well, the title says it all.  bf is officially a yalie!  and i couldn’t be more proud of him.  new haven is a beautiful city and i think it’s going to make a wonderful home for bf for the next two years (at least).  i can’t wait to spend some of my fall weekends there perusing the vintage stores and doing all the fun stuff that new havenites do.

i had to cut my visit short thanks to that witch, irene (although i pretty much helped him with the essentials before i left).  it’s a good thing i left when i did because the next morning they shut down all the public transportation.  

so, then comes irene!  i didn’t really know what to think, especially since i come from miami where every summer there is impending doom from some hurricane or another.  you tend to get a little desensitized.  but i also know that nyc is not equipped to handle hurricanes.  i think the moment it became real for me was when they shut down the subway system and closed the airports- also when the giant tree in the back of the yard woke me up at 3 in the morning sounding like something out of the exorcist.  (not fun).  we were very blessed in our home though.  no damage or anything.  we were just without power for a day.  no biggie.  

the street over, however, was not so lucky.  one man in particular had four trees and a telephone pole fall on his house.  wow.

before all of this though, bf took me to see ‘the help’.  i absolutely loved it (except for the awful wigs).  the story stayed true to the book for the most part (while changing some things around for cinema purposes) and i absolutely loved loved loved the wardrobe.  the costumes were beautiful.  i would recommend it to everyone.  i laughed and cried alot and you didn’t hear it from me but i heard a few sniffles from bf too!!!  ;)

i am currently reading the novel the help because i am really interested in seeing the movie.  the previews that i have seen look funny and heartfelt and i am excited to see this movie that has been getting so much buzz.  

the book is written well enough and the story of the three women is really interesting but, of course, with any literature where the main theme is based on race there will undoubtedly be some type of controversy.  

http://thechronicleherald.ca/ArtsLife/1258979.html

the problem i have with articles like this is that they seem to forget that this novel is not a history book.  it is a piece of literature- a piece of art, and it should be treated at such.  take from it what you can and leave the rest.  interpret it how you wish but do not bash it to the ground on account of it making you feel a certain way.  i believe kathryn stockett wrote it for that very purpose.  it is supposed to make you feel something.  to feel- the human condition.

no, i don’t think it is an attempt at a “white savior” (in the form of skeeter phelan) rescuing the black people around her.  i think it is a story about life, in particular, life in the deep south in the 60s with all the harsh realities that came with it and i, for one, am glad it was written.  

things i learned today:

1. i think i’m gonna like it here.

2. i CAN drive in nyc (drove to brooklyn today).  this realization was accompanied by another one- i will need a drink after most outings involving me behind the wheel.

3. family is family, no matter how long they haven’t seen you for or even if they have never met you.  :)

4. my cousin, junior, is crazy!!!!  love it.

5. if you ever need a reference for what swagger is, just watch a jamaican dominoes game.  pure, unfiltered, in-your-face swag!!!  

if you didn’t know yet, i’m telling you know- i moved to nyc!  my move was literally just as abrupt as my previous sentence.  so i might as well dive right in.  i live here now and i’m loving it!  

i met up with one of my very good friends from my eastman days yesterday.  it was so good to see lauren in the city!  i have a feeling that over the next few years alot more of my friends are going to find themselves in nyc, just like i did.  

i made the journey to manhattan by myself (applause please)!!  i think that it was a good accomplishment and yes, i am pleased with myslef.  what was even better was that for my $2.25 i got one of the best shows of my life.  new yorkers are funny (and crazy).  i thought i would have encountered all the crazies on the bus (just going off of my rochester days) but no, the wierdos are on the train!  

scene 1: two men get on the train, one appears to be a teacher and the other appears to be mentally handicapped (that is not the funny part!)  the funny part happened when the second man decided that he wanted to add his rear end to a three person bench that already contained three people.  i mean, technically there was a little bit of space between person 1 and 2- about 6 inches worth.  but he thought it was ok.  so he literally sat on the man (person number 2).  i died.  the man who was sat on got up and stood the rest of the way.  

scene 2: preface-i just moved here!  ok, so i like looking around on the train, observing all the different people and maybe i tend to make eye contact a little but too long.  well, apparently i did just that with this one lady sitting next to the woman who was sitting next to me.  ”i ain’t lookin atchu!!  i’m jus tryin to figure out my stop” she yells.  and i had my headphones on.  she said some other things that are not tumblr appropriate and then was like “sh**, i missed my ******* stop!!!!” and ran off the subway.  keep eyes averted at all times.  lesson learned. 

scene 3: the girl across from me couldn’t help it.  she was so tired.  so she starts to doze.  (how people can sleep on the subway, i will never understand).  she starts dozing and her head starts nodding…right onto the man’s shoulder next to her.  it took all i had to not laugh out loud.  she was so shocked when her head touched him!  but not shocked enough because about a minute later she was out like a light again but this time she had put her hand up to act as a cradle so she wouldn’t use the man as a pillow…but she should have put both hand up b/c…tap, she nods onto the woman on the other side.  i die!  she pretty much did this till she got off the train.  

new york city public transportation- better than the improv.

loving life

where to begin… i went to verona and venice this weekend.

i went to venice and verona this weekend and it was amazing.  everything about the trip was great.  it’s far enough along in the program where we all know each other and it’s not awkward anymore so the bus ride was complete fun.  we got to verona and had literally just enough time to put our bags down in our hotel rooms and then we were off on a tour of the city.  our tour guide was pazza (crazy) to say the least and her talking made you dizzy…if you can imagine.  half the time all we could do was laugh b/c her choice of english phrases and word context was so wrong.  

she did tell us some very interesting things about shakespeare and all his plays set in the region we were in and we learned quite a bit about juiliet…the juilet.  there is even a society of women who receive “letters to juilet” much like santa claus and write back to these women about love and love lost.  quite interesting there is a whole phenomenon surrounding this epic love story.

the best part of verona was la traviata in the arena.

http://www.arena.it/en-US/HOMEen.html

the vibe was equivalent to a baseball game in the states, but so much better.  the arena was massive and the set was to die for but even more amazing were the voices on stage.  i was so far away from the singers and still felt completely enthralled and drawn in.  it was a beautiful experience- opera under the stars

on sunday we went to venice and it really is a magical city.  it’s not the most beautiful city in the world in my opinion, but there is something very magical about it.  arriving to the city by boat was fun and a bit romantic and the absence of automobile noise creates a different atmosphere than anywhere else i have been.  a group of us decided out goal was to get lost on purpose and that we did.  we had an absolute blast and even saw some gypsies!  i also had the absolute best gelato that i have had since i’ve been in italy- honey and almold!  it was sublime.  i can’t describe it, lest i diminish it’s beauty.  

today we celebrated the fourth of july with a bbq and fireworks…who knew you could find really good fireworks on the fourth of july in a small town in the middle of italy?  not i.  good day.  i haven’t had many bad ones since living here. :o) 

ciao.

corpus domini.  i stepped outside and this is what greeted me.  wish the four weekers’ were here to see this.  absolutely beautiful.  it keeps getting better.

What have I been doing since my last post?  Oh, the usual…singing in castles, going to carnivals and festivals, spending the entire day on the beach…you know, nothing special.

We had our first concert in the Branceleoni Castle in Piobbico, Italy on Friday.  It was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful.  As I walked up the very steep road to the entrance of the castle in front of me was literally the side of a mountain.  Once I reached the end of the road all I could do was smile because the panoramic view from where I was can not be described in words.  

and this pic does not do it justice.  

The castle was interesting and we sang in a throne room=great acoustics.  while i was not singing i walked around and explored.  

  saturday a huge group of us woke up too early and caught the 7:20 bus to pesaro.  i had been hearing about pesaro for awhile and i am so glad i went!  it is a beautiful lazy beach town with beautiful shops and beautiful people and a beautiful beach.  rossini’s house is also in pesaro.  also, alot of speedo’s.  i’ve seen enough for my lifetime…  after the most magnificent day in pesaro we made some friends with a group of italien teenage boys who told us how to get back to urbania (they were going to for the carnival.)  we got off in urbino to transfer busses only to find out that our bus was going to be late- very late.  cue adventure music.  no, just kidding.  it was fine.  we walked around a little and then took the bus back to urbania…..

only go back to the apt, shower, and go over to the festival that was calling me with the live music and crostolos (a specialita in urbania.)  I drank some italian? beer, danced a line dance with the locals and shared a crostolo with evie.  then we went to the tagada- is that how you spell it?  anyway it means carnival and we went to ride this epic ride that is basically the italian equivalent of g-force at the fair- except way more fun and completely unsafe!  i mean, no seatbelts and it was open.  we basically sat in a bowl with seats and got spun around so fast that we were held in our seats…except when the operator would stop the ride and then whoever was at the top would be holding on for dear life…sounds terrible to write it down but it was amazing.  i think that whole free healthcare eradicates a lot of injury worries….  :o/  lol.

then we were off to the local bar- la trattoria.  but not without stopping at caffe centrale to pick up ryan.  so glad we did that because we would have missed the dance going on inside the caffe.  i mean, dancing on tables and just jumping around the caffe.  so of course evie and i joined…there is documentation somewhere.  

typical day in italy- sempre una festa a urbania!!!!

life is surreal right now.

ciao.

i could have stayed in rimini forever!  the weather was perfect (i think the entire bus prayed the entire way to san marino and then again to rimini b/c of what happened in florence.  you have to pay to get on the beach but the 3 euro are so worth it because you get a killer beach chair with an included head-sunvisor.  the water was not as beautiful as the caribbean but it was warm.  

we visited san marino first and had fun walking around and taking tons of pictures of the magnificent view from on top of the hill (mountain!)  the food was splendid, although i would love some tacos or bbq right about now.  it’s such an interesting phenomenon that i, growing up in america, take for granted.  you can’t just go to the grocery store and pick up all things necessary for a taco night.  they are just not available.  you can get pasta or pasta… anyway, i am growing a little tired of pasta but it’s good all the same.  the other night i threw some ingredients together and came up with a wonderful dish- shrimp, red peppers, onions, garlic, capers, artichokes, tomato sauce and some spinach ravioli (next time i will use a plain pasta).  really good!

our first concert was last night and it was alot of fun.  everyone has grown so much in the three weeks that we have been here.  it’s exciting to here such growth in such a short period of time.  

i’m currently sitting outside of caffe centrale under an umbrella in the sun.  it’s absolute bliss.  and here come my friends!!!  loving life right now.  

ciao!

oh so many things!!

let’s start with firenze.  it was an interesting time.  the place itself is beautiful but i didn’t see much of the touristy stuff .  i think it’s a place that needs to be visited with a smaller number of people.  we did go to the ponte vecchio and it was beautiful.  i really wanted a leather handbag from florence but it wasn’t meant to be.  

the group i was with wanted to go to an italian H&M so in we went and by the time we were ready to walk out of the store the flood gates of heaven opened and down came the second great flood.  the only reason i wasn’t completely beside myself was because i know God promised never to repeat noah’s story.  i mean, there was sideways rain and flooding and hail…HAIL!  and we were supposed to meet at the train station at 5.  

“umm, i guess we need to make a run for it”  but not before buying some stylish ponchos (a perk from h&m).  may i remind you that i was wearing sandals.  it was not fun.  the water was up to our ankles and even if it wasn’t we were getting rained on sideways so everything not covered by the poncho (and even some parts that were covered) got soaked.

then we had the luxury of sitting on an air conditioned train and bus for the long ride back to urbania.  the bus ended up smelling like wet dog.  yum!  it may not have been the best time but i can say i ran in the pouring rain in florence!  i hope to go again, maybe with my family.  

now for some more exciting news.  drum roll please: amanda found a scorpion in her sheets that were on her bed last night.  thank God she wasn’t in the bed, just moving the sheets around.  i didn’t know she could scream like that.  i got the broom and you know the rest.  since last night (actually immediately after killing said scorpion) i did some research.  apparently they are not poisonous and the sting can be related to a bee sting.  i’ve never had one of those so….yeah.  everyone says an italian wasp’s sting is much worse than a scorpion.  oh goodness.  

sorry this has been such a downer post… 

maybe if the sun would start shining again!

i know i owe you an italian story and i have tons to write- my day in firenze but i have been so busy with italian lessons and brilliant coachings and moving concerts that you may have to wait till the weekend.  here is something to hold you over… well two things.  1. a forward my daddy sent me that made me smile and    2. a song that i dedicate to my bestie and hope that all of you will listen to…

LIFEBOOK 2011

Health:

1.    Drink plenty of water

2.    Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar

3.    Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants, and eat less  food

that is manufactured in plants

4.    Live with the 3 E’s — Energy,  Enthusiasm, and Empathy

5.    Make time for prayer

6.    Play more games

7.    Read more books than you did in 2010

8.    Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day

9.    Sleep for 7 hours

10.  Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day —— and while you walk,  smile

Personality:

11.  Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what  their

journey is all about.

12.  Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control.

Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

13.  Don’t over do ; keep your limits

14.  Don’t take yourself so seriously ; no one else does

15.  Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip

16.  Dream more while you are awake

17.  Envy is a waste of time.  You already have all you need.

18.  Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with

his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.

19.  Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate  others.

20.  Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present

21.  No one is in charge of your happiness except you

22.  Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.

Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away

like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

23.  Smile and laugh more

24.  You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Community:

25.  Call your family often

26.  Each day give something good to others

27.  Forgive everyone for everything

28.  Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the  age of 6

29.  Try to make at least three people smile each day

30.  What other people think of you is none of your business

31.  Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your family

and friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:

32.  Do the right things

33.  Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful

34.  GOD heals everything

35.  However good or bad a situation is, it will change

36.  No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up

37.. The best is yet to come

38.  When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it

39.  Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Last but not the least :

40.  Do forward this to everyone you care about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =xfq_A8nXMsQ&feature=youtube_g data_player

ciao!