Dangerously balanced the camera on an uneven surface, and the timer shot went off as it slipped. Luckily, it only slipped, not fell.
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White Lies, Franz Ferdinand, The Killers in Rome last night. Just two photos and then… battery death.
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Had a very peaceful weekend, which I really needed. At the house by the sea.
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Relaxing weekend with a visit to Villa Doria Pamphili and Museo del Corso for a Hiroshige exhibit. The exhibit was good, and there were a lot of inspiring prints… but the museum kind of killed it for me. They dressed up the “guards” in short-kimonos with thick make-up, had rubber stamp stations throughout the space, and there were a lot of (bad) Asian decorations all over the place. It felt like a Japanese Chuck-E-Cheese, and I was half expecting the guards to start taking orders for hot tea.
Regardless, I’m glad I had the chance to see some of the prints up close. Reproductions are cool but they don’t capture the reliefs and texture of the paper. And, no photos.
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A reflection from the window behind me on the glare of my laptop screen. If I adjust my focus (my eyes, not my camera), I can switch between the work on my screen and the sky. So far, the clouds are winning.
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View from the top of the Spanish Steps. It was a nice day and the streets were packed with people.
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The weekend was over way too fast. But, there’s always the next. Among other things, visited the sea at Ladispoli.
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There’s a lot of it. I’ve seen some decent wheatpastes but the majority of it is what you see here.
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A photo from Gianicolo, just passing by. I’ve already taken a few photos from this spot before, but I really want to come back at night when the city lights are burning. The view is really nice.
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Went to the American Academy for a lecture by Henner von Hesberg on New Forms of Civilization in the Northwestern Provinces of the Empire (Lecture II: The Construction of a Civic World). It was as boring as it sounds, but I was happy to find a girl that looked just like Wenda.
The lighting is great at night, and the view over Rome is killer.
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So I’ve been neglecting this space for a while… but I have a doctor’s note. 3 days + weekend away from work feels like Christmas morning plus vacation until the new year. Felt like.
Now I’m hard at work drawing up schedules, e-mailing, translating, and this. To be fair, I waited until after normal work hours.
I had a very nice break. A lot of walking, climbing, jumping, and photos. No smoking. My only regret is that I’ll never know if I feel better because of those simple things in life, or the horse pills, dissolving tablets, and inhalants I was prescribed.
Today, my first day back in the office, I realized something important. I found that I can take physical stress a lot better than mental stress. I think I’d be really happy as a farmer, maybe in an orchard or a vineyard; not really down with stooping, so no rice paddies for me. But more and more, I’m discovering what does and doesn’t appeal to me. Must be thankful for that.
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The grandparents of the family I’m staying with. I’m always happy to go over for lunch because the grandmother cooks the best Italian food I’ve had, and the grandfather is so entertaining. Their house is also a gold mine of interesting collections. They were kind enough to let me take a portrait photo of them.
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Tender (the big one) living up to his namesake, and Zeus (the small one). Zeus lives up to his in his own way.
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This is what I feel like right now. Still sick but going to work. Happy Monday…
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Unfortunately I’ve been sick and haven’t really had the chance to explore too much besides visiting St. Peter’s once. That’s the dome rising above an overpass right down the street from where I live, it’s about a five minute walk.
The second photo is just a side street and I liked how the light passed on the apartment buildings.
In the third, there’s a guy I pass on the way to work every morning and on the way back home. I’m assuming he’s homeless but I’ve never once seen him ask for money or even look needy. Usually in the morning he’s eating out of a pot with steam rising from it, and today I was passing and saw him painting. Makes me wonder what I’m doing with my free time (this).
And finally, the steps I walk up to find a hot dinner and a comfortable bed at the end of each day.
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If I were to leave Italy right now, the one thing I’d miss the most is the coffee. I wouldn’t miss it like I miss a Philly cheesesteak or kimchee, I’d miss it like I forgot to brush my teeth in the morning. It’s just that essential as part of my day here. One in the morning, maybe with milk, then usually one after every meal with sugar. What Italians call coffee, or caffe, here is closer to an espresso in America, though it isn’t really. When made at home/work, it’s brewed in this little thing called a Moka. It’s efficient, brews quickly, and has become an icon in itself. I don’t miss drip coffee at all. And… now I’m going to go make a caffe.
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That MINI looks old, but the cobble stones in the street are called “sampietrini”, and ancient. They were set in the 16th-17th century and cover most of the narrower streets of Rome, especially in Trastevere (where I work). They look beautiful when the street lights shine on them at night, especially when wet, and now I’m beginning to see grass grow in the cracks. Unfortunately they get slippery when wet and are hazardous to speeding vehicles and… women in high heels. The government’s answer is to pave the streets over with asphalt.
It’s a tough one. Culture and history? Or chicks in heels and fast cars?
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Largo Argentina, where I transfer from tram to bus on my way home from work.
“Largo di Torre Argentina is a square in Rome that hosts four Republican Roman temples, and the remains of Pompey’s Theater. It is located in the ancient Campus Martius.
The name of the square comes from the Torre Argentina, which takes its name from the city of Strasbourg, whose original name was Argentoratum. In 1503, in fact, the Papal Master of Ceremonies Johannes Burckardt from Strasbourg built in via del Sudario a palace (now at number 44), called Casa del Burcardo, to which the tower is annexed.
The other tower in the square is not the one giving the name to the place, but the Medieval Torre del Papitto (“Little Pope’s Tower”), attributed by tradition to Antipope Anacletus II Pierleoni, allegedly not a tall person.
After Italian unification, it was decided to reconstruct part of Rome (1909), demolishing the zone of Torre Argentina. During the works (1927), however, the colossal head and arms of a marble statue were discovered. The archeological investigation brought to light the presence of a holy area, dating to the Republican era, with four temples and part of Pompey’s Theater.
Julius Caesar was killed on the steps of the Theatre of Pompey, and the spot he was believed to be assassinated is in the square.”
via Wikipedia
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Just a typical view from the office. And it’s kind of cloudy out.
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