Sunday, October 14:
I had another productive late morning, where I finished both a paper and a presentation. Go me. Around 3pm, I headed into town to meet a few of the girls at Linguaviva so that we could go to an orchestra concert. The two music classes this semester require us to submit two concert reports, but that's not a big deal for me -- I legitimately wanted to go to this concert! It was being promoted as a chance to see this new up and coming conductor named Ryan McAdams, a young guy who has won the Chicago Emerging Conductors award and done a ton of other really impressive things. The concert consisted of Charles Ives "The Unanswered Question," Leonard Bernstein "Symphony #1, Jeremiah," and Tchaikovshky's "Symphony #4 op. 36." Megan and I geeked out. It was awesome. Ryan McAdams was indeed quite good and the orchestra was pretty great too. I'd like to go to another concert and it just so happens there's one right after break! Maybe that'll happen. Afterwards, Megan, Clairanne, and I got gelato at B. Ice (which is all-natural, meaning an excuse for me to call my gelato a "healthy treat") and I took the bus back to the apartment. Dinner was squash ravioli, fish, salad, and plums (which I couldn't get enough of). I then skyped my parents and attempted to do a huge blog session. It didn't really work, but it's the thought that counts.
Monday, October 15:
My presentation in Gail's class went pretty well -- I think, for someone who doesn't know much about art, I sounded pretty knowledgeable. At least I hope I did. We also got to experience a rant by Gail on powerpoint vs old fashioned slides, which was quite funny. Apparently this is a staple of art history classes that I've been missing out on. In Italian we began looking at the conditional verb form. Huzzah (but not really). After school, I took the bus back to the apartment in an attempt to be productive and get a lot of homework done. I think we can all guess how that turned out. I did complete the Venice blog update though, so that's something. I discover that, oh hey, I'm coming down with a cold. Dinner consisted of cheesy rice with carrots and potatoes, spinach and egg frittatas, stewed spinach, and plums. And the big deal of the day: I GOT THE RECIPE FOR ALL OF THE STEWED VEGETABLES. SCORE. (Kristine, expect to have these in our apartment this spring ALL THE TIME.) Sarah and I both did a little homework and then talked for a while after dinner before I went to bed in an effort to nip this cold in the bud.
Tuesday, October 16:
My morning started with my gender and music class at Linguaviva, where we listened to Carnevale music, which was pretty fun. After that, I headed to San Lorenzo for class with Jodie. We end up getting to peek into the Laurentian Library and the special exhibit on the Medici's old devotional books, before going down into the crypt (and seeing all the Medici tombs) and up into the Medici family chapel and sacristy. Then it was back to Linguaviva for lunch and some reading for my paper for Jodie. Around 4pm, Ian, Jessikah, Michael, and I go with Kate to pick up refreshments for the reception after the special lecture we're holding in the evening. Sarah K (the professor for my gender and music class) arranged for the authors of a new(er) book called Invisible Women to do a guest lecture on women in art. The lecture was pretty interesting; I learned a lot about the relatively unknown female artists of the renaissance (like a nun named Suor Plautilla Nelli) and the works by women artists displayed in museums around Florence. After the lecture, Ian, Jessikah, and I ended up bar-tending (which was fun), since we had helped set everything up. But bar-tending came at a steep price: we were made responsible for finishing the open bottles of everything once the reception was done. Woe is us. We ended up making bellini out of the leftover prossecco and apricot juice. Afterwards, we helped Kate bring the leftover food and unopened drinks back to the office and then got gelato at Il Re. I got back to the apartment a little later, just in time for dinner (chicory bake, a cheese platter, bean salad, onions and potatoes, and apples) during which Sarah and I explain the lecture to Anna. She seemed really interested in it and I'm sure would've liked to know more than what we were able to explain.
Wednesday, October 17:
Once again, I didn't have anything until Italian class, so I spent my morning doing some reading. After more conditional verb exercises (and wondering how we were going to be quizzed on something that we've spent all of two days learning), we rushed to meet Gail at the Uffizi for class, where we spent a lot of time on the third floor, looking at altar pieces. Since Sarah and I didn't have to run off to drawing class, we stopped at the Venchi Chocolate store for gelato, where I tried azteco chocolate and cream (AND IT WAS DELICIOUS). We headed back to Linguaviva to collect our things from the lockers and went back to the apartment. I finished my paper for Jodie, did my Italian homework, and studied for our quiz the next day -- all before dinner (it was beer and pizza night again, accompanied by chicken burgers, stewed zucchini and carrots, pears, and apples). After dinner I found an article on sleeping cats, which I think everyone should see, and proceeded to waste a half hour of my life looking at more and more cat pictures. Good life choice? I think so.
Thursday, October 18:
Today was the last day of classes before break! Sarah and I walked to the Museum of San Marco for class with Jodie, where we studied the work of Fra Angelico, a monk-artist from Florence. I then proved my nerdiness for all time by staying, at Jodie's invitation, for her second class (the Michelangelo class, which I am not enrolled in) at San Marco to study Savonarola. I enjoyed it immensely. Then it was back to Linguaviva for lunch and Italian (where we started off the class with a quiz). After class, Isa and I planned our next trip (Paris!) and then I had my last class before break started: gender and music. We discussed Tuesday's lecture and then an article on the female subject in art. Back at the apartment, Sarah and I almost didn't know what to do with ourselves now that we didn't have homework to do. I ended up blogging, while she planned out a "Florence in a day" itinerary for when her mom gets here. She ends up calling me the gelato expert and asks my opinion on which places she should take her mom. We talked about break and the possibility of meeting up in London while we're both there, she got her mom checked into a hostel, and then it was time for dinner (pasta, roast pork, stewed cabbage, and the best kiwi I've ever tasted).
Friday, October 19:
Happy Break! I spent the day in Perugia with Maggie, Caitlin, and Cathy at the Perugia Chocolate Festival, which was awesome. (I've also decided that my posts that cover break will be mostly pictures. Deal with it.) Lunch consisted of chocolate-y foods, a chocolate covered apple, nutella fudge, chocolate shavings out the wazoo, orange slices in chocolate fondue, chocolate liqueur, and pizza (to counter-act the sweetness). Lots of pictures, lots of fun.
After we got back to Florence, I started packing for my big trip of the break (London!) and then dinner, with special guest, Sarah's mom. Anna went all out with dinner tonight: pasta (and I got seconds! Best day!), beef stew, stewed broccoli, polenta, bread, and more of the really good kiwi. After dinner, I ended up finding an hour long compilation of "Scenes from a Hat" from Who's Line Is It Anyway. Best use of an hour I could possibly think of.
So there you have it. Fall Break in London starts now!
I had another productive late morning, where I finished both a paper and a presentation. Go me. Around 3pm, I headed into town to meet a few of the girls at Linguaviva so that we could go to an orchestra concert. The two music classes this semester require us to submit two concert reports, but that's not a big deal for me -- I legitimately wanted to go to this concert! It was being promoted as a chance to see this new up and coming conductor named Ryan McAdams, a young guy who has won the Chicago Emerging Conductors award and done a ton of other really impressive things. The concert consisted of Charles Ives "The Unanswered Question," Leonard Bernstein "Symphony #1, Jeremiah," and Tchaikovshky's "Symphony #4 op. 36." Megan and I geeked out. It was awesome. Ryan McAdams was indeed quite good and the orchestra was pretty great too. I'd like to go to another concert and it just so happens there's one right after break! Maybe that'll happen. Afterwards, Megan, Clairanne, and I got gelato at B. Ice (which is all-natural, meaning an excuse for me to call my gelato a "healthy treat") and I took the bus back to the apartment. Dinner was squash ravioli, fish, salad, and plums (which I couldn't get enough of). I then skyped my parents and attempted to do a huge blog session. It didn't really work, but it's the thought that counts.
Monday, October 15:
My presentation in Gail's class went pretty well -- I think, for someone who doesn't know much about art, I sounded pretty knowledgeable. At least I hope I did. We also got to experience a rant by Gail on powerpoint vs old fashioned slides, which was quite funny. Apparently this is a staple of art history classes that I've been missing out on. In Italian we began looking at the conditional verb form. Huzzah (but not really). After school, I took the bus back to the apartment in an attempt to be productive and get a lot of homework done. I think we can all guess how that turned out. I did complete the Venice blog update though, so that's something. I discover that, oh hey, I'm coming down with a cold. Dinner consisted of cheesy rice with carrots and potatoes, spinach and egg frittatas, stewed spinach, and plums. And the big deal of the day: I GOT THE RECIPE FOR ALL OF THE STEWED VEGETABLES. SCORE. (Kristine, expect to have these in our apartment this spring ALL THE TIME.) Sarah and I both did a little homework and then talked for a while after dinner before I went to bed in an effort to nip this cold in the bud.
Tuesday, October 16:
My morning started with my gender and music class at Linguaviva, where we listened to Carnevale music, which was pretty fun. After that, I headed to San Lorenzo for class with Jodie. We end up getting to peek into the Laurentian Library and the special exhibit on the Medici's old devotional books, before going down into the crypt (and seeing all the Medici tombs) and up into the Medici family chapel and sacristy. Then it was back to Linguaviva for lunch and some reading for my paper for Jodie. Around 4pm, Ian, Jessikah, Michael, and I go with Kate to pick up refreshments for the reception after the special lecture we're holding in the evening. Sarah K (the professor for my gender and music class) arranged for the authors of a new(er) book called Invisible Women to do a guest lecture on women in art. The lecture was pretty interesting; I learned a lot about the relatively unknown female artists of the renaissance (like a nun named Suor Plautilla Nelli) and the works by women artists displayed in museums around Florence. After the lecture, Ian, Jessikah, and I ended up bar-tending (which was fun), since we had helped set everything up. But bar-tending came at a steep price: we were made responsible for finishing the open bottles of everything once the reception was done. Woe is us. We ended up making bellini out of the leftover prossecco and apricot juice. Afterwards, we helped Kate bring the leftover food and unopened drinks back to the office and then got gelato at Il Re. I got back to the apartment a little later, just in time for dinner (chicory bake, a cheese platter, bean salad, onions and potatoes, and apples) during which Sarah and I explain the lecture to Anna. She seemed really interested in it and I'm sure would've liked to know more than what we were able to explain.
Wednesday, October 17:
Once again, I didn't have anything until Italian class, so I spent my morning doing some reading. After more conditional verb exercises (and wondering how we were going to be quizzed on something that we've spent all of two days learning), we rushed to meet Gail at the Uffizi for class, where we spent a lot of time on the third floor, looking at altar pieces. Since Sarah and I didn't have to run off to drawing class, we stopped at the Venchi Chocolate store for gelato, where I tried azteco chocolate and cream (AND IT WAS DELICIOUS). We headed back to Linguaviva to collect our things from the lockers and went back to the apartment. I finished my paper for Jodie, did my Italian homework, and studied for our quiz the next day -- all before dinner (it was beer and pizza night again, accompanied by chicken burgers, stewed zucchini and carrots, pears, and apples). After dinner I found an article on sleeping cats, which I think everyone should see, and proceeded to waste a half hour of my life looking at more and more cat pictures. Good life choice? I think so.
Thursday, October 18:
Today was the last day of classes before break! Sarah and I walked to the Museum of San Marco for class with Jodie, where we studied the work of Fra Angelico, a monk-artist from Florence. I then proved my nerdiness for all time by staying, at Jodie's invitation, for her second class (the Michelangelo class, which I am not enrolled in) at San Marco to study Savonarola. I enjoyed it immensely. Then it was back to Linguaviva for lunch and Italian (where we started off the class with a quiz). After class, Isa and I planned our next trip (Paris!) and then I had my last class before break started: gender and music. We discussed Tuesday's lecture and then an article on the female subject in art. Back at the apartment, Sarah and I almost didn't know what to do with ourselves now that we didn't have homework to do. I ended up blogging, while she planned out a "Florence in a day" itinerary for when her mom gets here. She ends up calling me the gelato expert and asks my opinion on which places she should take her mom. We talked about break and the possibility of meeting up in London while we're both there, she got her mom checked into a hostel, and then it was time for dinner (pasta, roast pork, stewed cabbage, and the best kiwi I've ever tasted).
Friday, October 19:
Happy Break! I spent the day in Perugia with Maggie, Caitlin, and Cathy at the Perugia Chocolate Festival, which was awesome. (I've also decided that my posts that cover break will be mostly pictures. Deal with it.) Lunch consisted of chocolate-y foods, a chocolate covered apple, nutella fudge, chocolate shavings out the wazoo, orange slices in chocolate fondue, chocolate liqueur, and pizza (to counter-act the sweetness). Lots of pictures, lots of fun.
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| Caitlin and me, with our chocolate covered apples. |
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| Maggie and me, with the Lindt Bears. |
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| (L to R) Maggie, Cathy, me, and Caitlin with the Lindt Bears in Perugia. |
So there you have it. Fall Break in London starts now!
I want the link to the hour compilation of "Scenes from a Hat"!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd, really, I wish you'd try to have a good time in Italy. So much moping around. Enjoy it a little!
Lindt bears....a lovely piece of my childhood. I'm so glad you're having so much fun. <3
ReplyDelete