frazzled would be a good word

ah! so i've been so busy lately & haven't had time to put any new post ups...or any new great pictures! quick update: wrote three research papers on 3 days and my brain is fried (reason number one for not really wanting to post), going on a big trip this weekend to vienna, prague, and barcelona (if you're unsure, vienna is located in austria, prague in the czech republic, and barcelona in spain. mini geography lesson to follow...maybe i'll post a map...), and then one day after i come home from that trip, i leave on another to roma! big things happening and it's making my entire study abroad experience FLY by.

anyways it's 1am and i still have italian homework to do. but here is a fun and totally random picture i took last week. it's where is spent an afternoon, the couple in the far right corner made me smile!

k

song set up

this week i keep finding myself putting these songs on repeat...

x "pick up the phone" -- dragonette

x "tourist" -- julian casablancas

x "i'll do better" -- jarrod gorbel

x "con te partirò" -- andrea bocelli

x "symphonies" -- dan black

k

the art of packing

i am a fashion major. everything i think about, do, want, revolves around a fashion of some sort. when i travel, i have a problem. i could be going to delaware or to visit a friend for a weekend and i always have a few dilemmas that i can't deny or disregard: 1) what am i going to wear 2) what am i going to wear 3) what am i going to wear and 4) how am i going to make it all fit. for as long as i can remember i've packed my favorite shirts, bottoms, shoes of the time-being, then, when i arrive with a weekender stuffed to the brim, i freak when i open it and still can't decide what to wear. this may seem like a minimal problem to others, but to me, it's practically suicide every time.

i've turned a new leaf. european travel has changed my life forever. when i arrived abroad i brought two large bags that could be used for school bags/purses, then 4 clutches, and THREE very stuffed and very large suitcases. needless to say, the idea of weekend trips hadn't occured to me when it came to packing. our first weekend trip was just around the corner and word on the street was that everyone was bringing their backpacks. omg. i don't own one, what the hell was i going to jam my stuff into? then i remembered that i in fact did have a backpack...a leather one that i picked up from my favorite thrift store for a grand total of $1.00. but i hadn't EVER thought of using it for actual weekend backpacking...wasn't that....nerdy? and too small?

my carry-on roller suitcase accompanied me on my first weekend trip and it was a pain in the ass. i decided to never do this again. the next trip to Oktoberfest was up next, and the night before, i sat on my bed staring down at my leather backpack on the ground. it was so small i wanted to cry. how could i look monumentally cool in billions of pictures from the world's biggest party if i couldn't bring just about every article of clothing that i wanted...or better yet, needed!?

needless to say, mission accomplished tenfold. my roommate leanne was in shock and i myself was impressed with my packing abilities. i rolled everything instead of folding (a technique i only have my parents to thank!!) it has been three weekend trips now to far off lands and i am proud to say that i have finally, at the ripe age of 20, learned how to pack. AND early, as opposed to packing the day of, most normally 30 minutes before i'm supposed to leave my house..! since i was so prepared, i had a few extra minutes in the morning to snap some photos of my ever-so bulging and loyal leather backpack.

did i mention that i've also been able to keep my important cards, euros, sunglasses, camera, ipod, and italian cellphone in this also very handy, classy, thrift store find, black quilted, chained purse!? i surprise myself!

k

VENICE

when my mom and my sister went on a trip to italy when i was in fifth grade, leaving my dad & i behind, i first started to envision my first trip to italy. i knew some day it would happen, i just didn't know when. the first trip came and went. so did the second. now i'm here on my third trip to this beautiful country and after this weekend, i can say that i went to my number one place on my list of places to go in the world. VENICE. you can imagine my excitement!! (i now have think of a new number one place to go...) the most perfect mix that a location can have is being a city and having water: hence the reason why my beach house with a canal in the backyard, amsterdam, and now venice, have remained among the top of my lists. the icy-teal water, the stripes, the masks; everything. i found myself snapping the same pictures over and over again. (eventually i deleted all the duplicates after realizing that having two of the exact same picture doesn't make it look anymore beautiful..) now is one of those times that i wish i had a nice Nikon, or Canon camera. you know, one of those hefty ones. i think i'd look quite convincing with such a device, fiddling with the zoom and whatnot, and i might be able to snap some beauties along the way. though chunky and annoying to lug, i'd be perfectly willing to sport it if it could produce the most beautiful of pictures. i will go back some day because like i knew in 5th grade about my first trip to italy, it will happen.

we spent a lot of time inside mask stores, trying them on and scaring each other. we were hiding in a corner of the store and the store owner came up to us and said "don't worry, photos okay! take many photos as you want!" he was adorable, creative, and an cute old italian man. we played around in there a little longer and below are some of the masks we tried on:

but i spent most of the day shopping and buying myself glossy, glassy pieces of Murano jewelry. the shopaholic in me found itself standing guilt-free at the register with 50 euros worth of rings, necklaces, and bracelets. fun! something overcame me and three days later, i am still very happy with my purchases!! here is my ring (which i'm petrified i'm going to break, praying i won't because even though i will go back to venice sometime in my life time, it might not be next weekend or next year...)

k

bootays

wanted to share these new laceup boots i bought. it's a shame. i can't walk in them here on the cobblestones. thank you historic florence, i almost broke my face a few times in flats. so unfort, these kicks will have to wait for my return to hit the streets. i have to admit two things: 1) i wore them one night to dinner and drinks when my sister was in town. she was my human-cane and i'm very thankful for her. 2) i tried wearing them to class on tuesday, slowly crawled down my stairs, down the street, then realized WHAT ARE YOU DOING, so i pivoted, crept back up the stairs and changed into my worn and torn one-dollar flats instead. much easier 20 minute walk to school when you can actually walk without wobbling. i'm pissed i can't really wear them here, but everything has a time and a place and i think my boots are selfishly holding out for the streets of new york city, smart shoes ;) i've hardly been able to measure the heel, but from the looks of them, i dare say they are approx. 4.5 inch heels.

pretty lame shot if you ask me, but you gotta work with whatcha got, and what i don't got is a living breathing professional photographer friend, so photobooth & i have become pretty close.

k

i graffiti italiani

where i'm from in new jersey, there isn't much graffiti to be seen. i can't even say that there is an occasional scribble on a building, it just simply doesn't exist. of course i've seen graffiti before--having spent some time in new york over the years, i've seen quite a few doodles. i never thought about graffiti in general because it's not part of my daily surroundings in new jersey or in rhode island where i go to school. but when i came to florence to study abroad, a project in my italian class was to comment on the graffiti found around the city. she asked if we liked the graffiti, how it's different from graffiti in america, etc. it was a composition i didn't know how to write because i never thought much on the subject. everyone in my class didn't seem to have a problem with describing the differences in italian graffiti and american graffiti. i was at a loss, so i set out on a mission when i walked to school; instead of just drowning myself out with my ipod and shelieding my eyes with my shades, i was going to see florence from a graffiti point of view.

at first it wasn't cute. i didn't like most of the markings i saw. actually i was really bothered by most of the scribbles; stupid gang signs? meaningless thick and thin lines? made-up italian words? what made me the most pissed was that in florence, the buildings are old and hold so much history, so why would someone write on all these buildings with ugly symbols? then i started to really look, trying to find some beauty in the markings. i found none, but what i did find was actual graffiti that was pretty. what a feeling! the more and more i searched inbetween the other random lines and colors, i found ones that i would go as far as to say demanded some artistic credit.

i snapped a few pictures and i hope to post more as i see others that i like.

"imagine"

"paradise waits for us"

"you are as beautiful as the sky"

k

blubermuffs in italia

there are a few things to be noted about blubermuffs in italia, though like any argument, there are two sides: pros and cons. (for those who are abbrev. illiterate, blubermuffs/bbm = blue berry muffins.)

first with the cons:

x they are as dry as a muffin made from sawdust

EXAMPLE A:

x fake blueberries. wouldn't it be easier to buy fresh blueberries than fabricate, seal, and freeze some in a factory?

x about the size of my fist--which is clearly not enough food if you're going to break free of your diet and endulge in the first place.

now with the pros:

x there is a clever paper cup that the italian blubermuffs are baked in. imagine the same paper cups that american blubermuffs are baked in and then create the hybrid! envision a small flap encircling it, so instead of jabbing and wounding the bbm when you go to take the paper off, you just simply pull on the flap and viola! down comes the paper and out comes your bbm, in instants.

x you know coffee cake? the only part that tastes good on coffee cake is the what...? the sugary crumbs on the top, duh. welllllll, imagine your bbm covered in that and all it's glory. yeah, i know.

x the best part of the italian blubermuff is the edges of the top, not the center of the top. this has proven to be a challenge for me because this means i have to alter my technique of tackling the bbm.

just a few things to think about on the topic of the sugary confection.

k

owl necklace

a few years ago, (precisely three years) my mom, dad, and i went on a trip to italy. when my mom and i were here, we did a few days of shopping & my mom bought me a necklace that was made out of murano glass. it was called "the tree of life" and sadly i was stupid enough to lose it :/ i will try to snap a picture of my friend molly's necklace when i get a chance because she has the very necklace i used to have! anyways, the other day at the market, my sister and i were looking at all the murano glass when i spotted this beauty......an owl! made from murano glass!! ho exciting! i didn't have a chain for it because every chain the vendor keep on trying to sell me looked like i bought the necklace from a 25 cent crank machine in the supermarket, no thanks. so i made the best of my limited resources and attached the charm to a gold chain i already own. it worked out perfectly and here i snapped a few pictures. enjoy the Owl, the RBs, and the orange-y/red lipstick.

k

beautiful day

today was a normal day -- except i woke up late. that sucked. but then i realized, OH! my outfit is already picked out for the day (the exact thing i wore last night to the movies, how creative). my fears floated away, so i suited up in this amazing navy blue grandfather sweater that i bought at a flea market on sunday (posts to follow on this very subject). i ran down the 72 steps of my apartment and hit the streets when i realized, wow my new (or i should say newly thrifted) bag broke beneath my grasp. awesome. i am not carrying my doctor-esque looking bag around like it is a cute evening clutch. looks like i'm carrying a box in my arms. but at least i'm pulling it off. my look is completed: a grandpa doctor. took my fashion marketing exam and finished in a jiffy. and even "did" my italian homework is even less time. i felt an urge to run to one of the various bridges on the Arno. coincidentally there is a fantastic party-for-your-taste-buds gelateria at the foot of the very bridge that i picked. a medium biscotti gelato found its way into a cone and then into my hand. to be completely honest, i only ever get "un gelato piccolo," but today i wrote my sister an email stating i would eat a gelato for her since she went home. and i couldn't lie, so i figured a medium gelato would suffice. i'm a good sister is what it comes down to. after i bid the-very-happy-to-be-working-in-a-gelateria lady farewell, it took two quick passes for me to find the most prime realestate-able place on that bridge. i had a plan, i was gonna sit with my back against the lamp post on the bridge wall. with my wayfayers on, even though my back would be to the sun. instant fear when i reached the bridge: and it's not because i was about to sit with my body looming over the great Arno river at high noon on a windy windy day -- it was because i realized i had a massive gelato overflowing and dripping with biscotti -- in a cone. how was i going to get up on the wall of the bridge? talking my cone through it, i delicately placed my temporary gastronomical best friend against a brass lamp post situated on the bridge wall. gross, i know. but what was i to do? i wanted to enjoy my cone sitting down and there was no other way of getting around it. anyways, i licked my cone to the core even after leaning it on the lamp post. oh well. my mom-mom always says "you need to eat a pound of dirt before you die". though, i think i'm up to a good 7 pounds by now since that whole craze in 5th grade about the "5 second rule," but that's another story. while propped comfortable against the lamp post (which was really pretty & decorated, by the way) i noticed tons of people starting at me as they walk past. it could be a shopping cart full of reasons why. i've narrowed it down to these: 1) they're confused by the non-italian wearing my grandpa looking sweater that i wore with tights and too much gold jewelry 2) they're jealous because what i'm doing is clearly the best thing anyone could be doing on a day like this. 3) they're playing with the idea of seeing me, my gelato, broken bag/clutch, and gold jewelry being pushed off the bridge into the murky water below. think i'll ignore them i'd wanna be me. fortunately for me, i'm having one of those very rare love-every-song-my-ipod-puts-on-shuffle days. the reason this is a rare occurrence is because i have quite a plethora of musical melodies scadaddling on my ipod. from the lizzie mcguire movie songs, to italian phrases, from random musicmondays to horrible techno mixes. today i only had to change lizzie's song. while we're on the subject of gross lovey dovey couples that make me sick and jealous all at the same time with charming sundresses, cropped trousers, and straw fedoras -- there's one sitting near me on the bridge. how many bridges are there in florence? could you go to another one? or at least to the other side of the side of the bridge so i can hardly see just how happy you both truly are? just kidding, making things even better, the vomit-worthy, so-in-love couple across the bridge just checked in & have arrived just in time for me to hate them.

k

per iniziare..

so i'm starting my blog a little late -- just at the half way point of my study abroad experience. and i don't know how i feel about it. i should have started earlier. but then again things happen when they do. what has halted my posting is the idea that i think most people don't give a hoot about what i have to say or ramble about, but despite that probably very true thought, i'm gonna post anyways. so here it is.

k