Romamama

I'm in one of the most amazingly beautiful places in the world and I can't get that Lady Gaga song out of my head...good grief Charlie Brown. I blame you for this, Brian Lai! Damn that Bad Romance...

Anyhow, the flight overall wasn't so bad. I didn't even attempt to sleep since I was so excited, and I wanted to make sure that I cut the jet lag straight away. It is currently 11:30am in Rome, Italy, and in Chicago it is 4:30am. Yikes! I have been awake for quite some time now...please understand if my language is a little basic. Scusi.

Our hotel is beautiful. Could it possibly be anything else? The environment is so green and lush, and even the trees are remarkable...[I am NOT a hippie]...[jerks]...even the air feels lighter and sweet to breathe. As our flight was landing in Roma, the sun was just pouring out behind some fluffy white clouds and the sky was fresh with a bit of drizzle and light. I took a couple pictures of the most gorgeous rainbow effect given from these elements [just with my new little point and shoot] and I felt such a great rush of relaxation. It was the first breathtaking and exhilarating moment of my trip. And that was just on the airplane.

I'm currently rooming with Elise and Olivia, while Anna and Tracey are in a double a couple doors down. Our rooms are comfy, but the quarters are ridiculously small, which seems to be something that we are going to have to get used to, and quickly. When we stepped into the individual rooms portion of the hotel, the elevator was about as large as one American sized obese man. Maybe not even obese. Probably just a man with a larger beer belly. Moral of the story: whoa, tiny! I can already see that I am going to be facing a ton of silly phobias I have while I am here, and hopefully I will be broken of a few of them...like my phobia of tight elevators. Ahh! I sent my luggage up to the second floor [which is actually called the first floor, the ground level called 'zero'] and ran up the stairs to meet up with my luggage! I know, I'm silly. Maybe I'll break that one soon...oh, and the shower is about the same exact size of the elevator. Ohhhmygoodnesss.

While Olivia and I were scanning our new territory for a bit, we noticed that a garbage can was smoking. Literally. The smoke didn't smell awful though, it was almost aromatic, so for a moment we almost passed it up as something that was SUPPOSED to be there. Wrong! We noticed that the smoke was continuing to grow, so we hurried inside the hotel and tried to explain to the nearest person, the bartender, that the garbage can was on fire! Olivia motioned her to follow us because it was quite clear she was confused as to what we were getting at, and before we could all make it over there, a man working for the hotel was already stamping it out. Phew! The bartender then told us that if we needed a larger garbage can, that there was a huge dumping one behind some fences and whatnot! Haha! Talk about misinterpretation. Later we questioned ourselves as to why we didn't think to say "un fuego!" but, no worries, no damage done.

I actually wrote this blog the day we arrived in Rome, and I can only buy internet one hour at a time, so it doesn't seem like I will be able to keeping blogging consistently until we get into Cortona. Sadness! But don't worry, so many other Italia stories to be told...keep checking!

Lovelovelove

i love kamil kecki

I have the best family in the entire world. I leave...today.

yukon gold

i wish youd take your lap top while you poop

matthias

Do you ever have those days that seem to last a lifetime, even though the day isn't over yet?

I had a great day...but...a lengthy one.

Today I received all the rest of my camera accessories in the mail. Excellent. Great new little tripod, so light! I'm already in love. Yes...in love with my camera equipment. You heard me.

I love easily. I constantly tell my friends that I love them. I often wonder if it makes some feel uncomfortable. I honestly couldn't care less. I suppose that is the problem I have most of the time; I am honest, and not prepared for the consequences, and/or I just don't mind making people feel awkward. Honestly, [ha], I usually enjoy making people feel awkward. Is this wrong?

I saw my mother's parents today. I absolutely adore my grandparents. I love both my father's, and my mother's parents, very much. Today I saw the Przyborski's! Grandma Soft Arms, for all of you out there who know how much of a Grandma Rose Enthusiast that I am.

I always notice how openly loving I am with my grandparents, and how sometimes it makes them bashful. It makes me wonder. How are people so afraid? Maybe my grandparents didn't receive the devotion that present parents show their children? Or, they just enjoy my enthusiasm for loving them and that is simply enough. Not that they don't show me enough that they enjoy my company and love me a ridiculous amount, because they certainly do...I'm just asking in general. What holds people back?

I guess being open isn't an easy thing to do. For one, you have to be confident and sure that you are acting accordingly to the situation. Or, like me, so ridiculously confident [or just self centered enough, haha] that you bypass the politeness of what you should do in that situation, and do something like you REALLY mean to, with no regard to politeness, or to "should" do, but rather, what to "want" to do.

Why don't we do that more often?

Are we always looking for that 'one' person to share ourselves with too often? Why just one person? Aren't there many people to which we should be open? If we would only trust ourselves enough? Maybe? Possibly?

I can't help myself. Maybe I am not confident. Maybe I am just more affected by...fear. Fear of loosing the ones that mean the most to me, and I have that fear far too often. I feel if I don't show the love that I feel right now, RIGHT NOW, then it's going to be too late. And you know what? Maybe it will be too late. Is that really such an awful thing to fear? If it gets me to be more open, and more loving towards the individuals I truly care about, maybe my anxiety isn't so unhealthy...

I love my Grandma Rose so much, that sometimes I do things for her that I wouldn't ordinarily want for myself. I honestly never want to get married. However, if I could make my Grandmother happy by having her at my wedding, I would totally do it. If that is something she wants to see before she ascends, I swear I'll do it. I would love to have that picturesque wedding, with the white gown, beautiful cake...photographers milling around...taking pictures of three generations: my Mother, myself, and my Grandmother; if that is something she wants. I would love to have that, if that is something she wants.

Sometimes I love my Grandmother so much, she almost makes me believe in God.

I feel that humans easily love, but commitment...commitment to that love is the work. I think that once you love someone, you never stop loving them. You just push it to the back of your mind if you must stop loving them. Even if someone has wronged you, there is no going back...you still love them. No doubts in my mind.

Wow. I could probably keep going on about this...most likely because it's been a night full of too much thinking.

An interesting conversation:

1 : what do [you] think about the saying that thinking and feeling is not doing and doing is all that matters?

2 : i agree with that. doing is all that matters 100% you can think and feel all you want but that won't get anything accomplished

1 : hm i guess but what leads you to do something? its how you feel right? you act based on how you feel? or you feel based on how you act?

2 : hmm both

1 : because if you act based on how you feel... then feeling is equally important

2 : i didn't say feeling isn't important but feeling doesn't get things accomplished

1 : true but you do what you feel is right?

2 : no

1 : or rather you think based on your emotions... which leads to what you ultimately do

2: do you ever know what you think is right?

1 : yes

2 : yes. but we shouldn't act on our emotions. which gets us into trouble

1 : you know something is right when you feel it but if you never act on your emotions you never know for sure if thats how you feel maybe you feel something and think if you want to act on it... and if you do thats when you know for sure if it was right or not

2 : yeah i could agree with that

1 : so ultimately you have a choice based on your emotions. and shouldnt let your mind always tell you not to act on your emotions or youd never be able to really feel. how about i think therefore i am? do your thoughts and perceptions affect the way you feel?

2 : that is true as well. yes.

1 : so if you change how you think you can change how you feel?

2 : yes. very true. i am a good example of that concept

1 : how so?

2 : i used to always be down on myself for no reason i thought that i was an awful person. i realize now that i am, in fact, not an awful person. i changed my negative thinking into constructive and positive thinking. i therefore no longer feel like i am worthless

1 : thats very true. so that works on if you believe in something you can accomplish it?

2 : yes, i think so

1 : i see. but what makes you believe in something or someone?

2 : knowledge? hope? faith? trust?

1 : does it/they make you believe it or do you make yourself believe it?

2 : intuition? both

1 : but those are all based on emotion

2 : knowledge? is based on emotion?

1 : where do you get knowledge from? if you never try something you felt... because you said you cant act on emotion

2 : knowledge from...nurture

knowledge from...environment

knowledge from...instinct

1 : hm interesting to think about. so you think that your mind is more powerful than any emotion and all? well i mean you can convince yourself of anything or to override anything. and while it may be irrational you can still convince yourself to think that way even if you know its irrational

2 : yes

1 : so ultimately your mind is the strongest part of you?

2 : yes

1 : i would agree

dos

two more days...

lens your ear

Ugh. It has just been one of those days.

Good news: I received my new lens today! Yay! Thank you for such quick delivery, Amazon.

I can't wait to use my new lens in Italy. It is an ultra wide angled lens, 10 - 22mm, so I'm going to be able to take some great landscape pictures that wouldn't have been possible with my 'elder' 28 - 135mm lens. I played around with the new lens today, and I was having such a great time. I know, I'm such a nerd. But I comfort myself in thinking that I'm not nearly as bad as Brad Meyer...yet. [No offense Brad, still love you, haha...] But I still took some pictures with the 'less new' lens, too. I didn't want him to feel bad...fair usage all around! Turns for everyone! Such a kind camera owner, I know. Treating my lenses, old and new, with the same respect. I try.

Otherwise, today was pretty average...again. Sigh. I drew some. Ate some really unhealthy, questionable foods. Got 12 unnecessary hours of sleep. Nothing on t.v. Lame. I just want to go to Italia meow! Preeze?!

I want one. Meow.

FOUR MORE DAYS...

jesus saves, i spend

FINALLY bought a new lens for my 40D digital SLR. I'm so pumped to use it in Italy, but I'm not so pumped about how much the lens cost...eeekk! Oh well. It was definitely worth the cost...how can I consider myself a photographer if I don't buy a new lens for such a great trip, right? Ok, I may just be trying to make myself feel better for spending so much money...but still a good investment, I say.

Besides the excitement of buying my lens, the whole day was just full of laundry and packing clothes for my trip. I'm actually very proud because I don't think I overpacked at all, which is definitely opposite of my typical traveling suitcase experience. Everything I packed for this trip is either black, creme, or some shade of grey. How exciting! Well, I do love grey...can't lie.

Kamil sent me this amazing job opportunity that he found on the internet today; an internship working for Urban Outfitters/Anthropologie/Free People. Ahh!! Talk about internship come true. It inspired me to finally finish my resume, which actually didn't take too painfully long to make, anddd itsprettyilikeit! Hehe. Oh, and check this out, so beautiful! Oh, and Kamil sent me this, too. So cool!! [My birthday is in March]

Here is the website for Jay Ryan, the awesome illustrator/poster designer/screenprinter that GDSI was fortunate enough to visit the other day. He signed my red cowboy boots! Awesome.

Still counting down the days! Five more to go...

lug me away

Went to Macy's today and FINALLY bought luggage for my trip. Whoopie! It's really pretty...I like it [that's funny because that is the name of my tumblr! God I'm just so clever, and not conceited at all] I just can't believe that I'm leaving Saturday! Crazy!!

DEPART
Saturday, January 30, 2010
		Alitalia Flight 629 Nonstop		Saturday, January 30, 2010 Depart: OHare International, Chicago, IL, US (ORD) @ 3:45pm Arrive: Fiumicino, Rome, IT (FCO) @ 8:00am Sunday, January 31, 2010
RETURN
Thursday, April 29, 2010
		Alitalia Flight 1464 Nonstop		Thursday, April 29, 2010 Depart: Marco Polo, Venice, IT (VCE) @ 8:00am Arrive: Fiumicino, Rome, IT (FCO) @ 9:05am
<<>>
		Alitalia Flight 628 Nonstop		Thursday, April 29, 2010 Depart: Fiumicino, Rome, IT (FCO) @ 10:20am Arrive: OHare International, Chicago, IL, US (ORD) @ 2:00pm

Purchased some supa cool shoes from Steven Madden, too. Not one, not two, but three pairs! Ahh! Thanks Mamma, you're the best.

Received a very nice surprise from Josh. He came to visit today before he headed back to Champaign. He bought me my favorite flowers and this really awesome magazine called Drome. It seems to be an Italian/American design/fashion mag, and I'm excited to begin reading.

It's strange to think how far away I will be from everyone once I depart. I'm very excited - obviously - but I don't think it has sunk in as to how much I'm truly going to miss all of my friends and family. At least I have the week to prepare.

!

Less than a week to Italy and I'm very upset that this blog does not seem to have Helvetica...but instead...Arial. Grrrross.

Today, GDSI visited the Bird Machine studio in Skokie, where I was very fortunate to meet Jay Ryan and his kind assistant, Sara(h). Awesome trip, to say the very, very, veryyy least.

And I was able to catch up with Ashwee today !

Scho Scho Schweepy.

S