San Marco, which is the bus stop that I got off of every time I venture in to town. How's that for irony?

Anyway. Veronica had chosen a pizza place she wanted to try out, which was fine by me and made the whole afternoon run quite smoothly. I ended up getting a Calabrese pizza -- really couldn't help myself: my family is from Calabria and I kind of felt like the pizza was calling to me.

Two Calabrese pizzas. Score!

So we ate our pizzas and talked for a good forty minutes before we decided to go for a walk so someone else could use the table. Those are all order tickets underneath the glass, by the way. We added our own piece as you'll see in the picture below.

I'm a man of my word.

She had never been to San Miniato or Piazza Michelangelo, so I thought I'd bring her to the best overview of Florence. We walked for another fifteen minutes to get to this awesome place. I had been there earlier in the semester with Pietro and luckily I was able to remember where it was and how to get there. We were already across the river so it really wasn't as far as I had recalled it being. The day was kind of overcast, but it didn't really affect the view much. It is probably one of my favorite places in all of Florence.

Pretty sure Veronica got the better pictures of us, but this is the one from my camera.

I had to meet David back at SMN at 3:00 and she had to get back to study, so I dropped her off at her apartment and booked it back to the train station. We got on the 3:30 train to Pisa and my Spring Break had officially begun. We stopped in Pisa for a few moments to relax, more or less, and then walked to the airport from there. Kenny, Mary, and Holly were already at the terminal waiting for us, so we sat down and just read/wrote while we waited. That was my first opportunity to actually sit down and write in the journal. It was nice to put my thoughts down onto something concrete. Not that I don't love my blog, it's just hard to make it seem real sometimes.

That's about five hours of my day and I wasn't even to Germany yet. Getting on the RyanAir flight, the cramped RyanAir flight (I think Europe has something against tall people, by the way...) we settled in and got ready for our two hour flight to Hamburg-Lubeck. I ended up watching Lord of the Rings The Two Towers on my laptop for most of the flight. After a bumpy landing, we made our way to the bus stop to get on our hour bus ride into Hamburg. I took a small nap on the bus and woke as we were pulling into the station. We stopped to get something to eat at McDonald's before we found the tram that would take us to the girls' hostel. Guess where that was? Right in the middle of the Red Light District of Hamburg. It felt like how I imagine Amsterdam would sound and appear. I think there were at least nine strip clubs within a city block surrounding their hostel. Luckily I didn't have the pleasure (HA! How do you like that pun?!) of staying in that district called "Reeperbahn."

I don't know how Holly snuck out of this picture, but this is before takeoff to Hamburg.

After dropping them off we took off for our hostel called Meininger. This is one of the most legit hostels I've stayed in whilst in Europe. They're playing some modern techno/jazz music in the lounge area as I type this. The tram system here is pretty awesome, I must say. It goes pretty much everywhere really quickly. Although we're rapidly finding out there really isn't much to do in this city. That's ok, though. We're going to sleep here pretty soon, I'm sure, but we're going to leave around noon tomorrow for Berlin! I'm so excited for Berlin and Germany in general. As I do more research I'm finding more and more jazz bars and concerts and whatnot all over Germany. Munich is well known for their jazz festivals and there are two world renown bars in Munich just for that. This has been a dream come true for me.

That's not to say I haven't had any frustrations today, because I really have had quite a few, but the good has far outweighed that bad and it's good to finally be settled in to the first leg our trip. Please pray for us, as always, as we make our way. German is a completely different language than I've ever encountered. I've even caught myself starting to speak Italian to some of them. Kind of embarrassing, really, but I'm sure I'll be doing that in the US when I get back -- at least for a few months.

I know this is a long post, and I swear it's almost done. Just so everyone has some idea what's going on for me (if you've missed a few posts) I'll be in Berlin for two nights, then we move on to Munich for two nights, Vienna for two nights with Doro's parents, then a night in Milan that we will hopefully spend with Pietro and his family.

Woo... that post wore me out. I love you guys. Thanks for reading, as always. 1100 hits is phenomenal and I don't know how I got there, but I'm extremely happy that I have some devoted readers (even if they don't comment all that often :-P).

God bless from Hamburg, Germany! Until next time! Gott segne und gute Nacht!

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

That's right! Germany is tomorrow! Hell yea! This is going to be awesome. I love history, so this is going to be an awesome trip for me. I'll be immersed in WWI, WWII, and Cold War history first hand. So excited!

This is in my future!

I'm meeting Veronica in Florence tomorrow afternoon for lunch before I go and then leaving for Pisa around 3:30. Then we fly out around 6:40. Man oh man. It's hard to put into words what tomorrow is going to be like, but I'm ready for it.

Enough of that. Today, Will, Kenny, Nathan, and I ventured into Florence since the Villa is practically empty. I ended up buying a Tuscan cookbook (so I can cook for you all when I return) and an awesome leather-bound journal. It's a leather sleeve that I can keep changing journals. It's one of my favorite things I've purchased thus far. But yea... tomorrow is going to come really quickly. I haven't packed completely yet, but it shouldn't take me that long.

Anywho, that's about all I've got at the moment. I don't know if I'll be updating later tonight or not, but be on the lookout for my first post from Germany! Pictures will go up as soon as I can manage, so look for Hamburg up in the right corner in the next few days.

God bless, guys!

Spring Break... Already?

Ok, so I almost forgot to post again. This is starting to become a habit. But I guess the saying is true: close only counts in horse shoes, hand grenades, and nuclear war.

This is a picture I never anticipated would grace my blog when I began.

Anywho (it has been awhile since I've used it, so I'm going to start using it again :-P) Well... Spring Break has started for me. Kind of unfathomable. It's March. The beginning of March. Oh well. That just means that I'm off to Germany and Austria on Saturday! Woot!

For those of you who don't know or can't read, this ^ ^ is Germany. Of course, if you can't read then we have much bigger issues at hand.

I'll be flying into Hamburg Saturday night and then going immediately to Berlin the following morning unless I find something awesome to do in Hamburg. Then we'll travel south through Nuremberg to our third destination, Munich. So excited!

We finish our week in Austria.

O look.... it's Austria... Imagine that...

Vienna! We'll travel all the way across Austria to Vienna, meeting up with Lauren and Claire. Tomorrow is going to be relaxing, and I'll need it since I'm going to be moving non-stop after Saturday. 

I would really appreciate hearing from you all while I travel through Germany and Austria. It's always nice to hear from friends and family as I make my way. I'll have my laptop with me. I know, I know. You were afraid that you wouldn't have the pleasure of reading my blog over break, but I am to please. I love and miss you all and can't wait to tell you everything I've seen and done when I return back to the good ol' United States of America. Ciao! A prego!

God bless!

A Whole Lot of Nothing

Today has been awesome. After classes today I went to a Holy Hour with the St. Thomas Moore Society with confession. I've loved getting to know all the people in Florence; makes me feel like I'm actually making an impact while I"m here.

Daniel Bellissimo (yes, his surname is very beautiful) is one of my great Italian professors!

Spring Break starts after tomorrow! Woot!

God Bless!

Boy finds girl, boy loses girl, girl finds boy, boy forgets girl, boy remembers girl, girls dies in a tragic blimp accident over the Orange Bowl on New Year's Day.

Today has been interesting... but not in the things that I've done, just in the way that I've been feeling. It's funny how detached it can make you feel being in another time zone, another city, let alone another country. I really can't explain it either. It shouldn't be that big of a deal and I really wouldn't notice it if the same thing were to occur in the States, but there is something different about this, I guess.

Anyway. After classes today Father asked if we could watch Naked Gun tonight. I said sure, perche no! So that's what I did with my evening. Afterwards, Father and a few of us smoked cigars and pipes as we watched the rain gently fall in Settignano.

Right now I'm just preparing myself for Spring Break. Gotta get some laundry done and whatnot. Anyway... that's about it for tonight. Thanks again for the 1000 hits. I never thought I'd get there in my semester let alone in one month. I love you guys!

God bless!

One Thousand!

This is just to celebrate the fact that in a little over 30 days I've gotten one thousand hits! Thanks guys for reading!

Grazie, mi amici. Dio benedica!

What's This Webcam Thingy Do?

Ok, I have a video ready for tonight but it won't load until later this evening. So I'll post this and you can expect the video to be up in the morning (my time).

I can't decide if I want to do this again while I'm abroad. It's a lot of work trying to figure out what you're going to say... especially when you don't write it down. It's also quite difficult when I don't have the tools in order to edit it properly... so my apologies in advance for any technical hiccups/crappyness. Maybe I'm just not cut out to do vlogs? Who knows. I'll try again after Spring Break I think. Perhaps I'll write a script for that one...

God Bless!

Buonasera

Aren't you guys lucky. You get to hear from me twice in one day. You don't think so? Well that's unfortunate, because you're going to be graced with my wit and cleverness.

Sweet, no?

Notre Dame law professor Paulo Carozzo came to speak to us tonight for C&L and it was really cool. He was a great speaker and he told us about his introduction to the movement and what it meant to him. It was a pleasure to meet such an affluent and charming person.

Nothing much happened today other than relaxing and reading. I finally was able to catch up on some things I had been meaning to read since I got here. I've started Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy in honor of being in his city. It has been awesome so far. That's about the extent of what has happened since I last checked in.

Think this was unnecessary? So do I. But I wanted to do it anyway.

God bless!

Thoughts

Finally I was able to get an adequate amount of sleep so I decided to post a bit here and I'll post again later tonight, I'm sure. It's amazing how good it feels to wake up in your own bed after a long weekend trip.

This trip is going by way too fast for my liking. I was just thinking about it last night on the bus ride from San Marco to Settignano and I realized that I have one week of class then Spring Break, another week of class then Umbria and Perugia, then two weeks and we're off to Rome. Where did all the time go?! I'm finally comfortable in Florence and then I have to leave. It just doesn't seem fair, does it? It's funny, though, because I don't really feel out of place in Italy. Yes, there is the language barrier, but everything seems local to me. It's almost as if I was born to be here but that I was chosen to have the awe of this experience instead. I've met SO many awesome people, both from the US and Europe, that I hope to keep in contact with even when I'm back in Kansas City.

There is still so much for me to do here and I'm starting to think I won't get to see all of Florence as I intended to when I originally decided to study here. I'm starting to do exactly what I said I wouldn't. I'm over-planning myself so I can see a bunch of some things instead of all of everything.

It's still pretty cold here, as you can probably tell from the stocking cap in my most recent picture, but I wish it would warm up just a little so that I wouldn't have to constantly be messing with my sweatshirts and coats. But what can you do? On the bright side, it has kept most of the cities relatively empty because no one wants to travel when it's this cold. I'm also glad I brought that Royals' stocking cap with me because it's warm and it gets attention. Yesterday I ran into a few Americans because one of them was shocked and yelled KANSAS CITY. It was great fun.

I've added a poll section to my blog in the top right (sorry you have to be logged in to vote... I can't change it!)

Love you guys. Thank you for reading my stuff even if it has been a little bit... interesting sometimes. We've reached a special place... spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically.

God bless!

The Italian Job... I mean... my trip to Venice...

Venezia!

So I'm quite sleep deprived from my venture to Venice, but I really enjoyed the city. There will be a link to all my photos in the top right, per usual, so have a look.

Kind of felt like I was in the Italian Job all day. Venice is a great town, especially during Carnivale, but it was absolutely crazy! It was funny because even in all those people I was able to find the students from Rome that I had met last night. Did I mention there were pigeons everywhere?

I spent most of the day by myself and it was really fun. I got lost completely in Venice and was able to see things that I doubt I would've seen with the group. After I had sufficiently explored, I headed back to Florence early. I was planning on leaving Sunday morning, but I realized how stupid that was about half way through my day when my feet started to hurt and I was getting tired of lugging around my bag.

No idea what this is called, so I'll come up with my own name for it.
Really Big Dome on the Other Side of the Canal That I Couldn't Reach.

Every mode of transportation I used was utterly packed the entire weekend. When I go back to Venice later in my life, I need to remember how crazy it was during Carnivale and either rent a car or go another time.

I really liked this entire statue. It had four sides plus the main one on top. Fantastic.

I had so much to say inside my head on the four hour train ride back to Florence, but now most of it has vanished. I'm SO glad I decided to come back early instead of staying until 3:30 tomorrow morning... holy cow am I glad I did it my way.

Every time I see a mask like this I think of the Carnivale scene from The Count of Monte Cristo.

I'm going to sleep in tomorrow. Woo! One more week then Spring Break to Germany, Austria, and Milan. This semester is going by WAY too fast. I'm already half way through (more or less) the entirety of my studies here. Sad...

God bless! Love you guys :)

Venice!

This has been a LONG day, but a very good one. We arrived in Venice around 9:30 and walked around for a bit before taking a trek across the main bridge to our hotel. That was an interesting experience since they misunderstood our booking; fortunately, I was able to figure out a particulalry easy remedy to the problem. We ended up hanging out until about seven o’clock (all ten of us) before heading into Venice for the night.

A chilly welcome to Venice. Beautiful city!

I ended up buying a mask while I was in Venice tonight. When I get back to the Villa I will begin to upload pictures of said mask and from the weekend itself. Ran into quite a few Americans tonight and actually hung out with a few students who are in Rome for the semester from the University of Maryland. They were really awesome so I ended up going to a bar with them where they were playing live jazz music. It was a perfect way to end my night.

Yes, there are random drunk people in this picture... no idea... but the ones in masks are the ones I know.

God bless everyone! I’ll try and update some time tomorrow.

Well... This day was more interesting than I had originally figured...

I didn't think that today would be quite as... colorful... as it ended up becoming -- thus why I had chosen to update for the most part yesterday.

The inside of the dome at the Duomo. Say that ten times fast.

We had a quiz today, which I did really well on, in Italiano. Then after Father Meinrad's class a group of us, including myself, cooked dinner for the night. We made chicken and shrimp alfredo with a pork roll thing. Then for dessert, we made tiramisu. It was all spectacular. I have a LONG night ahead of me. Our train for Venice leaves @ 4 am. So we're going down to Florence tonight and will spend a few hours in the station waiting to board. At nine o'clock, though, I have a wine tasting. It should be fantastic. But that's about it guys.

I miss you guys. Say hi to your respective state for me. God bless!

We Open in Venice!

Since I doubt I'll be able to post anything significant tomorrow, I'll give you the break down tonight.

Today was pretty good, if I say so myself... which I do... just in case you were wondering. We ventured into town again for our culture class with Francesco. We went to a few more churches including Santa Maria Novella, which is a Dominican (go St. Dominic!) church.

Santa Maria Novella

After dinner a few of us went into town. I ended up buying a messenger bag and a zip up Italia hoodie. This has led the way to how I'm going to commemorate my trip in Italy. In Ireland I had decks of cards. In Italy, I will be buying patches from every city I go to so I can sow them onto this jacked/hoodie. I think it'll turn out well :)

So I'm going to Venice tomorrow (or at least I'll be leaving tomorrow to wait for the train for Venice) so I thought that this would be fitting. This is from one of my favorite musicals, Kiss Me Kate.

It's kind of fitting since I'll probably hit Padua on Saturday as well. But I think that's it for today. I'm freaking exhausted.

God bless, everyone. I'll hopefully post tomorrow sometime before I got. Love you all!

Oh and comment!

Monkey See, Monkey Do

First: there is no real reason for the post to be named as such. Just couldn't think of anything better to use, and that was the first thing to pop into my head.

So what did I do today... classes... basketball again... wine... more wine...
Then... the group ended up watching the Italian Job. The 'Job' takes place in Venice, so I got a sneak peek, so to speak, of the city I'm going to be visiting this weekend.

I really won't have anything fun or interesting to say until Friday. I'm sorry guys! On the bright side, I've made it super simple to comment on my posts: all you need to do is hit the "Comment" button and then type away.

Part of me wants to go into a psychological discussion with myself about things that have been going on around the Villa, but I can't find myself in the right state of mind to be able to do it clearly. I'd really love to hear from you guys, even if it's a friendly reminder or some advice. I always like to hear from familiar people.

Tomorrow I have another trip into town for class -- so I might actually have some interesting stories and pictures tomorrow. Anywho...

God bless!

Hmmmmmm

Just another random image. I sometimes wish I were a pirate... or at least a pirate like Captain Jack...

As you can probably tell, nothing really interesting happened today. Another five hours of Italiano. And basketball. So I guess my original statement was kind of a lie. Got eight guys (including me) to play. Kind of wish I had followed through with it into high school, but you live and you learn. I got my jump hook going and I played considerably well since I haven't played for over a month. Did I mention that the rim is bent? And the ball we used was a few sizes too small? Made the game interesting, that's for sure. My team ended up winning two of three very close games. Other results were a blister on my left foot and a jammed left pinky finger. Something so small shouldn't be able to hurt as badly as it does.

Came back, took a shower, went to dinner. Fun fact: I had stuffed peppers for dinner tonight and they tasted exactly like Nani's. Benissimo. I guess what they say is true, home cooking is the best cooking. Miss my family's Italian food-- kind of seems like blasphemy since I'm living in Italy, doesn't it?

I have never heard a better description of myself...

So as you can tell, I'm just relaxing now. Probably should be planning for Venice.

Like how I did that?
Combined Pirates of the Caribbean and How I Met Your Mother.
I can hear your applause.
*bows*

But that'd be productive.

Uhm. Yea...

To some, this chain of photos/video will not make any sense.
Others who know me will get a good laugh from it.

So...

I think this is where I say: And that's how it was.

O wait. Wrong sign off.

God bless!

She Turned Me Into a Newt! ... I Got Better...

I watched/am still watching this. Classic!

It has been another lazy day in Settignano and I wouldn't have it any other way. It's nice to just relax and think about everything that has occurred in the past month (not even!). These past three and a half weeks have felt like an eternity, but I have loved it. I spent most of the morning organizing my room and yes, my half is finally clean.

This evening I was able to call my brother Anthony for his birthday and they were out for his birthday brunch, so I was able to talk to my entire family. It was awesome. Hearing their voices again makes me miss them, but I'm glad to know that they'll be there when I get back. I've got to keep moving on, like I have been, and experience this with an open mind. Rarely have I been at a lack for words, but it is becoming more difficult, as I've mentioned in one of my Ireland posts, to really put my experiences and thoughts into words. Really it comes down to the gentle reminders for myself to help me remember what was going on each of these days. Hopefully future Dominic thinks present Dominic did a good job.

One more week. Venice. Two more weeks. Germany & Austria. Four more weeks. AS Roma v Fiorentina then Umbria/Perugia. Six weeks. Rome! This entire trip is going to fly by before I even realize that it's gone, but that'll also mean that I've enjoyed my trip. To amend a popular quote, the reward of a good (life) trip, is a good (life) trip.

Although, I must say, I'm kind of hurt I'm not getting any comments. Don't you guys love me?! Hah anyway...

I have an N64 Emulator on my computer... so I can kind of play some of my favorite games...
Anyone remember Harvest Moon 64? Freaking awesome!

I'm about to get dinner here in an hour, so maybe I"ll update again after if something interesting happens. Otherwise... God bless!

Under the Stars of Firenze

My titles are becoming more 'floofy' I think. I don't know if I like that or not.

A picture of the Florence skyline tonight.

Today was a pretty lazy day. I woke up and went for a walk, came back and watched a movie, and then Dan randomly showed up so we went to the English mass at the Duomo. This was a good choice for multiple reasons, but it was a great decision because I was asked to the second reading. Talk about a once in a lifetime experience. The whole place echoed with my voice and I could hardly believe that I was doing a reading inside the Duomo in Florence, Italy. We stayed after a little while to talk to Don Mario and Dylan, but after that we picked up some dinner (I had a delicious sandwich with ham and cheese and eggplant and mmmmmmm) and now I'm about to go outside to drink wine and smoke cigars with Dan and Bridget. This has turned into a quite relaxing weekend and I'll be wanting more of these after the next two weekends that I have in store.

Until next time, mi amici, God bless!

Saw this on Facebook tonight and really liked it:

Everyone longs to give their self completely to someone,

to have a deep soul relationship with another,

to be loved thoroughly and exclusively.

But God, to a Christian says,

“No, not until you are satisfied with living loved by Me alone.

I love you, My child,

and until you discover that only in Me is your satisfaction,

you will not be capable of the perfect love that I have planned for you.

I want you to stop planning, stop wanting,

and allow Me to give you the most thrilling plan existing—

one that you cannot imagine.

I want you to have the best. Please allow Me to bring it to you.

Just keep watching Me, expecting the greatest things.

Keep experiencing that satisfaction knowing that I AM.

Keep learning and listening to the things I tell you.

You must wait.

Don't be anxious. Don't worry! Don't look at the things you want.

Don't look around at the things others have gotten or that I have given them.

Just keep looking to Me, or you'll miss what I want to show you.

And then, when you are ready, I'll surprise you

with a love far more wonderful than any you would ever dream of.

You see, until you are ready

—and even to the minute, to have both of you ready at the same time—

until you are both satisfied with Me and the life I prepared for you,

you won't be able to experience the love that exemplifies your relationship with Me

and is thus, perfect love.

And dear one, I want you to have this wonderful love.

I want you to see in the flesh, a picture of your relationship with Me

and to enjoy the everlasting union of beauty and love.

I am God.

Believe and be satisfied.

- St. Anthony of Padua, 1247 -

An Untitled Post from Your Gracious Host

It has been a slow, relaxing, day, as you can probably tell by the 'rhyme' in my title. I went into Florence today and ended up taking a wrong turn somewhere as I've found myself liable to do lately, but I really enjoyed just wandering. I was finally able to catch up on some reading and skype a few people I had meaning to get in touch with since I've arrived. That's about all. Sorry to disappoint.

God bless!

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!