Big news: I've deactivated my Facebook account. I know, quite counter-cultural of me. I haven't gone of the deep end, I just didn't want to spend countless amounts of time learning about people I don't even know. And people I do know. And having people I don't know be able to learn about me. Now I'm much more mysterious. Except I have a blog.

Molly and a bunch of other people who will soon be gone are here for the weekend. It's nice how you can just pick up with people where you've left off. That you don't have to fill them in on every detail of your life in order to feel close to them again. You know? You know.

Today has been full of people and catching up with them. As soon as I got out of class I had lunch with my cousin Rob, then a couple hours later I had coffee with my long lost friends Sandy and Jiye, during which I ran into my long lost roommate Molly. They're not lost anymore, I found them. I chatted with them for a couple hours, and then met up with a couple other long lost friends for dinner at Food For Thought. I found so many people today! And now my throat is kind of dry from all the talking. Phew. It's been fun though. I definitely have become quite the extrovert since high school. I just got back from dinner and am already getting bored and wanting to hang out with more people. What is going on with me?! It's probably living with six girls last year and then nine last semester--I've just gotten used to constantly having people around me. Now there are five of us, which feels like nothing.

And I'm taking eighteen hours, which you'd think would keep me rather busy, but really, I'm having a lack of things to do. I feel like I must be doing something wrong, because right now I have no homework. I could read a little Ovid for my Classical Mythology class on Tuesday, but I have all the time in the world to do that. Oh well. Life is hard like that sometimes. I'm sure I'm jinxing myself and will have five papers to write next week. Bring it on, universe.

Tis now the morning of my second day of classes. The nice thing about having an 8 o'clock yesterday is that now my 9:30 on Tuesdays/Thursdays seems so late. I'm already ready already, when yesterday I was scrambling to be ready.

Yesterday was a good day, though I had my doubts at the beginning. It just felt so strange to be back on campus. I had been looking forward to it, but everything was just the same. There are a couple new statues, and a lot more Sperry's, but everything else is the same. The people look the same and they all speak English. What barbarians. (On the topic of Sperry's Top Siders--it's interesting what becomes in fashion. Sperry's are boating shoes.) But it turned out well. I'm interested in most of my classes. They are . . .

3D Design
Political Science
Backpacking
Classical Mythology
Astronomy
Rest and Relaxation
Women in American Society
I know, no Art History classes. That hurts my heart a little. Melissa, my Art History roommate, is taking an Art History class, and I will probably be jealous of her all semester. Oh well. But something crazy is that I have classes with three of my four roommates. That never happens! Design with Mel, Poli Sci with Rach, and Astronomy and its lab with Tins. That makes going to class a little happier. And with my backpacking class, we get to go on a backpacking trip later on in the semester. That's pretty sweet. And I was the only girl in the class who has had backpacking experience. Yes, I am that cool.

Geez, it's still not even nine. What am I going to do with my life?!

And all through the loft
Roommates were unpacking
And one just coughed [It was Claire]
Boxes were thrown in the hall without care
Next to old things and new things and ones that we share.

That's enough of that.

It's the eve of a new semester. I start tomorrow at eight with 3-D Design, a class I dropped last spring; so I'm not really looking forward to that. At least I can get it over with early.

Going to UBC this morning was really nice. I've missed it. And seeing a bunch of people I hadn't seen in awhile was cool. It's always kind of awkward to see people at first, because I don't really know what to say. There's just so much that we've missed in each other's lives, it's hard to know where to start.

"How are you?!"
"Good! How are you? How was Italy?"
"Great! I really enjoyed it. I'm happy to be back though."

And that's when the conversation starts to peter out. But oh well, it's still nice to see them.

I'm all unpacked now and comfortable. Everyone is back, including people who will soon be gone. It will be interesting to see how this semester turns out. It always is.

I'm back in Wacko Waco, surrounding by boxes and pink walls. The pink is not really my color, but I'm making it my color. I haven't gotten very far in the unpacking progress. The most unpacked-space is my back corner, pictured below in a picture taken moments ago by the photo booth on this computer. It's from the vantage point of my bed.

I got here at about 1, but didn't open a box until around nine (I'm not quite sure why I decided to write out nine but not 1. Hm). I've been busy catching up. Rach, Tins, and Mel are here; all that our little family is missing is Claire (her name is already only one syllable). It felt funny to be here at first, but now it feels really good. I'm happy to be back in this silly town. I feel like I'm just visiting. I'm happy I have many months yet to go.

I think I'm about to turn into a pumpkin or something. I soon as it became 11:30 I began to feel a little sleepy, and I have been getting progessively more tired as I get closer to midnight.

I'll close this post now, before then, so that it won't get posted on the wrong day. I hate that.

Something I've learned this evening is that not many girls work out at Lifetime at night. I went there tonight at around eight and very much felt that. There were plenty of us around the cardio machines, but when I looked around whilst doing weights, I felt rather alone in representing my gender. And exposed.

Sometimes, when I work out and it's really hard and I need to motivate myself, I say, "Laura, it's called working out for a reason. It's not called easy out. It's supposed to be hard." That's just a little something for ya. I enjoy motivating people, including myself.

People say that two subjects you should avoid talking about are religion and politics. They ignite passions. Well, here at the Carmack table (which is where I'm sitting right now, as a matter of fact), that is pretty much all we talk about, I've noticed. Well, I wouldn't so much say we, because I'm usually more on the listening side of things; I absorb. Especially the later, what with it being election season and all. I feel pitifully uninformed when it comes to that. But I become more informed by absorbing.

I don't see how these politicians get any sleep. They're always talking on TV.

There's a cute little baby in the house now, my first-cousin-once-removed Caroline (not to be confused with "Sweet Caroline" under my "friends" list. "Sweet Caroline" is a bit older). She's not so much a little baby anymore actually; she just celebrated her first birthday. She's up and walking all over the place now (you can see her mommy's blog by clicking on "The Huffmans" link). And today is my mommy's birthday! Happy Birthday mi madre! Buon compleanno!

This time next week I will be in class. I was excited about that until I looked at my schedule yesterday. That made me not so excited about it. I'm taking eighteen hours. We'll see how that goes.

One Tree Hill has gotten crazy. I'll catch an episode on the Soap channel every now and then. In the one I'm watching right now there is a guy trying to kill Brooke and Peyton--it's like a slasher movie. They escaped the murderer just in time to go to prom. The last episode I watched had Lucas being visited by his dead uncle who showed him what his life would be like if he was more selfish. What happened to the simpler days when you just had two half brothers battling on the basketball court, one of whom married the other's best friend when they were sixteen? Those days were much less complicated. High school is hard.

So now I've applied to the Shelburn Museum in Vermont, the Kimball in Fort Worth, and then next on my list is The Fort Worth Modern. I'm pulling for the Modern, but the Kimbell would be cool too. Vermont is far away and scarey, but maybe that's why I should do that one. We'll see what happens.

Oh snap! Lucas just found out who killed his uncle! And Brooke and Peyton are at Prom and all bloody. Gross. Just in time for Brooke to be crowned prom queen!

I hear people say sometimes that their life isn't interesting, like it's beyond their control. It frustrates me when people say that. For one, of course your life doesn't seem interesting to you, you see it everyday, and something you see everyday inevitably becomes uninteresting. For two--it's your life. It's as interesting as you make it. And you don't need to do something crazy like live in Italy to do it, that's something I've learned this semester. Things are as interesting as you are interested in them. I came across many people who were uninterested in living in Italy, who were bored and complainers and couldn't wait to go home. I wanted to slap them, but that's not what this is about. What I'm trying to say is that you are in control of you.

I was watching the America's Next Top Model marathon on VH1 this morning, and became bored. I wanted to be outside and walk around. So I did. I drove to Parr Park, journal in tow, and spent some time outside. It was a good idea. Today is beautiful. When I first got there a little white dog with no owner in sight followed me around. A man jogging asked me what kind of dog he was, and I said I don't know, he's not mine. Then the man jogged after the dog and said, "Snickers! Snickers?!" Apparently he suspected it was his neighbor's dog, but the dog didn't respond to Snickers and so the man gave up. I didn't see the dog again until 45 minutes later when I was leaving and I saw another man run up to "Snickers" and say, "Snickers!" with relief in his voice. He was the aforementioned neighbor and it was his dog. It's felt funny, like I was on a TV show or something, the way it happened that this dog framed my time at the park. When I got there he was a mystery, and when I left, the mystery was solved.

I thought about this whole "interesting" thing while I was at the park, about how going there made my day more interesting.

A song by Kimya Dawson (I found her on the Juno soundtrack)comes to mind (it's also one of her songs that is quoted above)

The flower said "I wish I was a tree"
The tree said "I wish I could be
a different kind of tree"
The cat wished that it was a bee
The turtle wished that it could fly
really high into the sky
Over rooftops and then dive
deep into the sea

And in the sea there is a fish
A fish that has a secret wish
A wish to be a big cactus
with a pink flower on it
And the flower would be its offering of love
To the desert
and the deserts so dry and lonely
That the creatures all appreciate the effort


And the rattlesnake said "I wish I had hands
So I could hug you like a man"
And then the cactus said "but don't you understand?
My skin is covered with sharp spikes
That'll stab you like a thousand knives
A hug would be nice but hug my flower with your eyes"
Till the flower said "I wish I was a tree"

Happy New Year. (The song is called Tree Hugger, by the way. And the song quoted in my heading is called Loose Lips)

My brother got me a CD for Christmas. It's St. Vincent. I like her and you should too.

I've decided I don't like plans. They're dumb. A hazy guide, an idea, is ok, but not plans. Plans are just arrogant.

And episodes of The Office never get old.

And here is a donkey and some friends on Christmas Eve.

Chicken and stuffing are a-cooking. We had a big yummy Christmas brunch and now are awaiting our big yummy Christmas dinner. I'm wearing a new Christmas watch and listening to my brother's new Christmas record player. Earlier I watched an episode of my new Christmas DVD set of the first series of The Office (the British version). It's a beautiful day but I've barely set a foot outside and now the sun is thinking about setting. Where do the days go? I only have a few left of 2007. I guess I should start thinking of a New Years Resolution.

Here's me and my Christmas mommy. With my haircut that makes me look like a business woman, apparently.

I deleted my link to Florence University of the Arts from my bookmarks. It's apart of my past night. I did it.

I'm home now and it feels good. It feels like I've only been gone a day. The unpacking I still have to do tells a different story though, but I have time for that. And I'm going to a yoga class at 11! I've so missed yoga, and just working-out in general. And my car Timmy, is having troubles, so a new car for me is in the works. And I played guitar last night for the first time since August. I haven't forgotten how. And I'm anxious to get back to Baylor, but that doesn't mean I don't love being here.

So that's my life at the moment.

I feel like I'm in some sort of limbo, this last day. I'm just waiting to leave.

Isabel left early yesterday morning

Jenny left yesterday at around 11.

Ady and Anna left early this morning.


Hannah left at noon.

Tomorrow morning, at the buttcrack of dawn, Vanessa, Whitney, and I will leave.

And Melissa is sticking around with her family until Monday.


WEIRD.

I finished finals today, and I think I did pretty well. Home is so close I can taste it. But I'm still here for two more whole days. That's weird. It's weird to be here without a purpose. I guess I do have some purposes--packing and cleaning. And I have some rolls of film left from my photography class. I want to walk around these next couple of days and take cool Florence pictures.

Melissa's sis is here visiting. It's fun walking around here and seeing things through her eyes-- fresh eyes. Makes me appreciate it before I leave it.

So I'll see you soon.

There is this infectious song that plays on the radio a lot here by a UK guy who goes by MIKA. It's such a fun song; you can't NOT be in a happy mood when you're listening to it. I remember paying for my groceries earlier this semester and it came on. I started dancing a little in line and the Italian cashier started dancing and singing along. It was a beautiful moment I dont know if he's popular in the US, but I just bought his CD and am in love with it. Here's the video of the aforementioned song.



He's just so fun! I want to be his friend.

What I'm going to miss most about this place isn't the art, it's not the beautiful churchs nor Tuscan landscape, not the wine, gelato, nor pasta, not the shoppping nor the traveling nor the catcalling Italian men, not the language nor the cappucini nor the pastries. It's my roommates. I'll miss this most.

And this.

And this.

And this

And this.




We're just really cool people.

I miss people wherever I go. Here, home, Baylor. And as I get older I'm just going to miss more people There will just be more people and more places and people and places and faces and memories. It's the beautiful burden we bear.

Today I visited Florence's Serial Killer Museum. *shivers* It seemed like a good idea at the time. In the museum, you learn about and see wax reproductions of the world's famous serial killers--Jack the Ripper, Ted Bundy, Charles Mason, John Wayne Gacy Jr, to name a few. It was intriquing and disturbing. I felt dirty afterwards, and suspicious of everyone.

I learned that the United States has had more serial killers than any other country in the world, by a land slide. Out of all recorded serial killers, 58% have been American. The runner up is Italy with %6. The rest are dispersed throughout a plethora of countries. It makes you wonder about us.

And did you know that Tuscany was the first country to outlaw the death penalty? Tuscany is the region of Italy where Florence is located, and was it's own county back in the day. They did so back the the 1700s. The anniversary of the ban of the death penalty was a few weeks ago actually. There were these people walking around dressed in 18th century garb, led by a guy that looked like an executioner, walking to the beat of some boys following, banging on drums. We were all perplexed at the time, but then learned the significance of the day.

So those are some fun facts for you.

But on a happier note, I finished my paper. Yay! I'm done with papers for this semester! Now all I have to do is study for and take finals.

My brain is about to ooze out of my ears. I've been working on this paper for too many hours. It's for my Renaissance Art class and is about the emergence of female nudes in Western art. I'm calling it, "The Renaissance Takes Off Her Clothes." I dig the title.

Since I've been studying Art History, I've become much more comfortable with nudity in general. It's all over the place here. And it's interesting to see the changing face of beauty, from the voluptuous women of Giorgione (to your right), to Kiera Knightley.

Maybe I should go walk around or something. My back is starting to hurt.

One and a half weeks, people.

I went to Italian Mass this morning at the Duomo (pictured to your left). Actually, it was not so much in the morning, more like the afternoon--it can be hard ro rouse up my roommates. It was my first time to go to a church service since I've been in Europe. I've never gone so long without attending church, but at the same time, I've never been in so many beautiful churches. Mass today was a cool experience. I didn't understand much of it, but following along in the program helped. And they had all the verses they were reading in English on page five. Next week we want to go to an English Mass in one of the other beautiful churches around Florence.

I've had fun this weekend being a tourist in Florence. I went to the Pitti Palace today by myself and wondered around the
opulent rooms and beautiful paintings. I went to the Uffizi Friday, and yesterday, I went souvenier shopping with Melissa and Vannessa (pictured to your right in the Piazza della Signoria, which I walk through at least once a day). It's been pretty chill.

And then I have one week left of actual classes, one week of finals, and then I'm finished. Egads.

In other news, we've already ruined are kitchen table from multiple people neglecting to use cutting boards, and our landlady has told us we are going to pay her for a new one, and so, like the free-spirited, Florentine art students we are, we've taken to decorating said table with colorful sharpies.

We plan on selling it on ebay and making making thousands of dollars to donate towards AIDs research or some such disease.

I believe this is the meaning of the phrase, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."