I'd Like To Thank The Academy...

Best Moments of the 2012 Academy Awards

7. Hearing Peter Falk from The Princess Bride say “As you wish” one last time.

6. Christopher Plummer’s acceptance speech. What can I say. The man has a way with words. And an accent.

5. Emma Stone’s award presentation. She’s fun and quirky all wrapped into one. Haha, so punny. (But seriously, that bow on her dress was huge.)

4. Realizing James Earl Jones was the voice of Mufasa in The Lion King. He deserves an Oscar for that fact alone.

3. Realizing Bret McKenzie, from Flight of the Conchords, won Best Original Song. Also, realizing that he worked on the Muppets movie. Also, Will and Zach were pretty funny with their clashing cymbals.

2. Michel Hazanavicius. He won Best Director for The Artist, he’s French, and in his acceptance speech he told his kids that “It’s 6 in the morning in Paris so you should be in bed in 30 seconds.” Adorable.

1. Staying up to see the sunrise. I’ve never seen such a magnificent blue as an Italian sky at dawn.

A Vision of Venice

"...Thy sun-illumined spires, thy crown and crest!

White phantom city, whose untrodden streets

Are rivers, and whose pavements are the shifting

Shadows of palaces and strips of sky..."

                                                   - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

This weekend was more than fun. It was a dream. To go to Venice, to see the city of canals and Casanova, to tread where artists and artisans found inspiration for some of the world's greatest masterpieces, was mystifying. 

I was dazzled, ok?

We left Thursday evening, taking the train from Arezzo to Mestre and our amazing hotel. I had forgotten what it was like to have simple American comforts like fluffy comforters, big showers, central heating. Truly a vacation, and I enjoyed every minute of it. (Still missing those down pillows.)

Friday we took the bus into Venice and spent the morning strolling through the narrow streets, drinking it all in. Each turned corner brought a new spectacular view, each building more beautiful than the last. True to the experience, we got lost in Venice. More than once. It was perfect.

Hundreds of pictures later, you can see the highlights of the trip on my Facebook page. For your viewing pleasures, here is one of my favorite photos:

 

We got to see all the major sights, including my favorite, the Bridge of Sighs. Legend says that prisoners, after being condemned by the Doge's dreaded Council of Ten, were led across this bridge to the dungeons. As they crossed over, they would take one last look at the beauty of Venice and sigh. I'm not sure why I'm so enchanted with this picture in history - it's pretty morbid when you think about it - but I can so easily imagine the tension and anguish, the despotic aristocracy oppressing the political dissident. It's all very romantic.

If you will, imagine.

The next day, Saturday, we got vaporetto (waterbus) passes and we took a jaunt along the Grand Canal on our way to the islands of Murano and Burano. The boat passed the San Giorgio Maggiore and Santa Maria della Salute, two magnificent churches. 

It was here that I had a moment. 

It was one of those moments in life when a past daydream suddenly becomes a reality, when the castle in the air turns out to be a hazy reflection of the true building at ground level. Three years ago, I spent the summer in Boston taking Art History and Cultural Anthropology classes. That summer is an important milestone in my life, since my experiences in Boston  led me to decide my college major, broadening my vision and effectively influencing the rest of my life as I know it. Anyway, a pivotal point of that summer was when I sat in the Museum of Fine Arts for two hours, studying a painting of the Grand Canal by Claude Monet. I will always remember that day, and the musings of a hopeful teen in a world larger than her imagination. Three years later, I am riding a boat across the very canal that captured my attention so many afternoons ago, and suddenly the castle is real and I'm living the daydream. An unforgettable moment, to be sure.

(To get the full effect, listen to this song as you re-read this blog post. If I'd had theme music, this would have been it. The chorus is especially powerful, so blast it at full volume and imagine me drifting past La Salute with a huge, goofy grin on my face.)

Il Postino

I got mail today!!

Look how happy that face is.

This card is the highlight of my week. I'd like to send a shout-out to my grandma, who is always so thoughtful, especially while I'm away! Thank you so much for the wonderful surprise.

P.S. For those of you who are wondering, the title of this post is a reference to an Italian movie, which translates to "The Postman". I remember watching it for English Lit in high school. It's a lighthearted film about a mailman who learns what it means to create poetry. The film features the famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. Check it out!

Howlin' For You

I think I'll dedicate this post to the wind.

Let's face the facts. The wind has been very loyal through this whole snow ordeal. Every morning, without fail, the wind has been there to greet me when I walk out the door. It keeps me company when I walk around town. Even at night, it's just outside the window. And boy is it a good whistler!

So thanks, wind. You really blow me away.



Not.

But here's a song in honor of the ferocious wind raging outside at the moment. Enjoy!

Howlin' For You - Black Keys

We've reached a new low in the cold apartment dilemma. As I type this, my roommate is putting duct tape over the cracks in the door that leads out to the terrace. She's so determined. It would be a shame to dampen her spirits by informing her that we will probably be charged for paint damages.

Weather, Or Not

Bizarre things are happening in Italy. It's been snowing for the past four days, and the forecast predicts even more for the next three. Most of the village of Cortona is without power, and most schools cancelled classes. Now before you break out the hot cocoa and start singing "Frosty the Snowman," let me explain something:

This never happens.

It's true. Winter in Italy usually brings rain, not snow. We are in the midst of a weather rarity.

Our Art History class was cancelled on Wednesday, and we were eternally grateful because we were supposed to walk around Arezzo for three hours, looking at works of art and giving presentations. Instead, Kirk (our teacher) sent us an email about the cancellation and reminded us where the best hill was for sledding.

We are college students. We're practically adults.

So when Kirk suggested sledding, of course our natural response was: SLEDDING IS MY FAVORITE.

The hill was perfect. It is so steep and long that the city installed an escalator for people who want to walk up to the duomo. Therefore, you enjoy the swift journey down the hill on your toboggan, and then relax as you ride the escalator back up. It's all the joys of sledding without any of the work.

This was the day we learned about the cruelty of Italian children. A group of them climbed up the wall next to the sledding trail and proceeded to pelt everyone with snowballs as they went down. It didn't take long for this to escalate into a snow war.

All in all, it was a pretty great day.

The only not-so-great aspect of this weather is the lack of heat. I know that sounds a little ridiculous. I mean, it's snowing outside. Of course it's going to be cold. However, it's also cold inside. Actually, let me rephrase that. It's like an Arctic tundra in here.

Therefore, I present to you:

How to Survive a Cold Apartment
1. Wear lots of layers (including, but not limited to: sweaters, hats, scarves, blankets, long johns, etc.).
2. Put on more layers.
3. Wear, at minimum, 4 pairs of socks.
4. Make coffee; cradle hot mug as if it were your firstborn.
5. Laugh about how cold it is.
6. Complain about how cold it is.
7. Hug radiator.
8. Google frostbite symptoms.
9. Repeat Step 2.
10. Make a how-to survival guide to pass the time.

At least it's pretty out there.