Haribo Happiness

There was a German Christmas market here for 3 weeks and one of my favorite parts, even though I didn't buy any was the Haribo candy stand. I have a thing for the berry candies which I do buy at the grocery store every chance I get.

Let it snow!

It did snow here in Florence but I didn't get much in the way of photos. I did take some video so I'll upload it when I get a chance. It is still freezing here but I guess it's not near as bad as the East Coast and other parts of Europe.

Did I mention the construction in my piazza? Well here it is...

To date or not to date?

I’ve had a LOT of questions about dating, am I dating or who and on and on. The answer is no. I don’t actually get out from under my school work much to hit a bar or club to meet anyone. I don’t think that is how I would prefer meeting someone anyways. I went on a few dates when I first got here but the cultural difference is vast. I watch my friends date young Italian men and frankly I’m not up for the cultural struggle right now. I came to Florence to learn how to be a restorer. My boyfriend is art right now and I’m good with that. Honestly, for those of you that know me well there has never been a shortage of men in my life, now is really no expectation. I have my “guy friends” online that keep me amused, entertained and feeling pretty lucky for many reasons but now most of my “loves” are made out of marble or oil paint. Every week I meet an artist I fall in love with. So there it is…the answer.

Here is a painting by Hayez...one of my new artistic loves.

Around every corner there is a new guy, usually about 400-500 years old dressed in a cloak, long dead that captures my attention. For now that has to be enough.

What I miss…who knew?

It’s funny how you think you are going to miss things and then in the moments you realize how off your estimation really was. This morning I woke up thinking of pumpkin pie and blueberry Pop Tarts. Who knew?

Aside from missing the people I love, which seems to have escalated since all my school friends flew home, I miss some of the strangest little things.

I miss the food. There is little diversity here and once you’ve had pasta for just about every meal for months you just want a damn California Roll! A little sushi place just opened up and I’m saving the experience for when I am really homesick. Good think I ate my weight in sushi at Goshi’s before I left.

I miss listening to my car radio and singing out loud. The music here is funny in a good way and there are American language stations but some of the songs I haven’t heard since the early 80’s. It’s good to clean house by but I feel like I am very much out of the loop now.

I miss my stuff. I know it’s not very Buddhist like of me but I do. I miss my comforter, and my movies. Thank god for Chris or I would have lost my mind by now. I realized that in order for me to “produce” I need something running the background and it was usually a movie. Who knew? I can study and do notes so much more efficiently when I have a little background noise going on. I think it might occupy a part of my brain that holds imagination and then I can get the other parts to work without interruption. Whatever it is if it wasn’t for Chris keeping me in movies I don’t think I would have gotten the grades I did. (The final grades aren’t out yet but I think I did okay.)

I miss internet and my cell phone. Enough said there…

The things I don’t miss are just a numerous. I don’t miss driving. I had a feeling that it was entirely overrated and it is. I actually like walking around even though on cold days like we have been having I do feel like a bundled up baby and is sweating under all the layers, but it’s still good.

I don’t miss getting bills in the mail. I had them all forwarded to my Mom’s house which is really genius in a way. They aren’t getting paid but I don’t have to look at them either!

I don’t miss the big grocery stores. The food shopping here is like an Olympic event that everyone comes away with a gold medal. The sights and smells are just gorgeous even if pasta does get old, the cheese never does.

I don’t miss TV, since I consider HBO separately which I do miss, but the standard TV not so much. Since I was never an avid news program watcher that seems to have slid under my radar.

I do miss salad dressing a little. Some blue cheese or ranch would be nice right about now. I have one of my school friends bringing me back a packet of ranch dressing mix. I know…that is bad huh!

I know that this experience will change even the very small details of me, and how I live which might be scary if I were the type to think about it. But since I’m not and I’m more involved in the how-to every day it is just happening on it’s own. So many things will be new again when I get back to the states.

I wonder if my friends will recognize me, because some days I don’t recognize myself.

It’s been a series of learning, more than just school.

Time seems to move at a different speed when you are so engrossed in a task of this nature. Learning compressed is the only way to explain this. Each day is not only a series of classes, practical and note taking but also moving into a different culture that seems to be so directly opposite than my norm.

The school work has been fantastic. After the break it seemed to pick up speed at a rate I don’t think any of us was quite prepared, or ready for. We have an ever changing schedule based on ability to make trips and schedule in a lecture. Even now, I can’t tell you what my schedule was for last semester. I had to have the schedule hanging by my door to check every night before bed so I would make it there on time. The last week of class was a type of stress I haven’t felt in years with so much due and so much responsibility directly related to the artwork we were touching.

I don’t feel nervous when I work, mostly because everything is reversible but it is still a pretty awesome experience. There is always the ethical debate that constantly changes the atmosphere of restoration that weighs in the back of my mind. On top of the fact I’m not really ever clear on what is expected when I do a retouching which adds an element of immediate failure in my estimation. How can I achieve what is necessary if I don’t know what it is? Good thing I went to Cal Poly because they also had a, “learn by failure” policy and so in some ways it’s a natural process for me.

Now before I write this next part let me preface it with I am entirely grateful to be here, with the art and the school and the whole experience. Having said that, I have to say that Italians aren’t really that welcoming. I guess I am used to walking down the streets and seeing people smile, not just in general but at each other. Here it’s not so much like that. I can understand being sick and tired of foreign students, hell I am for that matter but there is an overall sour look to the people on the streets that I just don’t get. Surrounded by all this and yet…grumpy! I honestly have never seen a group of people so uniquely alike in their stature as they walk around. And can I just say the women are far worse. They seem so sour all the time that I’m just not sure why. I could speculate for days on this but I think you get the picture.

I’m glad to be on break. I feel like each day even if I don’t leave the house I am returning to the world at large. My friend Jason and I were joking because we see so little of Florence while entrenched in the semester that we could literally be almost anywhere and studying. Okay, that is an exaggeration because we do get to go on some VERY cool trips but you again, you get the picture.

Thank you Florence, you may not welcome all of us, but some of us are going to get you to give up your gifts regardless.

Holy Geez

I have been way to busy to blog and yet so much has happened. It’s the weekend before finals, basically crunch time for us. I have 5 journals of all my work this semester due and 10 pages of my eventual thesis…2 more tests as well. I already too one final and got the grade back so I’m pretty happy that is out of the way. I will catch up in blogging as the next week goes by, with photos!

I just wanted to stop and take a little moment to thank Michael. I have been struggling with the lack of technology since I’ve been here and he has gone above and beyond the call of duty in helping me out.

Software incompatibility has been plaguing me when it comes to printing out my journals and he stayed up until the wee hours of the night converting files for me and sending them back so I could print. Words like miracle and Divine Intervention come to mind when I think about it. Although all this happened over 6,000 miles in distance, it felt like he was down the street.

So all the pages for me to proof are right now neatly sitting on my bed thanks to him. I did end up going out and buying a printer because it was so nightmarish that I am hoping to avoid that in the future. A sound investment in my education I think and you can’t put a price tag on solid piece of mind.

So Thank you Michael...

Thanksgiving...

Since they don't celebrate it here in Italy, a few of us are getting together today and then again on Thursday for a late dinner. I have a lecture until 8pm as do most of my friends so we are going out to a restaurant that is serving a traditional dinner.

I have a LOT to be thankful for and it's not just to be celebrated on one day. I am lucky enough to have things happen every day that I feel gratitude for. The list is too long for even a blog to handle so I think I'm going to take this opportunity to show the simplest form of my gratitude.

Each day that I walk through the streets of Florence I take someone with me. A friend, my kids, an acquaintance and my family. I never walk alone. You are all with me in my heart and I have so many special memories of every person that has connected with me. I often think that "so and so would love to see this" and in that way, that simple thought I feel gratitude. I am lucky to have so many people locked away in my heart to share my quiet moments with. This blog is to share my outward moments with but there is so much time, thought and feeling that I don't write about here.

I have met some amazing people here in Florence. They are kind and happy and we are all feeling pretty lucky to be here. It is nice to be surrounded with such gratitude.

So celebrate Thanksgiving every day in the simplest of forms...gratitude and you will never feel alone again.

Happy Thanksgiving from Italy to anyone that reads this.

Ciao Ciao Richard...

It's 7am on Monday morning and I just put Richard in a taxi to send him back to Los Angeles. Boy it's quiet in my house right now!

He and I had quite the adventure from Rome, to Ireland and back to Florence. I think I'm sending a guy with a new idea of how to live, but time will tell. I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to go to Ireland and reconnect with him after such a long time apart.

I highly recommend to everyone to hang out with their high school love if they ever get a chance a gazillion years later. It was so interesting how different I now see my own history, I learned a LOT from him. At 15 your perspective is so limited and when you look that far back with another set of eyes you really do see things differently.

one more for today...

I have to get to class soon and I think I've procrastinated long enough for one day.

I met with my thesis advisor today and she made my paper grow exponentially so I'm avoiding doing any work at the moment until I can get my head around it all.

I'll end this little blogging session with one of my favorite shots from Warrenpoint...I owe Richard big time for letting me tag along on his journey.

we are EVERYWHERE!

The Stewart clan seems to have made it's way all over the world...including Warrenpoint Ireland!

I am just going to throw up some of the snap shots from Ireland as I go along and edit.

The Fairy Fort

During my day guided tour in Galway we stopped at a Fairy Fort. You could feel the energy surging through you as you walked in like a bunch of butterflies swirling around your stomach. I took only a few photos and a few of the ones I took had this kinda "misty" look in patches between the trees. Here is one of the photos but it might be difficult to see in a small format.

I have so many photos from the trip that getting them all up is a bit of a chore, but I'm trying. I'll put the link to my Flickr account up here again when I've got more to show...

just me...from Rome

sometimes...you see things in life that make you feel like a kid. I'll be going back to Rome on December 1st for school stuff and I can't wait. I'm starting to think that I won't have enough time to travel around Italy and see many things outside of Florence...but I'm not complaining. School is worth it.

Holy shit...

It seems like a whirlwind of activity and I just can't seem to keep up on the blog things these days. So I'm going to ramble on a little in no specific order, but mainly as it comes up in my mind as I type.

Galway is where I left off and it was magic. The people of Ireland are amazing, even though they can't give directions to save their life! We ended up asking at least 2 different people for directions each time we got lost there towards the end because we alw

ays got 2 different answers. I guess it just makes for more of an adventure. I recommend GPS for anyone traveling and driving around Ireland. The food was terrific,

the people are some of the warmest and most welcoming I've ever met and the scenery was magical. I'd go back in a heart beat! I don't know when I'll have all the photos edited because school has kicked into some strange high gear that none of us anticipated the first week back...but I'm working on it.

I've only gotten 2 of my grades back from my mid terms and one was a B+ and the other an A. So I did pretty good so far. I'm not that concerned about the grades because it really gave me a good look at how my note taking and information absorption level is keeping up with the instructors. I still have a paper waiting in the wings and another graded test to hear back from.

This week in school we started cleaning test on a couple of paintings and had some major things happen as far as diagnostics. I can't really write much in here about it because we have a confidentiality clause when it comes to working on some of this stuff but let me just say...way fucking cool! Once I get back I can physically show off my work but not on the internet. It's all very hush hush in the world of conservation and restoration, which I guess goes well with my years as a hairdresser.

Richard is here wandering Florence while I'm in school and getting the first had view of living in Italy. He has been spending his time "sampling" the food...shooting tons of photos just basically relaxing while I head off to learn. Last night we had a fantastic dinner at a place called Ciro and Sons and tonight we are staying in and cooking.

I feel like my whole apartment existence turned on a dime yesterday. Mike sent me a wireless "booster" in the mail and now I can get online from my house!!! I can't even say what a relief it is and how grateful I am for THAT! It's actually why I can type up this blog right now and not have to wait to go back to school.

Here are a few random photos...since I have them ready.

Dublin to Galway...

Yesterday we spent the day sightseeing...Dublin isn't what I thought it would be. It's much more built up so we are off to Galway today to see a little more of "old Ireland". The weather yesterday was remarkably perfect for jumping off and on the bus. Today, not so good!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galway

The food in Ireland...

Holy crap it's good! I've ate my way through each stop and am just loving it. They have this dessert here called Sticky Toffee pudding and it's actually cake with this warm dripping toffee on the top and cream of some sort...I could die after eating that and feel like all is right with the world. I might have to find it in every town we stop in and become the "authority" of sticky toffees in Ireland!

The Duke in Warrenpoint seems to be one of the popular hang outs and we have "visited" there every day for a pint so far.

Richard's cousin owns the coffee shop here in town, Heatley's coffee and so when he walked in to meet us everyone instantly knew that Richard was "connected" in some way. The Irish are funny and so curious about who is new

in town, I guess no different in any small town but here it seemed more enthusiastic.

The fish and chips...yum! I'm still on the hunt for some Irish stew now, but I have a few days left here. I love it here, even the cold wet windy climate they have during fall. The hillsides, the lush green and the quiet...Mother Nature can sweep away almost anything in weather like this that troubles you. But really I think it's the hospitality and the genuine warmth you feel from the people of Ireland. It makes me sad to leave here.

The shore between the North and the South...

We arrived at Warrenpoint and were instantly met with that amazing Irish charm and hospitality. The people are just so friendly and it's such a contrast to the Italians. And wow...my English language skills have shifted so much in the last few months that I am still answering quick questions in Italian! I am going to load more photos later but I thought I'd get just a couple up while en route. We have stayed all this time in Warrenpoint, last night with Richard's cousin John and his lovely family. I think I found a like minded computer geek in John's son Matthew and he and I spent some time going over computer stuff. An Irish accent sounds even cuter on a little boy.

We stayed the first few nights at Ryan's B&B and it was fantastic. The breakfast was worth the money alone and they were so sweet. This whole driving on the other side of the road has been interesting and quite the adventure. Richard is getting the hang of it a little more each day. I only felt like my life flashed before my eyes a few times yesterday and we went all the way to Belfast. Richard wanted to see the ship yard where the Titanic was built and it was so peaceful. What a contrast to the contemporary history of Belfast to stand there hearing the birds and watching the water lap up to the sides of the platform. So much unrest in Belfast over the years and yet you didn't see a trace of it there.

So here I am...on the shore of Warrenpoint and the water separates the South and North of Ireland...Kinda nice to have someone around because then I actually get "in" a photo for a change.

Richard

I guess I need to explain who the hell is Richard! He was my second boyfriend and earlier this year he found me on Myspace. He invited me to attend the races with him, and the fantastic girls from Bates Leathers at Laguna Seca and we met again after 20 years or so. Allyson went with me and we had a fantastic time. Since that and before I left for school some things fell into place and he found himself with some time to travel. He has wanted to come back to Ireland after almost 30 years and see the place his wonderful Mom was laid to rest.

So here he is...here we are in Ireland making that happen for him.

In route...

Richard and I had one day in Rome on the way to Ireland. I haven't been to Rome before but this was just a stop over on the way so it wasn't one of those sightseeing kinda days. Richard was starting to feel the jet lag but we did get to the outside of the Coliseum and that was amazing. I think we are going to take the train back in 2 weeks and see Rome right! We had to travel so early in the morning to avoid any complications due to the transportation strike but the up side to that is that we got to see them demonstrating in the road. It was a resounding statement to see all those people walking down the road with signs. It isn't everyday you get to see that...

catching up here

I am trying to spend a little time today catching up on the blog before I leave for Ireland, because that will be a whole but to write about!

Here is my pigments instructor Maurizio testing the consistency of a ground pigment, Elisabeth and Sheena watching intently. I will be working on one today, maybe 2 because we need to have them ready for November 3rd when we mix them with varnishes. After taking the pigment class I started a new track for my thesis that I got approved today. So now I'm going to dive into color theory, pigments and digital technology to translate one into another.

And I just had a fantastic cappuccino so....type type type....

Mid terms and reviews...

It's been 15 years since I've sat down to take an academic test like this. It's bee interesting after all this time to get back to note taking and paper writing. I won't know until after the break how I did but now that the first one is done I can breath again. I still have 2 more to go, one tomorrow morning (maybe) and one on Thursday which I've already started studying for.

Here I am in Florence and the only thing I see is school related. From home to school and back. I haven't gotten to walk around the city for fun in a couple of weeks! Having Richard here will force me to take better advantage of being here and now that I'm a bit more organized when it comes to homework I will have a little more free time. They keep telling us all that this is the slow period and next semester it gets even faster...are you friggin kidding me?!?

One of the silly and small things I miss is a 5 subject notebook. I've only seen a 3 subject and taking notes like a mad demon has been challenging to keep organized with a one subject. Funny how useful and small a little thing like a note book can be. And don't get me started on ziplocs!

The Law of Thermodynamics states that order must decline into chaos...

Oh yeah it does! I realized that my life in Shell Beach was such order and peaceful living. And now in Italy it's like chaos in comparison. The noise, the bustle, the studying and fantastic chaos. Until I lost my phone I was enjoying every minute of it. I'm not complaining about the phone, although I do feel bad since it wasn't mine and it was really expensive. Off I went to today to shell out the mucho dinero to get a new number and a new phone. I just didn't think it was the safest thing to be walking around without any form of communication, romantic notion but not the best case scenario. So now I have a Nokia and is the funniest little thing ever. It literally does nothing but get calls, not even photos! So strange but I figured that since I do carry my camera almost everywhere with me that spending the extra 20 Euros wasn't worth it. Oh, wait...maybe I should have gotten one with a phone! So typical of me really but if and when I come back to the states I'm getting a really nice phone to make up for this.

So it's mid terms next week. The weather has gotten cold and I won't have a jacket until next week. Wow this is starting to sound a little sad song-ish...it's not that bad although the minute it hits 69 degrees here the Italian dress like Eskimos, so they are looking at me a little strangely.

I've got tests everyday until Friday and then I'm taking the train to Rome for one night and Ireland for a week with Richard. He is flying in from California on Thursday and off we go...I can't wait because I hear Ireland is amazing. I have no idea where we are going just yet but it's not like Ireland is that big...and I have a tourist book so he and I won't get too terribly lost. He has been there once before so I'm excited to make it an adventure and just drive off into the unknown. He is doing the driving and I'll be reading the map! He is also kind enough to bring a suitcase full of my winter clothes with him, which Teri sent via Greyhound. Perfect timing...

Here is another image from my trip to the Archaeological Museum. I took so many that I'll probably put them throughout the blog.

Santa Maria Novella

This is one of the most famous churches in Florence and we spent 3 hours walking around with our instructor who has restored a few of them in here. You can't take photos inside but I did get a few from the Green Cloister and the Chapterhouse chapel. It's always so mind blowing to be in the presence of not only all the art work I took so many tests on, but with the people that know as much as God about them..humbling...

I realized why it was so difficult to blog lately. Each time we go out and do something with school I have to journal entry about it, so I feel like I've already written about it when it comes time to blogging. I'd just copy and paste it here but it would be like enrolling in an art history class...probably boring!

Here is the link in case you want to see more...gotta love wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Santa_Maria_Novella

A week of painting, sketching and looking at frescos

I began painting my panel painting and I got to mix my own pigments with binders to use. We are doing it the ancient way to have a deep understanding of what we will be working on and the process. We also have the opportunity to make our own palettes to bring home with handmade varnishes. I was so excited about that because we will be mixing our own and not getting them out of the tube. This is a photo of the egg tempura I mixed up for my panel painting...

I did the beginning layer of a fresco, not the one I will eventually paint but a practice version to understand the process. We seem to go all the way back and work forward in materials, technique and style for each type of “hands on” we are going to do.

The pot reconstruction was in preparation for the 6^th century BC vessel fragments we got to touch this week. I know…they just let us get right in and touch this stuff only weeks in.

The amount of typing and paperwork is insane and I’m not really sure how I’m going to keep up with the blogging. I’m going to give it a post bacc college try…

almost 8 weeks...

I've been in Firenze for almost 8 weeks now and it seems like a LOT longer. I don't really understand what happens with time but when you shove so much information into one day it expands. I have no fun photo or even stories from the weekend. This weekend was for resting. I did do homework but my back was bothering me so I just laid low.

I did go to a place not far from my house to eat some Mexican food, what fellow students referred to as "a burrito place" but now I realize that they are from the East Coast and don't really understand burritos like Californians do. It was good, chicken, lettuce, salsa and guacamole...no beans or cheese but it was passable.

In Archaeological class today I did get to handle some ceramic fragments from 6th Century BC and I'll be cleaning them next week. We have space at a working restoration lab and will be surrounded by ongoing important works from here on out. We take the bus once a week and basically go to work...it's so amazing.

Some tidbits:

I haven't seen this many people wear Birkenstocks since the early 90's

Sandwiches here means meat and cheese, occasionally they scare it with lettuce or tomatoes but not often.

If the weather hits under 70 degrees here the Italian bundle up.

Asian markets here don't sell hardly any tea, especially not green tea. Just weird...

School backpacks are outrageously expensive here.

Technology seems to have skidded and made a wide birth around Italy...

Antique Show

Since I was unable to shoot photos I have the link to the Antique Show that we went to as a class.

http://www.biennaleantiquariato.it

so many things to look at, not to mention the Palazzo Corsini sull' Arno where it was held.

Chapel at Cetamure

This is view of the alter inside the chapel...spectacular!

Centamura del Chianti

This is the view from the back of the old monastery where the winery and the bed and breakfast is located. There is a working garden in the back which they use for the cooking classes and for the meals of the guests. There is also a typical Renaissance maze like garden and a pool...

Fresco this...

Here is the demo from Fabrizio on fresco painting. This isn't his best work since he is sicker than a dog...but it's still friggin amazing! Next week I get to paint, so this week I'm doing some sketches at home to keep up my hand skills.

Phew...I'm having a huge moment of overwhelming gratitude to be here...who would have thought a girl from Hawaii and California would end up in Florence?

T and A

So here is a photo of my kick ass Teacher Assistants, Camilla and Jaime (kinda in the background).Camilla is doing the demo on gold leafing.

So this blogger program is a real pain in the ass to put in photos and not mess up the type completely...so frustrating that now maybe I'll just post short blogs with one photo...

Centamura del Chianti

We went on a field trip to Centamura, which is the site of a dig headed by Nancy de Grummond of Florida State University and the students of SACI last year got to work on it. This idealic setting is in the hills of the Chianti region on a functioning winery. This place is well…the things Italian dreams are made of. I’ll just post the link instead of giving a history lesson for those who want to read more. If I were to ever get married again, settle down dear friends, that isn’t in the master plan…this is a top contender for settings. They do cooking classes, and there is bed and breakfast here…

Our time there was spent looking at the exhibit but we also got a private tour of the grounds including the wine cellar…um….wow! I felt like I was back at home and I got a little homesick there…seeing the rolling green hills with grapes…anyways…I don’t miss it enough to come back but it did tug at a sweet spot for the Central Coast. We stopped by the gift store and I bought my first bottle of Italian wine, and what better place to do it.

I’ll have pictures when I have a chance to download them tonight…I’m still at school!

http://www.chiantistorico.com/en/history/cetamura.php

This one is long…

I haven’t had time to blog lately, the element of social conduct has taken up my free time. I think now that everyone is getting to know each other, we all seem to be making plans and hanging out more. On top of the school work, now I actually go out! I went to dinner with Cathy and it was my first real meal out. We went to dinner at one of the places in my piazza, actually it’s right next to my front door. We ordered a bruschetta, which was divine and 2 pizzas to split. One pizza had gorgonzola and pineapple and the other had spinach and sausage…oh yum! The next night was a gallery opening that we were invited too and I did my first paid haircut. In Florence that is a huge antique show every September and this gallery was previewing some of the pieces it was bringing to the show. There were works dating from the 1400’s up to the 1700’s. After getting Cathy and I lost, which was nice because I got to see some new sights we found the gallery. Everyone was dressed up, champagne was being served and it was just great. I realized that I will never look at art the same. I see the decay, the marks of intervention in some cases and I’m already beginning to assess the work. It doesn’t detract from seeing it, in fact it adds to the journey of th piece and I feel like the art and I share secrets now.

The haircut was for my friend Ariana, and I think she is in love with me now. She said that no one has ever given her the haircut she has asked for until now…not like she was asking for anything difficult, it’s only Posh for god sakes.

On Friday…I had my date with Giancarlo. He came from Rome for the day to take me out to lunch and just spend some time with me. I met him online about a year ago and we’ve kept in touch the whole time. He took me out to such a fantastic and expensive lunch. Apparently the Florentines are famous for a type of steak and since he hadn’t had one in years we found that yet another place right by apartment served it. It’s a tiny place callen Noe and it’s really charming. We had a primi piatta of carbonara but it also had artichokes in it which was a really nice touch,wine (of course) and the steak. When they set it in front of us I started to laugh. It’s a t-bone but the width is about twice what we serve on the Central Coast. It was cooked medium rare and it was really tender but I didn’t think it was better than what we have on California. I think as far as Europe goes it is probably insanely good but when you come from cow country it’s hard to top our meat. Since the steak was so incredibly expensive the owner sent over some grappa. For anyone who doesn’t know what it is…well…I can only compare it to Everclear. It is a white alcohol that is so strong…it makes tequila seem like milk. It was good but I don’t think I’ll be ordering it anytime soon. Neither he or I finished it, and we had to promptly head out to get some espresso. I think I’ve figured out why Italians drink espresso like water, you have to given all the heavy food they eat or you would just sleep your life away. It was such a good meal and we had a great time. He took the train back to Rome in the early evening...

(for the ladies, he has dark curly hair, green eyes, about 5’10”, thin build and speaks 4 languages…a good time to be envious of me)

Today is Sunday (probably posting this on Monday) and I went out for a few things and came back with a few clothing necessities and…2 pairs of boots! I had planned on buying one pair for the winter, and to wear in Ireland so my feet don’t get cold but today I was just feeling it. Actually the owner gave me shit load off the second pair and I couldn’t pass them up. So instead of buying a bike to ride to school, I now have boots to carry me there. I am rationalizing it with I walk so much that good shoes are practical and necessary. So now I only have to do 6 more haircuts here to cover the expense…sooooo worth it!

I was thinking that I should buy a few movies dubbed in Italian that I already

know the words to and today I stumbled onto a movie channels. Shazzzam….I’ve now seen Charlie's Angels and I’m watching Transformers. Anyone that knows me well, knows how often I’ve watched Transformers. It’s funny hearing the voices when I know it’s so far from the actor’s real voice, and I wonder if the jokes really translate. So I guess my tv won’t be changing channels much since I do think it will helpful…

Not much time for fun photos these days, but here is one from my school work....the frame I've been working on.

Madonna and Child

I got permission to post a few photos of the painting. It's like having your cherry popped all over again!

There is no specific date but we are guessing around 15oo and the restoration on this began Jan. 2009. I got to work on the foot of the baby and in an hour I finished about the size of a quarter. This is

the final stage of restoration on this piece so I was feeling pretty good about getting to touch it. Funny...didn't feel nervous at all. I was excited but maybe it's because I had just finished plastering a really old frame. Who knows...Because it's a private work we can make it all look like no damage was ever done...

It's me!

I thought I'd shoot something on the Mac in Photobooth for everyone...me in the library 4 hours into studying...Don't I look smarter?

The Lil bastard...

I finally got my box! I had to give my lil bastard of a box a hug because I went through so much to get this...not to mention how much dinero it cost Teri to send it! I know the picture is dark...but I didn't care I just wanted to rip it open.

I can't tell you how glad I was to see some of the things in that box...green tea. I've been buying some alleged green tea here but it's not even close to green tea, after steeping it looks yellow. So I got a whole divine bag of it, and splenda and like a genius I packed just about everything in ziplocs so I got some of those too. No ziploc bags here and as my family and friends can attest, I am a HUGE fan.

And my art supplies...which have proved to be a nice distraction from my homework so far. I actually had to come to the library at school to get away from them. Oh...I will pet them later. I took all day off yesterday from homework because I haven't actually had one c

omplete day off. I used the time to clean the house, organize all my box stuff and buy some much needed gadgets for the house. I really needed a reading light for next to the bed and I found one that will double as a clip light for photos if I need one. I ended up spending close to 45 minutes in the lighting store just for 4 things. You have to love Italy and the ways of it. I bought a travel alarm and when I got done paying for it he set it, even the alarm for me. How cute is that. He didn't care that someone was waiting...I even got a little tiny discount. Anyways...it was a fun shop with insanely great lighting options. I'm trying to avoid Ikea...as much as I love it I know I'll convince myself I need all sorts of things I really don't need. I might have to go right before Richard comes because having a house guest is a really good rational on getting a few new things....like decent pillows and a bath mat.

I hope everyone that reads this (and the people that don't) are well...happy...and at least enjoying my blog a little...

School work

I can share what we do in class that isn’t public or state work but simulations. I think I missed my opportunity to take a quick shot today of my first real live retouching on a painting, and plaster work on a super old frame. I don’t have details for either because I think they are private works our instructor is using to train us on.

Every thing we do is reversible because that is the common practice in Italy…especially Florence and it’s called “Restauro”. Very different techniques and ethical guidelines here in Italy but today because it was on a private piece, and I did a form of visual integration so the places that have been “wounded” look exactly like the places that are ancient. It was so amazing…I was actually painting on something created 2 hundred years ago. Me! Can you believe it, and it’s only week 2.

But back to the school work because that I have photos of.

The first is our terra cotta pots we are using to test out glues and get acquainted with the ceramic reconstruction. The next few are what we are doing in painting restoration and conservation. We are doing a step-by-step process of the old way to prepare and paint on panel. I choose to work on the guy version because there is more painting involved, and in the end he does get a little gold leaf. The last photo is of a fresco painting, done by a student last year, which I proceeded to apply glue and throw charcoal all over to mimic dirt. I get to clean it now and do research about possible artist and time period. I’m thinking a figure from the last supper but I’ve yet to completely figure it out. This is the on-site class so eventually we will be out working on location with Fabrizio or Daniella doing really work next semester, who are both fresco restoration specialists. I was pretty relieved to have a break from doing the class in all Italian (sure the translator helps but it’s a LOT to take in) when Daniella showed up. She is Irish and Spanish and speaks perfect Italian but her English is an Irish accent. It is heelarious…and she is pretty funny too.

All in all I’ve gone through half of a 140 page notebook in 7 classes and that isn’t counting the digital notes we get. I spent most of Sunday reading and napping and I don’t think I even left the apartment.

This week does seem easier even though the information is just as intense. We are all trying to figure out where the weird hunger comes from. It seems that quite a few of us are going through it. We are losing weight and eating regularly. I’m pretty sure brain activity doesn’t really burn calories but you wouldn’t have guessed it by the way our bodies are reacting. Fortunately it comes and goes in some strange 3 day cycle. It’s probably the walking but it still doesn’t add up considering now we sit all day in class most days.

Today I was actually helping Camilla talk to other students because they are under the impression I speak Italian. It is mostly I can understand them, not speak it so now she comes and asks me to explain what she is saying in Italian. I’m not really sure how I understand so much, but I think it’s my Spanish background. The words are really similar and it’s all in context. I do think I have more fine art experience, okay just experience in general and it’s helping tremendously. Besides, Camilla is adorable little rough and tumble Florentine who talks as much with her hands as her mouth. Not hard to understand that!

Well this turned into a long entry…hope I didn’t send anyone to Snoozeville with the school stuff. I can’t help it because it’s so friggin kick ass for me to be a part of…I love it!

(footnote: since I wrote this last night I was able to get some photos of the painting I worked on. I'll just post the section eventually so I don't end up in some Italian jail.)

Bus me...

It's week 2 and now I feel like I'm used to the pace of things. We all seem to be settling into a groove of sorts. We went to a lab where all the conservation tools are sold, some copyrighted compounds are made and we met the chemist that will be guiding us starting in January. Who knew that all my hairdresser chemistry and basics from Hancock would apply so easily to conservation.

Oh...and I got on an Italian bus for the first time today...crammed in like sardines and at one point Roberta (the head of the department) yelled out, "watch your bags". Apparently she was watching some guy try to pick pocket someone stranger on the bus. It really made the whole trip that much more "authentic" for me...I love it!

A little photo for the ladies...nothing like a nice piece of Italian marble...

Photos from class

So here is the first peek into my class work and mates. It is all about simulation right now, for learning and assessment of our skills. We went from putting together terra cotta pots to mixing rabbit glue and gypsum to create our own gesso in on class. This is my little panel that I will now have to shave down with a scalpel to create an even surface for painting, and then apply paint to match the techniques on the strips. I guess for most this is probably a little boring but I thought I’d show it anyways. Some people in my class are art history majors so although they have taken art classes it might not be their strong point. So it’s about separating the group into sections so when the real work comes they putus in place we will succeed.

This is Catherine and Alicia. Catherine was one of the first people I met at school and we have one class together. We tend to hang out a lot because our schedules mesh and we kind of have the same attitude about studying. I’ll try and get more photos of the group of 10 soon, but Alicia is one that is in all my classes.

I’ve spend the whole weekend, including Friday, studying and reading and trying to brush up on my art history timeline. This weekend I’m reading a book by D’Andrea Cennini called the “Craftsman’s Handbook” (Libro dell’Arte) which was first translated into English in 1844. And I’m going to skim through, “Objects…Reluctant Witnesses To The Past” by Chris Caple. That is on top of the required reading which I just finished.

The library at school is an amazing collection of art books of every kind. I think I could spend a year in there and not have even scratched the surface. Although we have internet at school which I’ve gotten on a few time, the mosquitoes there are hungry and ferocious. I got 5 bites today just answering a few emails.

So I had to trot, actually I couldn't get there fast enough, over to the Farmacia and get loaded up on spray and anti itch cream. I think I’ve suffered long enough…their itch cream here by the way is way better. I think it’s because just about everything is over the counter so you don’t need to mess with the weak products here. I could have bought one with a mild steroid in it! I guess everything has to eat including the mosquitoes.