red pants, they're going to be a thing.

and i only bring this up because as i sit here watching "il grande fratello" (big brother of italy) the first person introduced was sporting some strikingly red pants. just saying.

my last week essentially ended on tuesday when i had three tests (an italian oral, then both classes i had that day). i nearly got a sweet case of carpel tunnel from all the writing i was doing that day. but luckily, it was over soon enough and i could take a quick breather before my last (of the first round of midterms) which happened today.

that is why i'm a bit late in this post as well, i have been quite busy. although luckily with all these things to keep up with, i've earned myself a break. this coming thursday, the rest of the fiek's are packing their bags (according to predetermined dimension and weight requirements, of course) and heading to italy! unfortunately for them, one of the best parts of a prolonged stay anywhere foreign is getting over jet lag and into the full swing of things. this is an aspect of short-term travel that can pose as a problem, a personal let down for me is when i get good and hungry at about 1 AM. super.

but as their destination is italy, there will be no shortage of available food. after touring around italy for a few days we're headed to berlin to see the fatherland. i'm personally very excited because not only have i heard great things about berlin from just about everyone i've asked (including an international relations advisor with plenty of travel experience), you can literally buy sausage all over the city, and great sausage at that. of course there's also the rich history (both familial and historical) that i am far overdue in visiting, much like italy -- big year for lineal reconnection eh?

so that will be a blast, and of course i'm looking forward to halloween (who wouldn't!). anyway, i better get heading off as my italian class (having past the halfway mark, it switched times) now starts an hour earlier. that coupled with our recent daylight savings is giving me quite the run for my money so i play it safe and just get plenty of sleep.

**side note, i looked up the term for a 'cobbler' in italian to see if i could get the zipper to my leather bag fixed prior to the aforementioned travel and have learned the term, either ciabattino or calzolaio. funny part is that a group of calzolai(?) have created a website to direct people to nearby cobblers throughout italy based on region and city. you too, can find your most convenient cobbler at www.calzolaio.it -- according to their front picture they'll also repair sneakers? i didn't think sneakers needed repair/could even be repaired? what's the guy doing just whipping out the "shoe goo" and going "eehhh, dieci euro." anyway, until next time (which may be delayed due to travel, as a head's up) a presto!

i'm not saying the best prep for an italian composition is going to an italian night club the night before. but i'm not saying it's not.*

last week, man what a calm before the storm. we did in fact have an italian composition, followed a day or two later by the test. the compositions have never been an issue, you get to use a dictionary AND notes, so essentially being literate is your best prep for that one. and lucky for all parties involved, i am literate. that said, the test was essentially what i was used to only longer, and earlier. since it was 2 hrs long we had to get there at 9 instead of my usual 10. apart from that, i did my thing and headed home to take a much needed pre-sociology nap.

apart from that the test didn't go well as my previous ones because up until now i hadn't missed any more than .25 of a full point (they're out of 20). so the length does have a negative impact on test-taking, let it be known. the rest of my week was pretty much a multiple day'ed lull followed by a pretty calm weekend. the weather's dropped down to "davis just before thanksgiving" temp and every now and again it'll either rain, or simply look like it. so bundling up has become a bit of a necessity.

it was gray one day of the weekend, but on the upside i have just about gotten to the point of the pointy shoes being a second skin. my goal is to wear em at least one night a week out to break em (and myself) in.

i went to an aperitivo** on friday for dinner where i not only got to indulge in some tanqueray (finally, it is so expensive here) and learn more about the wide, goofy variety of cocktails here in italy. for instance this one offered both a "long island iced tea" and a "long beach iced tea," difference being there was cranberry instead of coke in the long beach version. i had no idea long beach was so into cranberry juice? the aperitivo was very good though, located close to one of (i think) three roman universities, it was hoppin. no english spoken is the first red flag that you'll be eating well with your inexplicably named cocktail in hand.

i also went to the doria pamphilj*** gallery and the colonna gallery last week/end. one was thurs, the other on sat (since it's a private gallery they dictate when the public is allowed in). they were pretty sweet and helped to further convince me that i should someday be in the market to purchase my very own palazzo, i mean real estate's gotta bounce back soon enough. lots of cool works (saw a titian and a brueghel amongst others) and very ornate palazzi.

after a somewhat uneventful weekend i had to prep for 3 (count it!) tests today. one in italian -- the oral part of the test, i had a pretty sweet discussion about how i eat a banana with breakfast every day, one in renaissance city and society -- which was composed of 3 short essays, mamma mia! and finally, one in museum theory and history -- which was somewhat interesting as it was in fact a test about museums. i have one in sociology coming up, then it's halloween, and break round 2: this time featuring the entire family. i have nothing but confidence in the high levels of fun we'll have.

but arguably most importantly, halloween -- it's only a week away. what on earth should i be?! i mean, gotta keep the spirit alive. so i have essentially a sharpie and my clothes at my disposal...gonna have to get creative.

i also am going to a (and my very first european) soccer, or 'calcio' here, match. it's as roma vs livorno and in spite of livorno not doing so hot, i'm still pretty confident roma will win. additionally, sunday might be the least ideal time to put a soccer match as i'll either have to study before or get home and study. either way it spells a no-go on the half time peroni, gonna have to save it for next time.

that's about it, no new pictures (shocker) but in order to remedy that i'm gonna put more effort into uploading my last vacation's pictures onto picasa. also i will try to take more pictures. next week may be a day late too thanks to sociology (way to go guys!) but we'll see how it all unfolds, still a ways away. ciao ciao!

*it's language immersion! and i got home at a reasonable hour.
**aperitivo, if i haven't explained before, is a set of hours - usually like 7-9 - in which when you spend so much on a drink you get access to an all you can eat italian buffet. so you end up buying a (sometimes goofy/girly) cocktail since that falls in the predetermined price range. it's a great value for dinner AND a drink, especially when you find good ones like this. they had fresh pizza/pasta/salame/and some salad with tuna. i made an effort to try it all which turned out pretty well (lots of good food) but also made me super full. guess i got my money's worth.
***pronounced pam-phee-lee. tricky with the j right? the dude (living heir) on the audio guide seemed pretty pompous (didn't help he had a british accent) too, things like "with the role of pope filled, MY family began to take their hold on rome." what an ass.

PS buon compleanno, pietro! (even if it's a day-late and your card is far-more-than-that-late)

apparently the piazza nearest to my apartment is a hit with the pre-teens

that's right, and not just because that seems to be the trend (because honestly, the age groups differ throughout the day) but because i was talking with someone who mentioned she used to hang out there -- when she was like 12. so not only are there nearby cannoli (from real sicilians mind you) there is also a hotbed for some of the most eligible preteens in rome.

so now that the mystery of the hottest chicks in rome is solved, there only remains one: how on earth they go out nightly and can get up in the morning. honestly i wish i knew, because then there would be nothing stopping me.

unfortunately i don't so getting home quite late does in fact guarantee me a call time of roughly 1 PM. no biggie. that said, the piazza also hosted boxing one night this past weekend. unfortunately, like most boxing, it's never as gritty as you hope. again, no biggie.

i did however get the chance to see a few dj's from one of my favorite record labels play and it was absolutely mind-blowing. if you've ever seen me dance, and i use the term loosely, you'll know that i love to try and squeeze in some fist pumping. well when the club they're playing is packed, that's about all you got goin on to choose from. yahtzee!

last week was pretty solid class-wise too (as much as possible, i guess). i did in fact visit the jewish ghetto -- no bagels, maybe a new york thing? but i did get some awesome cookies. they were some of the most unassuming cookies on the planet but they were tasty.

we also went to the non-catholic cemetery out by the pyramid. now i know what you're thinking, "non-catholic cemetery? isn't that just any cemetery that's not italian, and if it's not - it should be." and ya know, i can understand that, i had similar thoughts upon first hearing about it. but oddly enough that's where both keats AND shelley are buried, and let's be honest -- you can't point me to an old cemetery that i WON'T like. so it was a good use of a thursday afternoon. i even opted to stay a little longer (instead of going home early) to poke around a bit more. i'd like to come back when it's rainy and gray because i don't think it's open at night (aka the most peaceful time to be in a cemetery).

my weekend's food was sans-kebab/kebap which i personally am bummed about, but i just know my body's thanking me for it. i did however find a better pizza place than my usual so that's a big plus, and am in the process of trying more restaurants.

i have an italian test on wed, which means i need to both start speaking more frequently than i do AND actually study. what a drag. and the worst part is, when everyone's italian is at their best (roughly between drink 1 and 2) certainly does not fall into the hour of class (roughly 10-11 AM). additionally i'm gonna have to i guess be fully awake and ready to go on wed. double damn.

but that does afford me another weekend, so i suppose there is in fact a silver lining to every cloud. and on that note, i'm going to wrap this up here as to get a full night's rest because apparently for the first half of my week, i'll need it. until next time, ciao ciao!

a day late, a buck short -- or in italy it's roughly a buck fiftyish.

so as some of you may have noticed, i am indeed a day behind in my blog. generally i try to get it out on sunday, as there isn't a whollle lot else going on past the flea market, reading, and a nap. and in all honesty, yesterday was the same deal, only about 2 hrs past when i usually do these things. anyway, who cares, now you'll probably appreciate this one a slight bit more as it is, right? and if it helps, i'll include today too.

my past week started off, well, kinda weak. i woke up not feeling 100% on monday so apart from sleeping as much as i could and fighting a cold i squeezed in going to class. you know something's off when i both don't want to wear cologne that day, and don't want any espresso. so i stuck to pounding as much water as i could (we're talkin liters here), eating right, and zicam -- when it runs out, i will literally cry.

luckily however, my weekend included a healthy enough alex ready to go out. although as things turned out it was a pretty low key weekend and i guess life goes on even if you don't go to a club or bar? however if you ask me, that's not a life i'm looking to lead right now.

additionally i did have both a mediocre kebap and an outstanding one. what's the difference you ask? well, in the world of kebab/kebap/kebab-eries/kebap-eries, the meat is key. when you're working with what can only be cat meat (there aren't so many left in the colosseum these days) freshness is key, vegetables as well. and the really only deal-breaker is when the only roman in 2009 who has managed to contract, and continue to host, the plague is serving you during his break from watching tv. che fortuna! what you need is a man who speaks too fast and is willing to shave you some of the freshest mystery meat that a vertical log of the stuff will offer. and i know what you're saying at this point, if it is so low quality, why buy it? well, that statement in itself is hypocritical. it is quite the well-rounded, affordable, filling, delicious meal. especially with the veggies offered by a kebap, you're looking at bread, vegetables, meat (of some variety, maybe gyspy if not cat) and even some hot sauce to help you sweat out the toxins you are presently ingesting via your dinner, all in the palm of your hand (or in my girlish case, palms).

so, after a couple low key nights and plenty of rest, par normal (or in italian "di solito") i went to the flea market.

for those of you who have never been to a flea market/swap meet, they have an uncanny ability to be roughly 90-99 degrees fahrenheit no matter what time of year, but the exact difference is negligible as it will always feel uncomfortably hot. just hot enough, in fact, to get a slight sweat going that persists for hours and seems to make everyone around you stand out as "the guy who forgot deodorant that day" or in most cases, make that "everyday," kinda like the bus. benissimo.

but not to worry, because this time around my sweat (blood and tears weren't necessary) paid off, as i did make a much sought-after purchase. i bought a cheap chain to string things up around my neck as i see fit, thus far i've got some old keys. it'll likely give me a rash, but that's the price of beauty. i also swooped up my hard, sought-after shoes! not only did i haggle with the man, they both fit AND look great. i know what you're thinking, what about blisters? that's another point, these babies just work, so blisters? fughetaboutit. to put it as simply as possible -- pulling, them, off. the literal only downside is the fact that i did not shop for a sheath for these daggers i just bought. luckily though, i don't need a permit to take em out in public, but i'm pretty sure it is illegal to look this good.

monday was hardly a slap in the face as well. after class i did a little more shopping (leather jackets are a hard decision, it's like finding a wife)/passeggiata along via del corso, one of rome's major shopping streets. it runs from the piazza venezia down to the piazza del popolo, and includes names ranging from puma to zara to rolex to stefanel, essentially anything you'd need. and if you need more, it connects to the street leading up to the spanish steps/piazza di spagna, which houses even more large names. aka, great people watching and only a couple stores that fall into the price range of "anyone who is not berlusconi."

funny thing about the italians though, they love "guess jeans." they had a huge billboard in st. mark's in venezia, and today there was a lamborghini parked in front of the one on via del corso. on my way back i also saw a gorgeous maserati (at least they're buying italian, right?) and the combination of events and beautiful warm weather, it just about felt like i was back in newport. that is until i hit the police man on a stand directing traffic with a whistle, and i was right back to rome.

so i wrapped up (had to pee again from all the water i'm still drinking)*, got home, and here i am! tomorrow we are visiting the jewish ghetto in my rennaissance city and society class, maybe i can snag a bagel. either way it'll be cool. i'll be back on sunday (most likely) and i have since stopped with pictures, i continue to forget and thus, we all suffer. ciao ciao e bacioni!


*i recently have learned the term "to go (or make) pee" in italian is "fare il pipì" so i guess i had to "faccio il pipì."