Day 25: SUN 1/31: flea market fun

I finally got up early! Blake and I headed to the weekly flea market. It’s pretty close by, but Lord does it go on forever. One of the first things I noticed was a leather jacket stand. It was actually pretty legit- it was all brand name vintage leather jackets and motorcycle jackets. There was a mirror and everything- it was pretty nice. I tried one on but left to do some more exploring. After a while the leather jacket just sitting back there started to get to me. We turned around after going quite a distance without seeing anything comparable. I snagged the jacket from the guy. I tried to haggle, but the prices were written down and he gave me a considerable “student discount”. Well we were in the process of leaving when the rain came back. We tried to stay huddled under the tents on the way out, but got sprinkled anyway. Luckily the tram rode by and we jumped on it at the last minute. We grabbed some lunch and headed home. I felt European with my new jacket. I thought people were addressing me in Italian now- but they probably always do that. Regardless I now have something else to wear other than my fleece. I went on a cleaning spree all around the apartment thinking that the guys were going to get home any minute. Turns out it was actually tomorrow morning. One more night to myself.

Day 24: SAT 1/30: river walk & MAXXI

It's been a while- I'm sorry. But I've journaled everything- I just want the entries to be nice and the pictures to be well done. So enjoy my mass postings over the next few days!! Be sure to read back a few posts because I might post more than just one day. After that disclaimer, read on!


I woke up in an apartment to myself. It was a slow day. I got together with Blake and we went for a walk along the river and all about the town to go see the Stadio Olympico. On the way there we saw lots of interesting things such as a used heroin needle, and telephone stuck in a tree by the river (due to all the high water) and the Communist Party building which was quite beautiful. The weather was spotty and off and on drizzling briefly while the sun was shining the whole time. After quite a walk we finally made it to the Stadio Olympico right at dusk. It was a bit underwhelming. We couldn’t get really close to it, but the Fascist bridge was actually pretty nice. The MAXXI Museum designed by Zaha Hadid was right nearby so we HAD to go see that. The last few touches are being put on it- it’s open without any art sometimes, but hopefully they’ll move the art in before we leave. We got some good photos (just look below). We saw some guy with his laptop sitting on a porch stoop on the way over. Blake correctly guessed that he was probably using someone’s WiFi. We ran back over there so I could get mass transit directions on my iPhone. Luckily it pointed us in the right direction for a bus nearby which saved us about an hour and fifteen minute walk home. That night Blake and I made dinner and just took it easy. I went to bed a little early to try and wake up for the flea market tomorrow

lots of new stuff soon!

here's a teaser. enjoy!





click to see more

Day 23 FRI: 2/29: MR FLASH

Friday morning I woke up in a quiet apartment and enjoyed walking around in my underwear for a while with nobody to see me. Enjoy that image.

I had the flyer saved for almost two weeks now. Ed Bangers presents: Mr Flash. I was so excited- I just needed to get to the club- Brancaleone- which is not close by. I talked with Sino and Angels to see what they were doing to get there. Sino wanted to leave by cab @ 10:30, but I wasn’t ready yet. I cooked dinner with Blake and headed out on the town (Blake had an easy night in). I met up with Angels at her and Olga’s place. There were five other people there who I recognized from previous night. I had a Bergen Brau (the cheapest beer in Rome which is excellent) and we headed out. We split up 4 and 4 in each taxi to have equal fares. The ride was much nicer than the first taxi I took and the fare was reasonable when split 4 ways. Well we walked in and the place was huge. I think they had 3 different rooms for DJs and one big area in the middle. The group DSL came of first to open for Mr. Flash. They played Pharoahe Monch's “Simon Says (Get the F*** Up)” before Mr Flash came on- I was already going nuts. Luckily we brought some entertainment to the show. Because they don’t check bags at these things we could bring in our own dranks. Hey it saves money. Well the show was insane. Some highlights from the show: “still dre”, mr oizo- “positif”, the proxy- “who are you”, daft punk- “television”, lil wayne- “a milli” (yes I know it’s lame, but it surprised me… I mean it’s italy… come on).

The best part of the night was when Angels dragged me and Hannah over towards the back wall off to the side of stage. She walked up and started talking to this bouncer standing in front of a black curtain that I hadn’t even noticed. Immediately Hannah grabbed my hand and interlocked fingers. She leaned on me and sort of grabbed my arm. I gave her a funny look and she fiercely whispered in my ear “DON’T SPEAK ANY ENGLISH!” I immediately understood what was going on. The bouncer stared us up and down then finally parted the curtain aside. Hannah clenched my arm as we walked through the curtain with a forced air of confidence. We were now backstage. I was in a room with a few people that I felt were giving me a cold stare. I kept my composure and walked to the left to look at Mr Flash from behind. You could see out across the stage towards everyone in the audience. I slowly slid my camera out of my pocket, held it waist level, and calmly tried to take a picture without anyone seeing me. I thought I was sly. Angels got some free champagne and then we walked right back out. I realized that I never had a picture of the VIP room so I carelessly snapped one behind my back as we were walking out of the room. The flash lit everything up behind me, but it was too late- we were already out. I hope my picture turn out OK. I’m still waiting for the film to develop (which takes FOREVER here, not just 1 hour like in the states).
UPDATE: here they are:







CLICK ON THEM TO SEE THE WHOLE SET

Day 22: THR 2/28: giganti

Thursday started off a bit rocky. I left by myself on my way to class. We were supposed to meet at the Modern Art Museum. Unfortunately my phone wouldn’t load my mail with directions before I left and I confused that museum with the Ara Pacis museum. Well when I got to the Arac Pacis I was headed in the right direction but quickly realized upon seeing nobody there that maybe I wasn’t in the right place. I asked the lady at the desk for directions to the Museum of Modern Art which was on Viale delle Belle Arti. She guided me in the right direction but I had to stop and ask directions a few times. I got sort of lost. I also went way too far and had to start at the beginning of the Viale delle Belle Arti and walk all the way to the museum. I also left my memory card for my camera in my laptop so taking pictures was not a possibility. I arrived exhausted and embarrassed 45 minutes late. Fortunately for me- three other students had walked in right before me. They had taken a bus that took them on the “scenic route” throughout the city. Anyway, the museum was great and had a nice collection of modern works from the early 20^th century. They had some work by Marcel Duchamp which was really interesting to see. He’s the artist that submitted a signed urinal into an art show. He’s the first person to ask the question and begin the eternal discussion of “what constitutes art?” I argued something about this and my teacher was happy that I was interested. I just wanted to try and smooth things over after my more than fashionably late appearance. After the museum we walked back and had a lecture at the school (the way back was a lot less confusing). That afternoon we had studio and tried to make some more progress with our building- it’s difficult this year not having any mandatory deadlines. We have to push ourselves.

            Fortunately that night was much more fun. Yes this is a two-parter. A lot of the guys here went to Barcelona that night on their own trip. That left me to the whole apartment. That night I met up with Sino- the DJ/producer that I met last week at Jack Beats. He was playing at I Giganti on Campo dei Fiori. The first time I went to meet up before the show he wasn’t there- he had to run back and get some equipment. So I ran home and made some food and came back later with my laptop and stuff. He said he wanted to listen to some music and trade stuff. When I got back I saw him and about 8 other guys sitting at a table at the restaurant next door (owned by the same person). The owner treated everyone to dinner and wine. I just ordered a tomato and basil bruschetta (which was amazing). All his friends were somehow involved in music whether they mixed or produced or whatever. It was great getting to meet everyone- they were really friendly and it was fun getting to hang out with people who have common interests. Well Sino went inside to keep setting up (the DJ stand was up a ladder and looked out over the bar). Meanwhile some more students from John Cabot University showed up- lots of girls and guys who all knew Sino. Pretty soon I was surrounded by people I knew from last week at the Jack Beats show and new ones. It was an amazing time- the music was great and the drinks were cheap. At one point things got a little crazy and a young lady leaned arched her back onto the bar and lifted up her shirt to “reveal her assets”. The bartender poured cherry syrup on her stomach while another helpful coed cleaned up the mess the mess he made. Unfortunately for her, she went to John Cabot and was surrounded by many fellow students who knew her. At first I thought “Wow! Europe is pretty wild! I knew they didn’t care about breasts, but dang!” I wish I had more hands so I could give them titties four thumbs down. Rick James would have had a field day. Later though, a local told me that that never happens and that an Italian girl “would never do that”. After a bit I left with me and my new friend Chiara- we went to scholars lounge for a bit. All in all it was a great night- a nice way to meet music lovers and learn about cool places. All the John Cabot students rock.

Day 21: TUE: 2/27: sketch sketch sketch

Wednesday morning was another early one- we had to meet up for our analysis through drawing class. We got our assignment for the semester- that we have to pick an object, building, or place in Rome and thoroughly analyze it through hand drawings. We’ll turn in a presentation on nice paper at the end of the semester in addition to our sketchbooks. After the lecture we sat down with Professors Finn and Davide. They looked over what we had drawn so far and provided us with feedback. I have to draw a lot more if I want to do well in the class. After that I was done for the day class wise. I drew a little and then took a nap. The rest of the day was pretty lazy. I'm already sleep deprived.

Day 20 TUE: 2/26: Trajan's Forum

Tuesday I woke up early again (which I have to do every day this week). We went to visit Trajan’s Market and the Imperial Fora. We met at Trajan’s Column and it started to rain. The museum was nearby and was very cold. The ancient market building was big, but then after I saw the computer rendering of the area reconstructed it became massive. The Romans built structures (other than the Colosseum) that are mammoth even by today’s scale. The fact that they are all structural masonary and not steel makes them even more unbelievable. We were allowed to take pictures here (unlike yesterday) so I’ll post those soon! After the tour we went to this restaurant on Corso Vittorio that’s near the school. Some of the guys recommended it and so did one of our professors. However, upon entering in a big loud English speaking group we were greeted with “tourist prices”- 8E for a plate of pasta. Some people left until our very Italian professor Davide came in and set things straight with the manager. Now we have cards to get fair prices, but I still feel slighted by the restaurant. The food was mediocre, but the coffee (like everywhere in Italy) was superb. The weather was really wet and cold and I was tired so I didn’t go out that night.