Two years
It’s been two years since arriving in Rome. I don’t have a lot to say about that, but I thought I should acknowledge it in some way—so that’s that. Also, I wanted to share this, or keep it for myself, or something like that.
Title: I Miss Getting Lost Date: 06/28/07 I miss getting lost. I miss blending in. I miss being suspicious. I miss being a drifter with a camera in a strange town. I miss walking tough in a bad neighborhood, changing my gait and clutching my fist, becoming John Wayne for three blocks. I miss getting away with it. I miss sneaking in. I miss the infinite possibilities of Penn Station, the notion of picking up and using instinct, inspiration and a new pair of New Balance sneakers as a compass. I miss just making it. I miss being on top, and all the illusions that accompany it. I miss you, the crowd of bodies jostling for number one, the human race, the vantage enjoyed only by the vertical bi-ped, waiting in line for a ham sandwich, a bank check, a new passport. I miss feeling nervous and guilty about cops, confident their x-ray eyes could see in my pants pocket. Oh, the things I miss.
A message posted by a guy with Lou Gehrig’s disease named Patrick O’Brien for a foundation of the same name.
Oh, hi
It’s been a while and I wanted to update and document some of the things that have been going on lately. First, I’m doing that because I can—I finally switched hosting providers and my site is now running pretty quickly as it used to in the past. Not just in the front-end, what you’re looking at, but in the back-end where I have to work to change the things you see. It had been so bad that it really discouraged me from posting anything because it took so long. Now that that has been fixed, I’m excited to get back to this posting and blogging and documenting business.
I’m also able to post more frequently (not saying that I will) because I’ve moved. I now get consistent internet access at home, and I must confess that I missed it. I hate to admit that I love being connected for some reason, like it makes me less of a human and more of a robot. I’ve been able to get a lot more done though, so no harm yet.
Since moving, I had the opportunity to visit John in Finland. We stayed at Arteles, an artist residency in the small town of Haukijärvi. This was my first trip out of Rome that was unrelated to business, and every second was an absolute joy. The Finns I met there were great, the residents were talented, and the country itself was paradise for me. John and I shot video throughout most of the five-day vacation, and we put together a little something just for fun which you can see here at, Chintelligens. FYI, I’m Conductor Conductor.
I’m beginning to find my comfort zone within web design. I’ve made some trade-offs between getting things done myself, and learning to adapt existing templates to my needs. It’s hardly web design at that point, but I think that’s the moral of the story. I’m not a web designer, and I don’t particularly want to be—never have either. Something I realized in Finland was that I missed working with my hands. I’m not talking about art, but just general things like sweeping leaves, painting a room, or hauling dead branches. Activities that have a beginning, cigarette break, and end. The end is really the best part because in Finland you get naked and jump in a sauna to really sweat out the exhaustion.
On my first night back, I looked out my window right before going to sleep, and I saw a low-flying plane pass straight over my building into the clouds. That happens never, and I’m not really one for signs, but it was a nice conclusion to my little dream.
Another year
About this time last year, I stepped out of Fiumicino airport into the mild winter of Rome. The ride home was lined with statues, buildings, and piazzas straight out of an art history book. It was dreamy, foreign, like my first time listening to Sigur Rós. In the coming months, I began to note the differences and similarities in my lifestyle here and at home. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that everything is more or less the same, wherever you go. You eat, sleep, and shit. Work on weekdays, go out on the weekends. Eat a little healthier, maybe get some more exercise. Read more. Care more. Try more. And don’t drink so much. The unavoidable rituals, motherly advice, and half-hearted goals that make up the bulk of a life—the constant, I guess.
Not knowing the language, leaving friends and family at home, and adapting to a new culture turned out to be surprisingly painless. I found that all you really need to communicate is a permanent smile and furious hand gestures. Newfound friends taught me this, and a substitute family is easy to find in a hospitable country like Italy. In the end, the most significant differences are the little ones. The variables. Not finding ginger ale. “Please, please, take my order.” The bus ticket that is never checked, but always paid for. Damn, it’s hot (no central a/c) and damn, it’s cold (no central heating). Eating more pasta than I did in college. Birds that cropdust the streets, and everything on it. Shops being closed Sunday, including the Tabacchi…
And, of course, the good things. Discovering there was no microwave at home, or need for one. Pizza, really good pizza—and gelato. Churches that actually move you. Looking up to find the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica guide you home. Orange and teal. Italian. Touching a Brancusi, sitting on a Bernini, and talking smack on Berlusconi. Beautiful people. Wandering into the places that never made it into history books. Pounding cheap beer under the gaze of priceless statues, looming facades, and sparkling fountains. Really old cars. City blocks that turn with the street. Orange and teal. I imagine most of my memories from this time will be tinged with these colors. Philly’s got its brick-reds, New York has its greys and metals, and Seoul—flashing neon.
When people ask what living in Rome is like, I don’t really know what to say. It’s just the little things I mentioned before that make life interesting, and the rest is the same. I don’t mean to suggest that it’s not worth visiting, because it definitely is. But visiting a place, is different from living there. This is why when you say, “but Italian food is so delicious…” I want to smack you in your mouth. Because after we have our delicious pasta dinner, you can take your little flight back home to a cheesesteak, burrito, or even take-out Chinese. I’m eating pasta. If everything is awesome, nothing is awesome.
So, I’ve got high hopes for 2010. Knowing that I’ve put in a year, somehow makes the next one seem manageable. I think 2009 was generally overwhelming. I’m shooting for consistency in ‘10. By the way, how does everyone say ‘10? I just murmur a little before saying ‘ten.’ Is this acceptable?
And just for merde e risatine, I leave you with this. Best purchase of 2009: Bicycle. Worst purchase of 2009: Cycling shorts.
11th of Dec ‘09
Fri 16:14
news
expressionengine 2.0
I’ve updated and bought a Freelancer’s license for expressionengine 2.0. Unfortunately there is no free core version anymore, but since I’ve invested so much time into learning ee, I figured that I might as well pay to upgrade.
You won’t notice anything different actually, so it’s really just for me. It’s like I just upgraded from cotton to silk boxers. The entire back-end has been reorganized and there are some nice new features like a File Manager among others. Anyway, version 2.0 has come at a good time, as I’m beginning to really get started on the website for work. A slick back-end means that once I set everything up, I can teach someone else in the office how to maintain the site, while I have multiple coffee breaks and/or long lunches (like a normal Italian.)
31st of Oct ‘09
Sat 07:08
news
Ares I-X Launch
NASA’s Ares I-X test rocket lifted off Oct. 28, 2009, at 11:30 a.m. EDT from Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a two-minute powered flight. The flight test lasted about six minutes from its launch from the newly modified Launch Complex 39B until splashdown of the rocket’s booster stage nearly 150 miles downrange.
These are photos taken of the Ares I-X test rocket from a few days ago, and there are more after the source link below. There’s some controversy surrounding the nasa budget, especially with the Constellation Program, but I can’t help but enjoy moments like this when such an enormous project is realized. I can’t think of any other team effort requiring as much specialized knowledge and trained professionals. Can you imagine what the launch party must have been like? And then the after-party—so many nerd babies will be born in July 2010.
Anyway, it isn’t really the focus of the news these days, but this article by Leroy Chiao (former astronaut) on the “Future of US Human Spaceflight” can quickly bring you up to date on the current state of space exploration. It’s sad to me that nasa and the US space program has lost so much relevance. I feel like our generation views it as a ‘50s era thing that doesn’t have anything left to offer. With the world focus having shifted to being eco-friendly and saving the economy, it isn’t hard to see why some people might consider it this way. However, a lot of good things came out of it—technological advancements, improved international relations, and even a boost to the nation’s morale—and I think it’s important to keep investing not only our money, but public interest and support. Plus, what’s going to be the substitute for sci-fi? All the kids have right now is Lady Gaga and autotune. That really sucks.