TANTI AUGURI A ME! (Happy birthday to me!)

Charita's magic: tiramasu-inspired, divinely light, covered with fresh peaches and kiwi. Perfect for a blistering hot July 9.

Italians and Greeks liked it...

Americans liked it...so did the folks from the UK, Canada and Serbia, I just don't have a photo of them eating it.

             
  Having a birthday during the CrisisArt festival was an act of public service, really.

JUST TO PROVE IT'S NOT ALL PLAY AND NO WORK!

We met for hours on end discussing the school in this empty classroom. We basically did a SWOT analysis, and marketing and strategic plans, for each of the school's programs (summer programs; semester abroad programs with separate tracks for theatre, dance or music; MFA; and CrisisArt festival).  When I say "we," I mean Accademia staff and myself. Pictured above are me and just two of the staff, the young women from the U.S. hired to do the school's marketing. They are terrific!

I'M NOT SHOWING OFF, BUT....

It looks like this every evening! It's like a free drive-in movie!!

                                 

ROMAN HOLIDAY!

After more than a month away from home, I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to connect with Clinton School classmates Jordan Aibel and Leslie Harris this past weekend in Rome! We all brought someone to the party...Jordan (who flew in from Brussels) was also visiting a college friend living in the city, Fiona; Leslie (who flew in from Budapest) brought husband Zach; and I (who took the train, but later than planned because of a train strike that day) had a new Accademia friend, Michelle, join us on Saturday. When I got out of the cab at our rendezvous point we started clapping and hugging and even some stranger nearby had to laugh and cheer too :) We visited the Vatican Museum, including the Sistine Chapel, on Friday night. Saturday they did St. Peter's, the Colesseum and Forum, while I rested (ankle trouble still) and shopped and prepared for dinner. I had the COOLEST tiny rooftop apartment that came with a glorious terrace and views of the city. It was the perfect setting for a relaxed, reunion dinner. We talked about our projects--the good and the bad--and I was amazed at the similarities of our experiences thus far, even though we are in different countries working on very different projects. Leslie, Zach and Michelle had early departures Sunday, but Jordan and I bought some pastries and quiche at a small neighborhood spot and took it back to Fiona's to visit a bit more before leaving. (Get him to tell you the key story sometime.) We parted ways at Termini, Rome's huge train station....I am so proud to be associated with such fine young people, and am glad they are willing to hang out with this ole gal.

We made it! Class 7 represented at the Vatican Museum. Leslie, Jordan and I had talked about doing this since realizing we'd all be in Europe this summer. You can see the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in the background.

A great group of folks...my new friend Michelle, me, Jordan, Zach and Leslie Harris (Fiona is taking the photo). Good food, good drink, a charming terrace all to ourselves, and great company.

I have been here 4 weeks today...

Drew, I do not miss Mae and June more than you, I promise, but I cannot figure out how to move their photo to the bottom of the list!! Nor can I figure out how to move the sentence just beneath this to the top of the page.....you are lucky I can blog at all! Where is classmate Laura Crosby when I need her? Oh, yeah, she's in INDONESIA!

...and while I'm grateful for the experience, let it be known this is what (who) I miss most:

my daughter Drew

Shannon

    

My dad, sister and rest of the family

Midnight jousting practice

Arezzo will have a fierce jousting competition this weekend in its Piazza Grande. (This sloped town square was in the film A Beautiful Life--check out the opening when the man is on his bicycle riding to his family's shop). Unfortunately, I will miss it (for a good reason-- I'm going to Rome to see classmates Jordan, Leslie, and her husband!) BUT, the teams, which represent the town's different neighborhoods, have been practicing this week, and you can feel the excitement building! It's kind of a Chicago Cubs/White Sox or New York Mets/Yankees rivalry; the city is very divided. Workers have built bleachers against ancient buildings for spectators; created a dirt track through the middle of the square; neighborhoods are flying their colors out windows and storefronts; vendors are selling scarves with team crests, and everywhere, people are tailgating as the main event nears. One night this week, approaching midnight, my new friends and I were walking home, eating gelato, and stopped to watch for a bit. This video doesn't do it justice, of course, but check it out anyway:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV9AL3E7mJ8

Un altro "conversazione" (another "conversation")

I was walking home, up a long hill, from town one late afternoon and passed this precious old Italian couple walking- he with a cane- up the hill, too:

Me: Buona sera.
Them: Buona sera.
Him: a spill of Italian words
Me: Mi di spiace (I'm sorry), no parla Italiano.
Them: Ahh...(nodding their heads).
I resumed my walk, then thought better of it. I stopped and turned back around to them, remembering a word I had just learned the day before.
Me: Ma (but)..... (at this point I breathed heavily and patted my chest as if my heart was pounding)...Sono stanca (I am tired!)
She: (smiling, moving her arms quickly at her side, as if she was running) Si! Si! Stanca!
All of us: Ciao!