...So I'm in Italy

I mentioned briefly in the last post that I've been in Italy. I was hoping I could just leave it at that and just go right back to normal, but my conscience won't let me. I've abandoned this blog and I must answer for it. So, here are the answers! Brace yourself, there's a lot of ground to cover here.

1. How Do You Like Italy?

Italy is great! Well, now it is. We didn't get on so much when I first arrived, but I've ironed out the kinks since then. My plane arrived in Florence and all was just dandy until I realized my luggage didn't make it. Then after checking in and getting my keys I got lost trying to find my apartment. I know a little bit of Italian so I was able to ask for directions without too much trouble, but it was hot and I'd been traveling for a day and a half--not a happy camper. I trudged along the tricky cobbled streets of Florence with my I-can't-believe-they-let-me-take-this-on-the-plane-it's-so-large carry on. After a nap and a shower I felt much better.

The food in Italy is, of course, amazing. My roommates and I (lovely girls) ate out a lot in the first week before we realized how much money we were burning through. Now we're limiting ourselves to dinner out about every other week, sometimes more frequently. Dinner have been nice, but what I've really been enjoying are the lunches. There are lots of cheap places to grab paninis or pizzas nearby and everything is delicious. One of my favorite places is I'Panaio in the local market. They sell a large assortment of pastries as well as lunch foods and the staff is super friendly.

I haven't experienced too much of a culture shock yet, even though I've been here 7 weeks already. The only thing that bugs me is how slow the Italians walk down the street. I enjoy a reasonably brisk pace, so when a man darts out in front of me and proceeds to toddle along I get a little titchy.

2. Have You Traveled?

Plenty of places! I'm practically a world traveller! Okay, so I haven't been all around yet, but I still have time! So far I have been to Florence (obviously), Viareggio, Verona, Siena, Cinque Terre, Montepulciano, Montalcino, and Rome. So far my favorite has been Cinque Terre, which I went to on a trip with Bus2Alps. The hike was difficult (we did the hike to the fifth city) because it was uphill for the first 20 minutes, but the views were well worth it. Plus we got to chill on the beach with mojitos afterwards.

3. Where's The Best Place To Get Gelato?

Oh boy. OHHHHH BOY. I know gelato. I haven't gone out to eat yet, but I've sampled almost every gelateria within walking distance. My roommates and I even went gelateria hopping for dinner one night. We walked from gelateria to gelateria, getting one flavor at each for a total of five gelaterias and the best 10 euro ever spent.

My favorite so far has been B Ice. It's a family run place and has the best apple-cinnamon gelato I have ever tasted. Sure it's the only apple-cinnamon gelato I've ever tasted, but it's dang good. Melt in your mouth fuck me sally good. The only problem is that B Ice is a good 20 minute walk from the touristy portion of town, well worth it but not exactly good for a spontaneous trip if you're on a time schedule.

Another great place that is closer to town is Venchi. They've been in the chocolate business since 1878 and makes some really great, rich chocolate gelato. They're fancy, but not nearly as expensive as you would think. A generous small I think cost no more than 2.50 euro. It's also right by the duomo so it's easy to pop in.

4. What Classes Are You Taking?

I am taking Philosophy 101, Age of Heroes: the Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid, 14th Century Italian Literature, Advanced Italian Language, and Food of Itlay. In case it isn't obvious, Food of Italy is my favorite. We cook every class, which not only saves me money from buying lunch once a week, but also means I get to pig out on authentic Italian food practically all the time now that I have the recipes. Yummmm

5. How Did Midterms Go?

Why thank you for asking. I just had my last two midterms today and I think they went reasonably well. I'm not used to having to handwrite my exams, usually my english professors just ask for typed papers to be handed in on the exam dates, so my writing hand is cramping from lack of exercise. First world problems.

6. So...Why Haven't You Posted In Over A Month?

Funny story. You see, my laptop was stolen by these Italian Mafia gang members. They were huge and had slicked back hair and cigars dangling precariously from their snarling mouths. Oh, Why did they want my laptop? Ummm...Revenge. I'm pretty sure it was for revenge. You see, when I arrived I witnessed this murder--really gruesome thing. It was a double murder, actually, and I was the only witness! Blood everywhere. I thought they didn't see me but it turns out they did and they came after me for revenge. Except they didn't kill me because I ran away. Really quickly. And then moved so they couldn't find me again. I'm actually in the witness protection program right now--shhhhh!! 

7. No, But Really?

Okay. I'd like to say that my internet was down or that my laptop crashed but that's not true. It's been working perfectly fine. I've just been a combination of busy, exhausted, and lazy that doesn't bode well for blogging.

In my spare time since I've been here I've read a few books (Dreamcatcher by Stephen King and Shadowland by Peter Straub) but I've mainly been catching up on tv shows. As lame as that sounds. I've been watching:

• Downton Abbey Season Two
• Sekaiichi Hatsukoi
• Once Upon a Time Season Two
• Modern Family

Now I've just started BBC's Merlin (first episode last night) and I have a feeling this is going to be another one that I'll obsessively fangirl over like Sherlock and Downton. Oh, Britain, why are you so awesome? It probably wasn't a good idea to start Merlin now since I'm leaving for Paris and Barcelona in a few days.

You jealous? Yeah, you are.

The Reading List of My Life

Let's ignore the fact that I haven't posted in months, shall we? I'm in Italy.

I watched this video by Zefrank on Youtube not two seconds ago. He basically gives a rundown of all the books that meant something to him in his life. Just the ones that stood out. I felt an immediate calling to make some kind of written reading list of my own, partly so that I can remember all the good books I've read in my life, but mostly because I don't understand the message of most of Zefrank's videos and I was happy I seemed to get this one.

I've always assumed that I love to read now because my mother read so much to me when I was a child. I have stacks of picture books at home, each with a loving message from my mother written on the inside cover in her first-grade-teacher print. My favorites were Dr. Seuss and one book about a girl who's dolls come to life in her closet, the name of which I can't remember for the life of me. There was a little blonde doll in a pink and white dress that was to me the prettiest.

At some point I reached the age where I could read on my own. I don't remember when this happened although I assume it was around first grade. I've been able to read for as far back as my memory goes. I read the entire Magic Treehouse series crouched in the back of my mother's classroom while she graded tests and rearranged desks. I read Junie B. Jones, Little House on the Prairie, Amelia Bedelia, and the American Girl Doll books and the Boxcar Children--Oh the Boxcar Children! For the longest time I was convinced that the greatest joy in life would be to live alone in an abandoned boxcar with my siblings. I conveniently forgot the fact that my brothers and I could never get along.

Then I grew up a little bit and evolved into longer chapter books. I tackled the Chronicles of Narnia much to young to appreciate The Magician's Nephew (which is much better now that I've read it again, though still not my favorite). The rest of elementary school is a bit of a blur for me. I spent a lot of time in the library--so much so that she often gave me stuffed animals as presents. But for all the time I spent reading I remember very few of my elementary school books. One of my all time favorites was My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George followed closely by Harriet The Spy, both of which inspired me to do things my parents disapproved of. Namely running away to live in a hollowed tree and spying on my neighbors. Then there was Bridge to Terebithia and The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, which I still reread every year. I remember Fever by Laurie Halse Anderson, and that is mainly because I never returned it.  I stole it from the librarian who was so kind to me.

In fifth grade came THE BOOK for me. The book to end all books. It was The Land by Mildred D. Taylor. It touched me in a way I couldn't describe, making me cry with every reread. It got to the point where I had been rereading The Land over and over again for months. I forced myself to put it down and pick up the companion piece, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, but I found it lacking. To this day I have not read The Land again, because I know I'd never be able to put it down.

Middle school came with so many books. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Inkheart, Eragon, Disappearance by Jude Watson, the Stravaganza series by Mary Hoffman. A Great and Terrible Beauty and sequels by Libba Bray. One of my favorites was the Amulet of Samarkand and it's sequels by Jonathan Stroud; the smart-mouthed demon Bartimeous tickled my funny bone almost to extinction. Then in eighth grade came the whopper: Harry Potter. After that there was an ever-present stack of Harry Potter books next to my seat at the dining room table so that I could read whenever I was hungry (except for dinner because that was family time). That is why there are spaghetti sauce stains all over my copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

In high school I read a lot, and it probably won't surprise you to know I didn't have many friends. I read everything I could by James Fenimore Cooper, Jane Austen, Pat Conroy, and Bill Bryson. I adored Nathaniel Philbricks' In the Heart of the Sea, which was the first nonfiction book that every touched my soul followed shortly after by Cicero by Anthony Everett. My heart still lies with fiction but these two books were miracles. I read simple books like The Nanny Diaries and absurdly presumptuous books like Atlas Shrugged. There were the books I read for school that I enjoyed like On Writing by Stephen King, Life of Pi, Candide, All Quiet on the Western Front, and Frankenstein. Then there were those I hated like Shakespeare's Julius Caesar which I read four times and Mrs. Dalloway, the atrocious Wuthering Heights and The House on Mango Street.

For pleasure I read Dan Brown, Philippa Gregory, Jodi Picoult and other authors that I adored at the time that I cringe at now. Although I still enjoy Dan Brown. I read On, Off by Colleen McCullough and for some reason I trudged through Moby Dick. Senior year I developed and obsession with Agatha Christie--Poirot, not Ms. Marple--and bought every single one of her mysteries I could get my hands on. Then came college.

I didn't have as much time to read in college. I would like to say it's because I got a social life, but really it's because I got a laptop and discovered the joys of Netflix. Still I've read some. In class I've read Wordsworth and Frost and Coleridge but they might as well be in French because poetry means diddly squat to me. The stand outs that I've read on my own are Laura Lippman's Hardly Knew Her which gave me permission to write creepy short stores if that's what I wanted to do. Hannah Tinti's The Good Thief motivated me to read again. A motivation I lost shortly after when I tried to read Dear American Airlines. But then I discovered Neil Gaiman and fell in love all over again. I read Neverwhere first and was entranced. Then came The Graveyard Book and American Gods and then Anansi Boys. These were followed by The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series and the ache when I found out there were supposed to be ten books before the author died. I've read Beloved by Toni Morrison and The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. I've poured over Dante's Vita Nuova with disdain and his Divine Comedy with awe.

And right now? What am I reading? I just finished Shadowland by Peter Straub which had great reviews on Goodreads but wound up not impressing me nearly as much as Dreamcatcher by Stephen King did which I read right before. My first piece of fiction by King and it talked about aliens coming out of people's asses. Go figure. And now I am about to start Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas.

What are you reading? What have you read? What do you hope to read?