Gonna try to post more often. Not much else to do these days. Actually, I take that back. There are innumerable things to do, though they mostly involve chores like finding the health office or the store that sells trash bags. But I suppose even I feel a tiny thrill when completing "boring" tasks like these. For the most part, Caitlin and I have already accomplished The Big Stuff — finding an apartment, exploring the city, meeting new friends. And while those accomplishments are important and exciting, perhaps it is the day-to-day chores that more exemplify what it means to start a new life. Of course, acquiring antihistamines at the farmacia doesn't exactly make for great blogging. Well, too bad! Suffer, dear readers!
Bought a couple of classic novels while on our agriturismo trip: Jack London's "The Call of the Wild" and Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness." Guess which was published first? (Answer at the end.) I can't believe I'd never read "The Call of the Wild" before. 'Dat Buck! Of course, it made me miss Ruby more than ever. And "Heart of Darkness" — yikes. I remember trying to read it in high school — and hating every page. But now maybe I'm more ready for it. Similar themes in the books: the rush to collect valuable resources (ivory in Africa, gold in the Yukon); the effect of wild/untamed nature on outsiders; a return to primordial order. I won't bore you with a comparative essay, but I will tell you that I've been thinking more and more about the outdoors recently. Mostly about the Grand Canyon or the West Coast Trail. I'm still adjusting to city life, I suppose, and one of the hardest things is not being able to escape the city. It's almost a claustrophobia. Almost everywhere I've lived, I could walk out the front door and be in the woods in 5 minutes. Here, there's no such luxury. But I have found some outlets: Villa Pamphili is a huge park 15 minutes from our apartment. And we're only a cheap train ride away from hills, rivers, mountain bike trails, lakes, coasts, even mountains. Plus, with our vines, flowers, cacti and venus fly trap, it's getting more jungle-like in our apartment. Maybe that will tide me over.
We made it back from Tuscany last night. Hitched a ride with our host's father from Agriturismo Bonello to Buonconvento, where we realized we still had our hand-embroidered room key! Had to tell the cafe server: "We have a key to an agriturismo and we're leaving it with you to give to a man." In Italian. Not easy. But it all worked out. Spent Sunday in Siena — fun! Overcast, but not rainy enough to dampen our visit. Afterwards, we caught the overcrowded express train back to Roma.
(Answer: "Heart of Darkness" in 1899, "The Call of the Wild" in 1903.)
Bought a couple of classic novels while on our agriturismo trip: Jack London's "The Call of the Wild" and Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness." Guess which was published first? (Answer at the end.) I can't believe I'd never read "The Call of the Wild" before. 'Dat Buck! Of course, it made me miss Ruby more than ever. And "Heart of Darkness" — yikes. I remember trying to read it in high school — and hating every page. But now maybe I'm more ready for it. Similar themes in the books: the rush to collect valuable resources (ivory in Africa, gold in the Yukon); the effect of wild/untamed nature on outsiders; a return to primordial order. I won't bore you with a comparative essay, but I will tell you that I've been thinking more and more about the outdoors recently. Mostly about the Grand Canyon or the West Coast Trail. I'm still adjusting to city life, I suppose, and one of the hardest things is not being able to escape the city. It's almost a claustrophobia. Almost everywhere I've lived, I could walk out the front door and be in the woods in 5 minutes. Here, there's no such luxury. But I have found some outlets: Villa Pamphili is a huge park 15 minutes from our apartment. And we're only a cheap train ride away from hills, rivers, mountain bike trails, lakes, coasts, even mountains. Plus, with our vines, flowers, cacti and venus fly trap, it's getting more jungle-like in our apartment. Maybe that will tide me over.
We made it back from Tuscany last night. Hitched a ride with our host's father from Agriturismo Bonello to Buonconvento, where we realized we still had our hand-embroidered room key! Had to tell the cafe server: "We have a key to an agriturismo and we're leaving it with you to give to a man." In Italian. Not easy. But it all worked out. Spent Sunday in Siena — fun! Overcast, but not rainy enough to dampen our visit. Afterwards, we caught the overcrowded express train back to Roma.
(Answer: "Heart of Darkness" in 1899, "The Call of the Wild" in 1903.)
are you still in school?
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