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)
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