From hill tops to Galery seats

Ok my dearies, this one's for you

Blog worthy things seem to happen plentifully but by the time I get back to my computer I have retracted into my complacently lazy self. Today, after swearing all weekend to study, blogging seems more important.

So the overall goal of learning Italian is still a wavy experience with conflicting highs and lows of success and failures. Today would probably be a fail, but that means tomorrow should be much better. In reality, Italian probably will never be so terribly useful to me, but the experiences gained here will be. If learning Italian got me here, I will keep trying to learn, but if I never become so great I know I can be happy with the friends I have made and the opportunties I have experienced. And really, misunderstanding a language really isn't the worst thing. Last night, I follwed a man's directions poorly (which probably would have also happened had they been in English) and found myself at a theater for flamenco dance rather than instrumental music. Not so bad.

Don't expect me to ever become a fiery whirlwind of long-skirted dresses, rhythmic feet and elegant balance. As much as I may wish, flamenco is just crazy hard. It doesn't even look easy. The woman I saw last night was just absolutely beautiful in the way she looked and moved. The men had more work ahead of them. Male Flamenco dancers in themselves don't attract that much attention, but the way their posture, elegance and insane foot coordination fit together is rather astounding. Plus, the music they built the rhythm with was just beautiful. Buttery soft with rapid precision, guitars like you have never heard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs4ieRAEjyA&NR=1

Just like me on the Ukulele.

Not.

Yet, I do love that little blue wonder courtesy of Marie and Jason's willingness to carry it through 22 hours of cross-Atlantic travel. It is a glorious way to fill time that should be spent studying. In the grand scheme of it all, isn't life about the little things? Perhaps in the future I will be able to play for my grandkids. They will find me way cooler for this than if I were to tell them about the corruption of Italy in the 80s.

Now let's consider the more useful of my academic interests. Vulcanology. I am sorry, but if a vulcanic eruption the day after we discussed vulcanic risks isn't a sign that I should become a vulcanologist, than nothing is. Even if it isn't a good excuse, vulcanoes are the coolest and everyone wants to know a vulcanologist after their flights around Europe are cancelled. I also went to the mineralogy museum twice last week. Go ahead, judge me - the second time was with a camera.

And this morning, I tried Orienteering for the first time, urban Bologna style. Pretty grand.

Me in a cistern


Me on a hill with Tiffany.


Bologna