Happy Fat Pants

Two More Baby Pictures

2007-07-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

We had an echocardiogram for the baby on Tuesday, which thankfully went very well. At the end, One-Eyed Willie (just look at the pictures) decided to give us a little wave after smoothing his hair (and no, my phrasing doesn't mean it's a boy. But we have to pick one or the other, as referring to the child as 'it' is unbecoming).

New Things

2007-07-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

So...no updates in a looooooong time. Two new things. 1)We are planning to move back to Hillsdale at the end of the summer. 2)We are waiting for the arrival of a new and small human. We don't know if it's a he or she, but we had the first ultrasound this morning and this is what the Hutchling, as Dennis aptly named him/her, looks like at the moment. The first is a profile shot as the Hutchling chills in a warm, dark place. The second is an arm either waving or giving the rock 'n roll horns, and the third is a foot with the toes curled up.

A Poem for Easter

2007-04-07T22:37:00.000-07:00

Seven Stanzas at Easter

By John Updike

Make no mistake: if He rose at all
it was as His body;
if the cells' dissolution did not reverse, the molecules
reknit, the amino acids rekindle,
the Church will fall.

It was not as the flowers,
each soft Spring recurrent;
it was not as His Spirit in the mouths and fuddled
eyes of the eleven apostles;
it was as His Flesh: ours.

The same hinged thumbs and toes,
the same valved heart
that — pierced — died, withered, paused, and then
regathered out of enduring Might
new strength to enclose.

Let us not mock God with metaphor,
analogy, sidestepping transcendence;
making of the event a parable, a sign painted in the
faded credulity of earlier ages:
let us walk through the door.

The stone is rolled back, not papier-mache,
not a stone in a story,
but the vast rock of materiality that in the slow
grinding of time will eclipse for each of us
the wide light of day.

And if we will have an angel at the tomb,
make it a real angel,
weighty with Max Planck's quanta, vivid with hair,
opaque in the dawn light, robed in real linen
spun on a definite loom.

Let us not seek to make it less monstrous,
for our own convenience, our own sense of beauty,
lest, awakened in one unthinkable hour, we are
embarrassed by the miracle,
and crushed by remonstrance.

Telephone Poles and Other Poems © 1961 by John Updike. Reprinted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House Inc.

Locks of Love?

2007-03-08T08:47:00.000-08:00

More news from Italy. I think Constantine would be...interested.

Lamppost has lock on love on Rome bridge

By ALESSANDRA RIZZO, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 49 minutes ago

ROME - In Rome, breaking the chains of love requires a hacksaw — literally. Sweethearts in the Italian capital have adopted a new ritual as a symbol of undying love: hanging a padlock on a lamppost on the city's most ancient bridge and throwing the key into the Tiber.

The craze has drawn hundreds of couples in the few months since it started — causing city officials to wonder whether the ancient Roman bridge is suited for such an overwhelming display of passions.

"The rite has reached a dimension that will be difficult to cope with. We must guarantee the bridge's decency while preserving this beautiful practice," said Marco Perina, a city official.

Some couples write their names or a message on the lock. They throw the key into the river over their shoulders to avoid seeing where it falls.

It's quite a change of scenery for a bridge that has seen more war than love since it was built in the second century B.C. Ponte Milvio served as the battlefield between rival emperors Constantine and Maxentius in 312; it was the backdrop of the Italians' struggle for independence in the 1800s.

Today the pedestrian bridge is close to the Olympic stadium — a soccer battleground — north of the city's historical center.

The idea of the love locks is not new in Italy. But Ponte Milvio owes its new reputation mainly due to two novels depicting the love of Roman teenagers. The books have sold a combined 2.5 million copies and were both made into movies.

The padlock ritual has spilled into a music video and inspired a prize — "The Golden Padlock" — awarded to the best love message on
Valentine's Day. In the process, it has started drawing tourists to an area that is usually off the beaten track.

Such huge attention also caused some undesired consequences. Hundreds of locks were stolen last week — although they were found the following day and are to be put back in a ceremony expected to draw the city's mayor.

A check ordered by city officials showed the locks posed no threat to the stability of the lamppost. But officials are looking for an alternative site amid fears the bridge may be damaged. One possibility is to put up a "lovers' lamppost" in a square near the bridge.

"We want to keep this tradition alive. It's becoming like tossing a coin in the Trevi fountain," said Perina.

All in the Family

2007-03-07T10:47:00.000-08:00

This might be the craziest news story I've seen out of Italy in a while. Guess it's not just Americans who go nuts over grades.

Parents beat up principal over grades

Mon Mar 5, 8:58 AM ET

BARI, Italy (Reuters) - An irate Italian family beat up a principal because they were unhappy with the grades a young relative had received and a ban on cell phones at school.

Three male relatives, including the father and grandfather of the student, punched and pushed principal Ugo Castorina at the Lombardi middle school in Bari on Saturday, police said.

They were angered by grades on the latest report card and by a recent ban by Castorina on cell phones at the school he has run for the past 22 years.

Castorina was taken to hospital and treated for mild contusions. Police escorted him back to the school.

"Some people may not like it but standards must be set and rules must be respected if a school is to function," Castorina told reporters.

Cat Update

2007-02-13T20:45:00.000-08:00

As you know, we named our cat Adrian. But: we had some friends over the other night, and when one of them called the cat, we realized we had misnamed her, or, rather, that we had given her an incomplete name. Our friend's beckoning made immediately clear what the cat's full name should be. So now, if you want to address our feline friend by her full and proper name, it is: 'Yo Adrian'.

For example: right now, Yo Adrian is drinking out of her water dish on the other side of the room.

UPDATE: Oh, snap! I just glanced back at the comments from the previous post and realized that Kirk had already preceded all of us with the true name, so give the man some props as well.

Stray Cat Strut

2007-02-04T21:03:00.000-08:00

Our landlord decided that he didn't want us to have a dog, but was ok with us getting a cat, so...today we did. The day's journey took us far and wide in the Philadelphia area. We started out at our place in West Philly, went to church out on the Main Line, then drove up to North Philly to an animal shelter (and went by Rasheed Wallace's high school on the way!); their pickins were a little slim, so we drove down to a pet store in South Philly that was hosting an adoption event with animals from that same shelter, and there we found the cat that we're now calling Adrian. Yes, that sounds like a funny name for a cat at the moment, but we're hoping to get a playmate for her at some point in the future and are planning to name him Rocky. She's a sweet little cat, and so far seems to like to be around people. Here are a few pictures of her.

Someone Offered to Sell Me Drugs on Friday

2007-01-28T21:25:00.000-08:00

While I was waiting for the bus on Friday evening, a guy walking by offered to sell me some drugs, using a figure of speech I'd never heard before. Here is the reconstructed dialogue, as best as I can remember it.

The scene: I'm sitting on a bench waiting for the bus. It's cold. A guy comes walking up the sidewalk and we make eye contact.

Him: Are you looking for the trees, man?

Me: Huh?

Him: Are you looking for the trees, man?

[I look over my shoulder to see if I can figure out what he's referring to, thinking that maybe I'll spot some trees in spite of the fact that there's a GIANT BUILDING behind me. I turn back.]

Him: You really didn't hear me?

Me: No.

[He leans in close.]

Him: You looking for the trees? You know--the herb?

Me: Uh, no.

Him: Oh, ok.

That was pretty much it.

What American Accent Do You Have?

2007-01-24T13:37:00.000-08:00

This quiz must be pretty accurate, or else my own particular results are just a very accurate fluke. And by the way, we do speak standard English straight out of the dictionary.

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
The Midland
The Northeast
Philadelphia
The South
The West
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Blast from the Past

2007-01-22T20:59:00.000-08:00

On our way back to the U.S. last summer, Allison and I stopped off in Wales for a couple of days, and my brother Ryan met us there. Here is an artsy photo of him that Allison took.

And here's one of Allison. Not sure what she's doing with that hand.

And this is my best 'Ahem, may I help you?' look.

In other news, I got a lot of hair cut off on Saturday. First haircut since before our wedding. I also shaved about half of my face.

But I won't tell you which half.

Athens Terrorism

2007-01-16T21:03:00.000-08:00

These are our friends Nick and Joanie at their wedding this past summer. As you can see, they are possibly the most photogenic couple on earth. This is especially evidenced by the fact that in the second picture, in spite of their having gotten MARRIED that day and having stood in front of cameras almost constantly, they still look totally put together, while Allison's eyes are closed and my hair looks not all that dope.

Anyway, that was by way of introduction. They're spending the year in Athens while Nick studies at the American School of Classical Studies there, so when I heard about the rocket attack on the U.S. embassy last week, I emailed Nick to get his first-hand account. Here is part of his email:

So the American School is about a 5-10 minute walk or so from the US embassy...on my walk from my apartment to the school I have to cross the major street that they were talking about and the point that I cross the street is about a 2 minute walk from the embassy

We had a trip to Eleusis this morning and I had to be at the school at 7:30 am and I probably crossed that street at 7 am or so...everything was blocked off and there were cop cars everywhere...I had no clue what had actually happened until later in the day...it took our bus about an extra hour to get out of the city because there was so much traffic

Let's hope nothing else like that happens.

Big Sandwiches

2007-01-08T21:26:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it's been a while. What can I say? I'm a delinquent.

Anyway, Allison and I live a few blocks away from what has to be the best deli in Philadelphia, and possibly the world. It's called Koch's. Their sandwiches are ridiculously large, especially when you get two of the guys working there into a competition with each other. Which is what resulted in the picture below.

Mine, which is on the left, started out as a Genoa Salami sandwich. As you can see, it's about as big as my head. He weighed it after he made it. I think each half weighed around 3/4 of a pound. I couldn't fit it into my mouth to take a bite, and I have a big mouth. Allison's started out as some sort of Turkey sandwich.

After eating, we sat on the couch. For a long time.

Danish TV Here We Come!

2006-11-06T09:30:00.000-08:00

Last week after church Allison and I ended up getting interviewed by a Great Dane (who was a nice guy and spoke very good English). He and his cameraman were apparently going to different churches in the U.S. to inquire about the interface of religion and politics in America for some sort of program for Danish television, and I heard tell that the program is supposed to air sometime today. So all you folks with cable on steroids can tune in. I'm wondering if they'll edit my answers to make them sound even dumber than they did in the first place, but you'll at least enjoy Allison's contributions. I hope that this is not some Michael Moore-esque hatchet-job; but, as I said, the interviewer seemed like a nice guy. Anyway, our friend Bill was there and happened to have his camera with him. He took a few pictures and emailed them to me, so I'll post them here as well.

Fall Football

2006-11-04T14:28:00.000-08:00

Two of Allison's uncles were in town today, John (a Central Michigan alum) and Dennis, so while Allison was in class we went to see the Central Michigan/Temple football game at the Philadelphia Eagles relatively new and beautiful stadium, Lincoln Financial Field (though I must say I hate it when stadiums have names like this). Here are a few photos from the day, which was a perfect one for football.

Temple's marching band giving a little pregame performance:

Uncle John (in the Central sweathshirt) and Uncle Dennis:

Two action shots:

Also, it was military appreciation day, so here are some soldiers. One of Temple's players was promoted in the Marines at halftime as well.

Woo-HOO! Got a Win Tonight!

2006-10-22T21:32:00.000-07:00

Philly Love

2006-10-22T21:13:00.000-07:00

While Allison was in class yesterday, I got the bike put back together and went for a little ride. I went for another one this evening, and brought the camera along, so here are a few shots.

I rode toward Center City on Spruce, which eventually turns into South St.

A lot of the buildings in Philadelphia have murals painted on one of the outside faces. Here is one such on the corner of Fitzwater and...something. Can't remember.

The train tracks with train approaching near the Schuykill River.

Skyline. Allison works in the second building from the left (tallish darkish building with what appear to be frog's eyes sticking out of the top).

Nine Tonight

2006-10-21T07:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, not really--more like eight or so tonight. The wiffle told me before she left for class today that the Seeg was scheduled to sing before Game 1 tonight, and was kind enough to leave the article up on the computer for me to verify...and it's true! It's true! So tune into the game a little early tonight for some sweet Seger action.

Montepulciano

2006-10-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

I stopped on the way home tonight and picked up a bottle of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, which made me think of, well, Montepulciano.

The End of an Era

2006-09-29T21:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a big day. For the first time in my just-over-quarter-century span, I relinquished my Michigan driver's license, held in high esteem since that glorious day in 1995 when it was first granted for faithfully completing Mr. Seppala's driver education course and some sort of written exam (these were the days of yore, when no driving test was required by Leviathan). Now I am officially a member of the Keystone State. I would put a picture of the new license on here--but, hey, there's some sensitive information on there. I imagine this was a more momentous occasion for me than for the lovely bride, who has held Michigan, California, and Maryland driving privileges in quick succession before joining me in the land of cheesesteaks and soft pretzels.

After the next ten days (in which time we must perforce submit our vehicle to inspection, without which it shall bear no new plates--a requirement wondrous and strange to a former resident of a Pleasant Peninsula), look no longer for a stoic license plate of royal blue pierced with white figurations: no, now look for a band of blue-inscribed white enclosed by a blue stripe atop and a yellow one below.

Back in the Saddle/ The New Apartment

2006-09-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, we're going to try to get this thing going again now that we're a little more settled in and Allison is a little more bipedal. Here are some shots of the new apartment that we're (mostly) moved into.

First, two of the living room/dining room/guest room:

The bedroom:

The kitchen/study:

Little lovelies

2006-07-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

Eric and I have arrived safely into Chicago! As you can see, we are plenty of reasons to enjoy being here. Aren't they sweet peanuts?

Ciao, ciao, ciao

2006-07-12T13:00:00.000-07:00

Eric and I are six hours away from our taxi pick-up for leaving in the morning. 4:30 am, ick.

We want to thank you all for joining us on our little adventure. And a special shout-out to all of Happy Fat Pants special guests (in order of appearance) who REALLY joined us on our adventure: Ryan Hutchinson, Mom Hutchinson, Dad Long, Mom Long, Aaron Long, Kirk and Abbey Schultz, Dan and Liddy Young, Vanessa McCray, Jaclyn Goodfellow, Jeralyn Goodfellow, and Michelle Dolgos.

Let's do it again sometime.

Viva l'Italia.

Fifth, Dante's Tomb

2006-07-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

The poet Dante, exiled from Florence, is also buried in Ravenna (where he died) in a small building. Here are a few pictures.

Fourth, the Arian Baptistery

2006-06-30T04:36:00.000-07:00

Exterior of building, the base of which is now far below current ground level.

Dome mosaic of baptism of Christ. From left to right: personification of River Jordan; Christ (with dove of Holy Spirit); John the Baptist. Ringed by procession of Apostles.

Same, but closer.

Third, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia

2006-06-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

These didn't come out so well, but here they are anyway. These are from the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna.

The first is usually thought to be St. Lawrence going to his martyrdom on the grill. On the left side of the picture is a book case containing the four Gospels in separate volumes.

The second is a beatiful decorative pattern containing stars and flowers.

Second, the Beach

2006-06-29T04:51:00.000-07:00

Here is the beach on which we ran, and the water into which we subsequently plunged ourselves (phew, not ending clauses with prepositions sho' makes modern English sound funny sometimes. Then again, 'not ending clauses prepositions with' would sound funny too):

Was it nice? This cool dude seems to think so.

Sunset. This looks peaceful, and it was, but it was also very loud. There was some huge party going on not too far away (see if you can find the giant inflatable beer bottle in the picture).

Us (or 'We'):

First, the Camp Site

2006-06-28T03:34:00.000-07:00

Allison working hard:

This shot shows a great deal of empty space around our tent. And that is how it was on Friday and Sunday nights. But do not be deceived: on Saturday night there was nary an open mini-box to be had. The tenting section of the campground filled up with, for the most part, what seemed to be late-teen/early-twenties Italian roustabouts. But that's ok; at the mini-box campground, privacy is a luxury, not a necessity.

Ravenna

2006-06-27T03:34:00.000-07:00

Allison and I went camping in Ravenna this past weekend. Ok, we actually camped about 8 km outside of Ravenna in a sweet woodsy campground right across the street from the beach on the Adriatic Sea. Ravenna and the surrounding area is a lot like the Midwest in the following ways: it is extremely flat; the region actually produces food instead of just consuming it; its pace and feel are generally mellow. Some differences include: being on a giant body of salt water (the coastal thing is similar to parts of Michigan (e.g.), but not the salt!); having a lot of 5th and 6th century churches; people speaking Italian.

I don't have the pictures loaded on the computer yet but hope to get some up here soon. Ravenna has incredible mosaics and is just a beautiful place in general.

Allison and I started off the two mornings of the weekend with a run on the beach, followed immediately by a run into the water. Let me tell you something: running on the beach is one of the hardest workouts I've had. That doesn't sound like much coming from me, but I think Allison would agree, and she ran a marathon, people. Especially when the type of sand the beach has is deep and soft and when the sun is beating down on you and the humidity is skyrocketing. Invigorating. And the water was perfect.

Sculpture of Paul at San Paolo Fuori Le Mura (Rome)

2006-06-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

Berries That Almost Fit in a Straw

2006-06-22T04:09:00.000-07:00

The other day, Allison mentioned the fragolini of Nemi, tiny little strawberries that look just like big strawberries, only--wait for it--tinier, and burst with fruit flavor. Here is the way that some places serve them: covered by whipped cream, ice cream, some sort of strawberry sauce (I just realized I don't like the word 'sauce' very much), all served in an edible waffle-cone bowl. And yes, it is exactly as good as it sounds...and looks:

The hidden life of Santas Little Helper

2006-06-21T09:13:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if many of you remember my little red Cavalier, Santa's Little Helper, that puttered and purred its way through the years with me. It was a tame, reliable, happy-to-help car and it was sad day when I realized that my move to Washington, DC in August of 2004 would be the end of our friendship.

SLH made its way into the hands of a wonderful granddaughter of a wonderful friend of mine--and I couldn't have been more pleased. I knew that the tiny red thing would be a perfect match for Tisha, the newly licensed, responsible driver.

Come to find out--I've underestimated SLH the whole time. In the hands of Tisha, she just won Best System Award at Stockbridge High School for the SECOND year in a row! That's what a lot of love from the right person (with the information to get the right sound system) can do! Celebrations all around!

Some More Nemi

2006-06-21T07:06:00.000-07:00

Here is another view of Lago di Nemi.

It was on this lake that the Roman Emperor Caligula held his pleasure cruises in two ships that were discovered in the lake. Here is a little information on them:

The Nemi Ships were huge and incredibly luxurious ships built by the Roman emperor Caligula in the first century A.D. at Lake Nemi. One of the ships was designed as a temple that was dedicated to Diana (the Roman equivalent of Artemis), the larger ship however was essentially an elaborate floating palace, which counted marble floors and plumbing among its amenities, the sole role of which was to satisfy Caligula's increasingly self-indulgent behavior. It has been stated that the emperor was influenced by the lavish lifestyles of the Helenistic rulers of Syracuse and Ptolemaic Egypt.

The size of these ships was not rivaled until after the Renaissance, and their luxury arguably was not equaled until the Nineteenth century.

Unfortunately, the Nazis torched them in 1944. You can read a little bit more about them here.

And this is a picture of me, not looking quite as German as last time, on the trail that goes through the woods from behind the house where we were staying down to the town of Nemi.

For the Youngs

2006-06-19T03:37:00.000-07:00

Since Dan and Liz really seemed to enjoy a mullet-sighting we had during our wait in the line for the Vatican Museums a couple of months ago, I thought I'd better get a picture of this junior-mullet for them that we glimpsed while eating lunch in Nemi. Sure, it's not as suave as the 80s-business-fabulous one linked above, but come on--this kid's young, and he's probably not even a hockey player. Or IROC-Z driver.

Birthday weekend in Ariccia

2006-06-19T03:16:00.000-07:00

My great friend Johanna invited Eric and I to her parents home outside of Rome in the Castelli Romani this past weekend. The home is in Ariccia, but we walked to another town called Nemi for lunch on Sunday. Ariccia is famous for its porcceta (pork) and Nemi for its fragolini (mini strawberries). Needless to say, we ate our way through the hills. That is, when we weren't playing cards and drinking phenomenal wine! Quite a birthday! We did try to catch the Italy v USA World Cup game on Saturday night but couldn't get the television to work--and we definitely weren't interested in going to a bar to cheer for the good ole' US. Some may call us chickens, I call us smart!

By the way, the massive bouquet of dahlias that I am holding only cost 2 euro--can you believe it?

Fine time with friends

2006-06-19T03:07:00.000-07:00

Michelle left on Friday morning after a week in Rome. Here we are having a posed good time in the kitchen--the rest of the week was much less planned. Highlights include shopping in Orvieto, learning how to ignore vendors who hassle you on your towel at the beach, and perusing the crypt of Santa Maria della Concezione which is filled with 4,000 Cappucian (yes, for whom cappucinos are named) monk bones!

Two healthy girls!

2006-06-05T02:03:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Eric and I officially became an Aunt and Uncle!

My sister, Kelley, gave birth to two lovely babes: Madeline Margaret weighing in at 2 lb and 14 oz, 17-1/2", and her sister, Mae Elizabeth, at 3 lb and 17-3/4".

What joy! What excitement! What blessings!

Congratulations to the new proud mother and father!!

We'll get you all pictures once we have them.

I Promise This Is Not a Joke

2006-05-26T08:03:00.000-07:00

On the last night before Allison was return, I decided to make an omelette. It was a four-egg omelette. Am I aware of what that does to my cholesterol? Not really. Let's not get into that right now.

Anyway, I cracked the first three eggs into a bowl and, without any manipulation whatsoever by yours truly, here's how they fell:

Yes, that is for real. I had to take a picture. I did, and went and put the camera back away. Then I cracked the fourth egg, again without disturbing the natural results of said cracking, and got this:

Of course, I had to go back and get the camera to take a picture of that too.

And that's how my face looked when I picked up Allison at the airport yesterday.

This Post Has Nothing To Do with Feminine Products

2006-05-23T12:44:00.000-07:00

1. Very fancy ancient luxury dinnerware, on display at a museum in Brescia:

2. The house and balcony claimed by tradition to be that of Juliet in fair Verona, where we lay our scene:

Race for the Cure

2006-05-20T07:38:00.000-07:00

I signed up for the Race for the Cure 5K in Rome tomorrow, so today I went to the ‘Race Village’ to complete the registration process, and they gave me a ‘Race Bag’. From the contents of this bag, one can tell that this event is directed toward the fairer sex (for obvious reasons). Here is a sampling of what I found, besides the t-shirt, when I dug into the bag:

*Retinol Anti-Cellulite Modelling: Moisturising Slimming Care: “Reduces the ‘orange peel’ appearance and redefines the silhouette’
*Neutrogena Hand Cream (‘Assorbimento Rapido’; ‘Formula Norevegese’, in case you were curious)
*Johnson’s Baby Bedtime Bath (‘Dolci Notti’); so maybe the event is also directed at babies

And–wait for it–a GIANT box of ‘Carefree’ maxi-pads, using the innovative ‘Triplefresh [TM] System’. The box contains ‘40 + 4 gratis’, which seems like a hardy number to me. Then again, I don’t know very much about these things.

The run seems to have a nice route: it starts near the Baths of Caracalla, goes by Circus Maximus, the old Republican temples of the Forum Boarium, past the Theater of Marcellus, through Piazza Venezia, past the various Fora, around the Colosseum, past the Arch of Constantine (my favorite Roman monument), and back to the Baths.

Basilica San Marco, Venice

2006-05-20T07:32:00.000-07:00

Those bronze horses you see in the second picture are copies of Roman originals. The originals used to be where the copies are at present, but are now housed in a museum inside the building complex.

Why No Pictures?

2006-05-20T07:28:00.000-07:00

I tried to post a couple of pictures the other day. I really did. But the computer wouldn’t let me. This made me angry. But since most anger is useless, I decided to go and have a snack.

This is for the Birds

2006-05-11T13:27:00.000-07:00

An old man and Allison feeding pigeons in Piazza San Marco, Venice:

Some Venice for You

2006-05-11T13:19:00.000-07:00

The streets really are all made of water! Well, most of them anyway.

Hike Follow-Up

2006-05-11T13:12:00.000-07:00

After the hair-raising hike, Allison and I stopped for lunch to relax and debrief. We were tired after all that running-low-to-the-ground business. Allison befriended a dog, which was apparently the mascot of the place. He was lying in the middle of the floor (that's right, dogs in restaurants and cafes here). He just wanted some love.

URGH

2006-05-11T13:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I was going to post some more stuff, but blogger won't take any of our pictures right now.

HARUMPH.

Ischia Hike

2006-05-11T12:38:00.000-07:00

I think I mentioned before that Allison and I went on a hike in Ischia. It was very...interesting. And also cool.

But not in temperature; shortly after embarking on the walk, after seeing the wedding procession, we started to feel the sun. So I changed into the shorts I had in our bag and ended up looking like a German or something:

Allison also sported primo hiking gear:

After we got into the wilderness part of the hike, the signs marking the trail got very bad. Actually, they were bad before that, but at the top of a long ascent, there were paths diverging in various directions, with none marked as to which was the correct one. So we picked one. We walked for a while. Allison wisely suggested that we turn around and go back, realizing we probably weren't going the right way. She's a little quicker on the uptake with such things than I am.

Anyway, as we were walking back we again passed old abaondoned-looking shacks such as the following:

These shacks, and much of the trail, were littered with shotgun shells. Not two seconds after I thought to myself, "Wow, I'm glad nobody is popping caps right now," especially since I think we must have accidentally wandered onto private property, someone started shooting right on the other side of the hill, or so it sounded to our astounded ears. This dude must have fired a couple of hundred rounds within a span of a few minutes (at least that's what it seemed like in the heat of the moment; if Dan had been there, I suppose he would be able to give a more accurate description due to his experience in guarding the fort), and topped it off with something that sounded like a cannon. We booked it, running low to the ground. It felt like a movie, only substantially more frightening.

Soon after that, though, we found the real trail, to our great relief.

All in all, it was a fun and adrenaline-filled hike.

Running Behind

2006-05-10T13:44:00.003-07:00

Wow, I'm really running behind updating this thing! REALLY behind. It's probably due to some extent to having limited access to the information superhighway and also to trying to get some more work done at the moment. And also to the fact that I'm great at making excuses!

In other news, today while I was running in the park, a dog bit me. At least, that's what I think the little mutt was trying to do. But he didn't break skin, so I let him go. I was also rocking out on the headphones at the time, so I couldn't be bothered.

It's hard to motivate oneself to clean up the apartment when the better half's not around. But shhhh...don't tell her.

Just kidding.

Salutations!

Flying Solo

2006-05-07T12:51:00.000-07:00

Well, Allison's flight should be landing in Detroit in about 20 minutes, and I be a lonely boy! Some of you blessed readers will be seeing her sooner than I will. I'll try to hold down the fort here in the meantime.

More Ischia

2006-05-04T04:41:00.000-07:00

Allison and I departed for a hike from a town whose name I can't remember. Before we left, we saw a traditional-looking pre-wedding procession coming up the street as a father escorted his daughter (I'm assuming to the church):

And a view from the hike:

Ischia Pics

2006-05-03T02:59:00.000-07:00

Ischia Porto, where the boat arrived:

Forio, where Truman Capote stayed and wrote an essay about it:

The sunset from Forio:

Inter-run-tion

2006-05-02T01:41:00.000-07:00

So Allison and I ran a 10K in Brescia this weekend. It was fun, and I clocked in at just a shade under a decade. Hal Higdon of runnersworld.com was a great coach, but Allison was better, and we were both able to finish. Afterwards, in our hotel room, we posed for this shot. As you can see, we are both wearing medals--they gave these to EVERYONE who crossed the finish line, but you better believe we told ourselves what big winners we were anyway. And I am flexing in this picture--QUIET! I already know you can't tell, but that's what happens when you have no muscle in the region of the bicep. So keep you're jokes to yourself, because I'M NOT LISTENING.

They had a marathon that startted at the same time as the 10K. The elite runners are so fast that we just had time to run our 6.2 miles, walk the 5 minutes or so back to our hotel, take a quick shower, pack, and walk the 5 minutes or so back to see the first finisher from the 26.2 mile race. Here is the winner, who is a Kenyan (as was the second-place finihser; Kenyan also won the Rome Marathon). This, ladies and gentlemen, is a very, very fast man, and he makes 26 miles look effortless. He was like a bounding deer or something.

And here are the top three finishers at the awards ceremony with their trophies.

Ischia

2006-05-02T01:29:00.000-07:00

As mentioned previously, Allison and I went to Ischia the weekend before last on a spur-of-the-moment change of plans. I mean, hey--it's mentioned in the Aeneid, so that seems classical, right? Here's a snippet on the island from Wikipedia:

Ischia is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples. The roughly trapezoidal island lies 17.5 miles from Naples and measures around 10 km East to West and 7 km North to South with a 34 km coastline and a surface area of 46.3 km2. It is almost entirely mountainous with the highest peak being volcanic Mt. Epomeo at 788 meters: the volcano was active in Classical times [1]. Population: nearly 58.000 people.

Ischia is also the principal city (pop.17,256) of the island, divided into Ischia Ponte and Ischia Porto. Its main industry is tourism, centering on thermal parks that cater mostly to European and Asian tourist clients eager to enjoy the fruits of the island's natural volcanic activity and highly nutritious volcanic soil.

We camped in Ischia Porto. Here is Allison displaying our tickets as we waited to board the boat that was to take us from Molo Beverello (Naples' port) to the island:

After the walk from the port to the campground we ended up at (love my grammar?) (we found out upon arrival that the campground we had planned to use was not open), it was time to set up the sweet tent Aaron got us for the wedding:

Of course, we forgot a hammer to pound in the stakes, so my boot had to suffice. Allison got a nice action shot of the process:

Camping Update

2006-04-25T03:09:00.000-07:00

As Allison indicated, we didn't go to the national park this past weekend. We went to the train station (early, I might add--we arrived with time to spare for a 7:46 a.m. train! Amazing how little traffic there is at that time of day.) thinking that we would go there, but then changed our hearts and minds and decided to head south toward Naples, the coast, and sun instead. We were considering going to Sorrento, but Allison found the blurb in our guidebook about the island of Ischia (in the Bay of Naples) while we were on the train, so we decided to give that a whirl and took the boat from Molo Beverello, Naples' port. I haven't copied the pictures onto our computer yet, but hope to get to that soon. The island was gorgeous and was packed with both Italians and Germans (who apparently love Ischia in particular; many of the signs are bilingual in Italian and German, instead of Italian and English as in most other locales).

My favorite thing that I forgot to take a picture of was a sign by the bathroom at our campground, which stated in four languages: 'Civilized people leave sinks clean.' I think that Allison would like to get a copy of that sign for our place--you know, just as a reminder to me.

Another reason it's good to work in Italy...

2006-04-24T12:35:00.000-07:00

. . . days off. Tomorrow is a holiday in Italy, Liberation Day. Thank you to the allied troops of WWII for making this day possible. On Thursday as I was leaving work I stopped by the secretary's desk with a quick question. To her answer, she added that they had decided to close the office on Monday--why? because they decided most people wouldn't come in anyway. Add that extra day to the Monday we have off next week (don't even know the reason), and the days we had off last week for Easter, and I feel like they've given me the personal ticket to enjoy this Spring. It's enough to make me forget that I get paid once every three months. Liz, I kind of feel like it's our very own Rodeo Days from Tucson here in Rome.

On that note, Eric and I went on our first camping excursion. To celebrate our tent (thank you again Aaron for the rockin' wedding gift), the nice weather, and our long holiday. Pictures to follow soon of our destination--and island called Ischia, off the coast of Naples. What fun! What sun! What a back ache!

Camping

2006-04-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

Allison and I are planning to make our first foray into the camping world tomorrow in a national park in Abruzzo with the tent her brother gave us for our wedding. If we aren't gobbled up by bears, we'll report back.

Ok, so there shouldn't really be any danger of that since it's not really rustic wildnerness camping where we're hoping to stay. But we WILL have to use a tent!

Ok, Some More Montepulciano

2006-04-19T04:56:00.000-07:00

While in Montepulciano, we visited a little wine shop in town. Well, at least we thought it was little. After going inside, however, the wine-sellers told us that we could visit their (vast) wine-cellars underneath. The space was composed of an Etruscan tomb...

...a medieval torture chamber, and who knows what else. Most of the area is now filled with barrels of wine...

...which are fairly large, no?

But there is a little museum down there with some artifacts, one of which was a real medieval chastity belt:

The store sells such treats as the Montepulciano Vino Nobile. We bought one bottle, but are (for now) saving it for something special.

Easter Visit

2006-04-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

My brother Ryan came down for Easter weekend. More on that anon, but just thought I'd post one quick photo before I head out the door.

Peeps in St. Peter's and St. Peter's Square

2006-04-18T02:53:00.000-07:00

I Stole This from Vanessa's Blog

2006-04-18T02:34:00.000-07:00

From the top of the Capitoline Museums. Doesn't it look like we're in a movie, or like we've just spotted land after a long sea voyage, or both?!?

Two More from Montepulciano

2006-04-17T09:49:00.000-07:00

We stopped to have coffee in Montepulciano later in the day after our lunch of microwave dinners (we ordered off the menu in a little empty cafe and soon heard the soft whir of the microwave in the background; odd, we thought, for a charming little Italian town) at this sweet place with a sweet little balcony with a sweet view. Here is the sweet view:

And here are Dan, Liz, and Allison sweetly enjoying the sweet view on the sweet little balcony. Splendid!

A Christian Sarcophagus from the Vatican Museums

2006-04-14T06:37:00.000-07:00

Good Friday

2006-04-14T02:57:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 53

1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken.

9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

11 After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

Man of Sorrows
Philip P. Bliss

Man of Sorrows! what a name
For the Son of God, Who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Guilty, vile, and helpless we;
Spotless Lamb of God was He;
“Full atonement!” can it be?
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Lifted up was He to die;
“It is finished!” was His cry;
Now in Heav’n exalted high.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

When He comes, our glorious King,
All His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew His song we’ll sing:
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Race Readiness

2006-04-13T03:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, so all posts around here are going to be a bit out of order as we try to catch up. Strict chronological consistency will not be observed. So going back to the marathon, here is Allison in her running get-up complete with number:

On the morning of the race, I gave her a Chauncey Billups 'No Pain' tatoo:

Along with a little Scriptural encouragement:

Allison is now helping me train for a 10K at the end of the month (we're both planning to run it), with a longer-term goal of trying to do a half-marathon in Philly in September. Take my word for it: she's a good coach. But she doesn't tolerate any slacking, kind of like the Lloyd Bridges coach character on Seinfeld.

More Pics

2006-04-12T13:29:00.000-07:00

For some more Italy pics taken by friends (this time Vance), see here and here.

Montepulciano

2006-04-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

Liz, Dan, and Allison in Montepulciano, home of the exquisite Vino Nobile. I'm not sure what Liz is doing with her hands, but it looks very artsy and expressive.

More Italy Pics

2006-04-10T13:03:00.000-07:00

Liz and Dan have started posting some of their Italy pictures for interested persons.

Company, Inc.

2006-04-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

We've had a slew of company recently, which we hope to be able to document in more detail soon. Here are Dan, Liz, Vanessa, Jeralyn, and Allison; the only one who is missing is Jaclyn, unavailable for comment at the time of the photo, as was I, since I was TAKING the photo.

Slow Business

2006-04-05T09:29:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts around here lately. That will probably continue for a little bit, but hopefully soon we'll get some more stuff up. In the meantime, hope all is well with everyone!

Aquino (2)

2006-03-30T07:48:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I'm way behind on posts, but I'll try to keep plugging away. When we got to the train station that serves Aquino, we got this view:

We asked in the station (we had to knock on a closed door near the small waiting room to actually find someone to talk to) if there was a bus to Aquino. No. Could we get a taxi? No. You can get to it on foot. So we started walking (which was pretty fun):

And walking:

And eventually we arrived. Here is Abbey at the hometown sign. I'd have liked something a little more elaborate such as 'Hillsdale: It's the people!'--perhaps 'Aquino: We have a great view of the mountains and you'll be the only foreigners here!'--but this was cool too:

In other news, Liz and Dan are here now which is sweet. Allison and Liz are planning to go to the airport to pick up the other girls, and Dan and I are planning to head out to Ostia for the afternoon.

Marathon Post-Game

2006-03-27T00:59:00.000-08:00

This is just a quick note to let you know that Allison did an AWESOME job yesterday. She finished the whole thing and ran it in about 4:45, which I'd say is pretty spetacular. Sometimes it takes me that long just to get going in the morning, whereas she can knock down 26.2 miles in that time frame. The weather was beautiful and the conditions seemed pretty ideal (aside from having to run on cobblestones for long stretches). So anyway--

Congratulations, Allison!

Countdown

2006-03-24T08:51:00.000-08:00

This was an exciting morning as I headed out to Marathon Village to pick up my official number for Sunday's race (I probably shouldn't call it a race so much as an event I'm participating in)! It was a fantastic feeling to march up the steps and hear people mingling in all different languages--while waiting, I met two people from Canada and two from Australia who flew in just to run. Crazy!

It was like living out my childhood dream of being an Olympic athlete and staying in Olympic Village (as a skater, runner, gymnast, whatever). Only, different. Instead of a specially built hide-a-way for athletes, they plopped the happenings in the lobby of a convention center that you could attend from 10 am to 8 pm. Instead of donning USA gear, I was gifted with a special running shirt from my mom. Instead of being asked to represent my country, I had to pay 50 euro. . .I think you get the idea.

But in any case, it was a special day that I have been looking forward to a long time. And just as the make-shift village lifted my spirits and substituted for official grandeur, the sloppy, sweaty, mess I will be in on Sunday will substitute for the strong, powerful Victory I had envisioned for the finish of the race.

It makes no difference.

This whole process has been fantastic. I'll let you know how it goes.

Aquino (1)

2006-03-24T08:26:00.000-08:00

This post will (I hope) be followed by others. Consider this an intro. For a slightly more geekified post on Aquino/Aquinum, see here.

Last Monday, Abbey, Kirk, Allison, and I got an early start to head down to Aquino. Ok, a moderately early start. Ok, it was in the morning, at least. Anyway, the reason we were going there is that Abbey's maiden name is Aquino and, well, you see, her familial forebears took the name of their old Italian town as their new last name when they got to the U.S. (anyone who's seen Godfather II knows what I'm talking about). Here we are on the train.

Allison: 'I'm so excited! I love trains!'

Eric: 'Yeah, you heard the newsflash right, Walter Cronkite. I am too cool for school.'

Kirk: 'Why is it so dark in here?'

Abbey: 'I'm so excited!!! Yipee, yipee, yipee! Do you think I'll find any seventh cousins thrice removed?'

The train station served three different communities:

Ok. More later.

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

2006-03-24T08:02:00.000-08:00

I had the most surreal experience today. I was on my way down to a library by St. Peter’s to do some work, and I was reading a book about medieval church history on the bus on the way down. The particular section was about the period beginning in the mid-11th century in which the papacy began to develop and consolidate its theory (and practice) of absolute papal sovereignty. Here, some of the major outlines of the type of papal power with which most moderns are most familiar started to take shape and to be drawn more sharply. Upon exiting the bus, I was walking down some side streets to get to the library when I heard a voice chanting over a PA system. So I followed the voice. Lo and behold, I had stumbled into the middle of the ceremony in St. Peter’s Square in which new cardinals were being created. It was like stepping back into the Middle Ages, except that everyone was wearing waterproof jackets and carrying digital cameras.

A guard outside the square let me in, so I decided to play hooky and watch for a while, figuring this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A good part of the service was in Latin, albeit with ecclesiastical pronunciation, so I decided it wasn’t a total loss for work. The whole college of cardinals (as far as I could tell) was on the platform in front of the basilica, and it was the first time I’d seen the pope in person regaled in vestments that were not plain white. The coolest part of the ceremony to my mind was the consecration of a cardinal in a wheelchair, whom they had to carry up the steps (reminding me a little of the story of the paralytic in Mark 1:1-12 in which the man’s friends lower him through the roof where Christ is preaching); instead of the man bowing down before the pope as all of the other cardinals-to-be had done, the pope stood up and came to him, and this was as it should be for the servus servorum Dei. May we all take it as an example (a visual metaphor, as it were) of going to serve where there is need.

One other thing I noticed: the pope keeps a handkerchief shoved in the left sleeve of his robe. This strikes me as an incredibly good idea. I’d never thought about the lack of pockets in their vestments, and this is a solution to the problem I applaud as someone who likes to carry a handkerchief at all times.

Oh, and I think I almost got on Italian TV, except that when the woman queried in Italian something to the effect of whether she could ask me some questions about the ceremony, I kind of looked at her and said, ‘Scusi?’ The gig was up at that point, and she and her camera-woman were off to find more promising quarry.

And one more note of interest (at least to me). Last Sunday morning when Kirk and I were at St. Peter's, I noticed that during communion the choir was singing 'Ah, Holy Jesus'. I thought this was interesting, because this hymn is an English translation of the German hymn 'Herzliebster Jesu', written by Johann Heerman, who was (among other things) a Lutheran pastor. Moreover, the hymn's music is by Johann Crueger, who studied theology at Wittenberg, Martin Luther's old stomping ground. Needless to say, it was odd and surprising to hear a German Protestant hymn at a crucial point in the high Latin mass in the sanctuary of St. Peter's, the nerve-center of all of Roman Catholicism. Perhaps a little rapprochement is on the horizon?

Postscript
Here are the Enlish lyrics they were singing:

Ah, holy Jesus, how hast Thou offended,
That man to judge Thee hath in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by Thine own rejected,
O most afflicted.

Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon Thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone Thee.
’Twas I, Lord, Jesus, I it was denied Thee!
I crucified Thee.

Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered;
The slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered;
For man’s atonement, while he nothing heedeth,
God intercedeth.

For me, kind Jesus, was Thy incarnation,
Thy mortal sorrow, and Thy life’s oblation;
Thy death of anguish and Thy bitter passion,
For my salvation.

Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay Thee,
I do adore Thee, and will ever pray Thee,
Think on Thy pity and Thy love unswerving,
Not my deserving.

As you can see, five verses. The German version, on the other hand,
has fifteen.

Vidimus Papam!

2006-03-22T07:53:00.000-08:00

On Sunday morning (March 12) Kirk and I walked down to St. Peter's. As we were waiting in line, we overheard someone mention the papal blessing at noon (given from a window of the papal apartments, which I'm guessing are something like our apartment), a weekly occurrence about which I had totally forgotten. After we exited the church, the St. Peter's Square was starting to fill up (though not, apparently, to the extent that it was filled today for the weekly Wednesday papal audience, at which there was a crowd estimated at 50,000 according to a news report I read):

Here is Pope Benedict XVI in the window:

And here's one I tried to doctor on the computer to get a closer view:

Afterwards, we picked up a little food and went to meet the better halves in Piazza della Rotonda in front of the Pantheon. I believe Allison took this shot of Kirk and me on the steps of the fountain:

You'll notice that there's a bottle next to Kirk's right leg. It is some sort of concoction made by Fanta called, enigmatically, 'Red Emotion'. I don't know what's in it. Furthermore, I didn't know emotions had a color and, beyond that, I didn't know they had a flavor. But Kirk seemed to enjoy it, so, hey--I'll second that emotion.

In the News: Of Italian Interest

2006-03-22T04:25:00.000-08:00

Italians to See Mussolini's Secret Bunkers

(These are just some excerpts from the article by Ariel David, Associated Press Writer. For the full story, click the link above.)

ROME - The 19th-century villa of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini opens to the public for the first time Wednesday, allowing visitors to see his elegant frescoes and lavish chandeliers — and the hidden bunkers and anti-gas chamber he could hide out in.

Mussolini, who lived lavishly and entertained guests at the Rome residence, built the underground chambers to protect himself and his family from possible air raids and gas attacks.

A $6 million restoration was undertaken after decades of decay during which the villa's neoclassic treasures were shunned as a tainted reminder of the fascist period.

[...]

Visits require advanced booking and take place in small guided groups.

Mussolini lived at Villa Torlonia in 1925-1943 with his wife and children, delighting in tennis games and horseback rides on the grounds that surround the house, built by one of Rome's aristocratic families.

[...]

Two underground structures, built in great secrecy, cover more than 2,000 square feet and include an anti-gas chamber with air ducts and showers for decontamination, all protected by a double set of airtight doors.

Mussolini dug the bunker 23 feet deep, burying a 10-foot thick concrete box with bare cylindrical corridors and multiple escape routes.

While restoring the chamber, archeologists discovered it was built over a second-century Christian tomb, where they found three bodies. The area was a common burial ground in Roman times, housing mainly the sprawling underground corridors of one of six Jewish catacombs in the city.

[...]

Above Villa Torlonia's World War II relics stand elegant stuccos and polished marbles, a ballroom with crystal chandeliers and private chambers with tromp l'oeil frescoes that give the illusion of being in an ancient Egyptian temple or a Gothic cathedral.

Architects and painters Giuseppe Valadier and Giovan Battista Caretti built the villa in the first half of the 19th century for the Torlonia family. It is part of an extravagant complex that includes a frescoed reproduction of an underground Etruscan tomb, an exotic garden, a theater and a Swiss chalet in Liberty Style.

More recent are the life-size drawings of exotic dancers left by U.S. soldiers who set up headquarters there in 1944-1947.

Future plans for Villa Torlonia's grounds include opening the ancient Jewish catacombs and building a museum dedicated to Holocaust victims right across from Mussolini's residence.

More from the Via Appia

2006-03-21T08:16:00.000-08:00

The ancient road herself, far enough down the line that you don't have to worry so much about get flattened by zooming Smart Cars when you walk down it:

A sculpture of St. Sebastian in the basilica at the catacombs of San Sebastiano:

Via Appia Antica

2006-03-21T02:29:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures on/of Via Appia Antica I got the weekend previous to the arrival of Kirk and Abbey.

Allison having fun and looking cute:

Sheep (I've never seen anyone as interested in sheep as Allison--or I hadn't till Kirk saw them the next weekend):

The tomb of Caecilia Metella:

Catacombs

2006-03-20T10:58:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, Kirk, Abbey, Allison, and I went to visit the Catacombs of S. Domitilla on the Via Appia Antica, and the site includes the super cool feature of a 4th century Christian basilica whose roof just pokes up above ground. This is a picture Allison took of the other three of us. Ok, so you can't really see any of Appia Antica or the catacombs. I have some other shots of the region that maybe I'll try to post soon.

Enter the Schultzes

2006-03-19T11:00:00.000-08:00

Over the last week or so, until Friday morning, we had Kirk and Abbey Schultz as visitors in our domicile. Some of you may remember that Kirk was a groomsman in our wedding. Some of you may not know that he's really good at Napoleon Dynamite character impressions, or that he has almost every episode of Seinfeld memorized. Anyway, here are Kirk, Abbey, and I on the night of their arrival. As you can see, I'm sporting the sweet new Pistons shirt that they brought me.

And here are Kirk, Abbey, and Allison immersing themselves in a map of Rome so as to plot out plans for the coming days.

I hope to get a little photographic record of the fruit of said plans up on here in coming days.

Until then--

Folk Medicine

2006-03-07T03:06:00.000-08:00

So they have some really hot peppers here that are good in such things as penne all' arrabiata. Apparently the Amalfians think they're good for something else as well--variously called either 'natural'...

or 'poor man's'...

Hotel Sweetness

2006-03-05T08:33:00.000-08:00

Allison found us a sweet hotel in Amalfi. The rooms had little terraces, and this is the view out over the sea therefrom.

And this is what the little decks looked like (the white building behind the palm trees):

Amalfi, Post-Tumultuous Bus Ride: Cliffside Townscape, Duomo

2006-03-03T04:26:00.000-08:00

I believe that at least some of the buildings picture here belong to the next town back on the way to Salerno (from which we took the bus to Amalfi).

This is the Amalfi's Duomo, dedicated to St. Andrew (some of whose remains are said to be in and underneath the church). I think that the original date of the cathedral here (though the church, especially the interior, has been much rebuilt) dates to the 9th century or so (?--I don't recall for certain).

Shots From the Bus, Amalfi Coast (2)

2006-03-02T03:10:00.000-08:00

Shots From the Bus, Amalfi Coast

2006-03-02T02:30:00.000-08:00

(For this next one, I won't even tell you what kind of precipitous road our bus had to be on to snap it.)

Back in Full Effect

2006-03-02T02:11:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts around here lately, folks. You see, someone--*ahem*--forgot to upload the pictures onto the computer. Ok, you're right. That someone was I. And I am very, very sorry for it. Really. I promise. Anyway, I'll probably try to put a bunch of pictures up, probably with little to no commentary due to being a little behind in this and other areas (which might have something to do with the fact that I don't get along well with our alarm clock). Allison's family was here the last couple weeks, so we'll start off with a funny one in the Duomo in Amalfi, in which the group is doing a not-so-hot job of LOOKING AT THE CAMERA.

What Love Looks Like After 60+ Years

2006-02-18T06:17:00.000-08:00

Two shots of my grandparents from Grandpa's birthday last Fall.

Gotta Love Communist Italian Protesters

2006-02-10T05:29:00.000-08:00

Here.

(LvDrudge.)

Another View From Atop the Big Tower

2006-02-09T08:14:00.000-08:00

This, I believe, is the church of San Domenico.

Vertigo?

2006-02-08T10:07:00.000-08:00

I think I mentioned the other day that I climbed up the tower of the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena, which I believe is either the tallest or second-tallest secular structure in Italy, and it's 505 steps to get to the top. This is a shot of the Campo from either the very top or a look-out point just a little ways from the very top--I can't remember which, but I think it's the latter. That's a fountain down there (and not a terribly small one), and those are full-size human beings, not some specks on the lens of the camera.

Allison Having a Really Really Ridiculously Good Time on the Steps of the Duomo in Siena

2006-02-08T03:30:00.000-08:00

We Are Sienese If You Please

2006-02-07T03:20:00.000-08:00

So one thing that lots of people apparently like to do in Siena is to lie down in the Campo, the huge piazza where they have bareback horse races twice every summer (perhaps more on that later). It is true that sometimes people merely sit there.

But more often than not, they lie.

Or, rather, that is what late teens and adults generally do. If you are a very small child, for some reason you throw enormous amounts of confetti (and sometimes use silly string as well) all over the piazza, even if there is a city employee standing right next to you who is obviously engaged in the task of attempting to clean the piazza via sweeping confetti with a very antiquated-looking broom. Here is one such worker.

On a note unrelated to the foregoing, here is something interesting about the Duomo. In the 14th century, the Sienese decided to add a new nave to the church so that it would be the biggest in Christendom. Then some very, very bad things happened, such as the Black Death. Work was stopped and the project was never finished, and stands to this day as it was left.

Siena (1)

2006-02-05T08:45:00.000-08:00

Allison and I got back last night from a couple-day trip up to Siena, rival of the powerful Florentines in days of yore. We'll try to get some more pics up soon, but here are a couple. The first is some rooftops and the Duomo and campanile, taken part-way up the tower of the Palazzo Pubblico.

The second is the two of us enjoying ourselves somewhere. I can't tell where it is, because it's kind of hard to get a lot of background in the shot when your range for taking the picture is the same as the length of your arm.

One More from Pompeii

2006-02-02T02:55:00.000-08:00

This one's a monument from the necropolis (burial ground) just outside the city on the way to the Villa of the Mysteries.

There probably won't be any updates for a couple of days...until then!

Pompeii, Late Afternoon

2006-01-31T04:46:00.000-08:00

And Another Thing

2006-01-30T10:12:00.000-08:00

When we were in Perugia last weekend, they had this giant ferris wheel close to the edge of the hill that overlooked some valleys and whatnot below. Allison convinced me to go on it at night. As you can see, she was pretty excited:

As you can see, I was pretty excited, too:

This is a picture of one of the cars:

And we even bought one of the cheesey pictures they take of you, sort of like at Cedar Point:

Two More from Perugia

2006-01-28T08:20:00.000-08:00

First, the (unfinished) facade of the city's duomo:

The have a 12th-century (I think) aqueduct that you can walk across to get out to the part of town where the round church in yesterday's post is located. If I'm remembering correctly, this second pic is from near the beginning of the aqueduct-walk looking back toward the main part of town.

A Few Pictures from Perugia

2006-01-27T09:38:00.000-08:00

Here are a few shots from Perugia, a smallish-sized city about 2 1/2 or 3 hours from Rome. It's up in the Umbrian hills. The first is from Piazza Italia, taken right after we got off the bus.

This one is from a little bit higher up, with a view of some buildings across the way.

Finally, this is a 6th-century round Christian church out on the very edge of town by the walls.

Pompeii detour

2006-01-26T04:57:00.000-08:00

A group of students from Hillsdale were in Rome last week. Dr. Jones, one of Eric's undergrad professors, and his wife Sally, were leading the bunch around. We were invited to join them on their trip to Pompeii. Perfect, we thought. The bus is faster, less stressful, and a way to see the highways that we miss on the train.

Unfortunately, the bus was hit in the back by an gentleman from the US Navy, who was stationed at the NATO base in Naples. We were 15 minutes from Pompeii. Apparently this was this serviceman's third car accident, so his superiors insisted he have his vehicle towed to the base, and NOT say anything. Well, that's fine. Except, no reports could be comleted without his input, meaning we sat pretty on the highway for hours.

To make matters more humourous, our serviceman didn't speak ANY Italian, and our bus driver, the police, the towers, and the insurance claim workers, didn't speak ANY English. Quite a funny dance of gestures was witnessed through the bus window.

One extra note, a policeman stepped onto the bus and waved the US Navyman's badge around in front of us, as if to say, "don't go blaming Italians for this mess." Okay fine, but that doesn't explain the 12 people we saw in uniform leaning against the guardrail while only 3 men were actually involved in getting us off of the highway. That does seem to be a completely other form of mess--and it is straight Italian.

We did manage to make the rest of the journey to Pompeii safely. And with 2 hours of daylight.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

2006-01-25T06:52:00.000-08:00

Ok, actually it was when I was on my way to the library. But first, some background.

A few weeks ago a friend from church gave me a copy of NBA Live 2005, a game for the computer, which happens to be awesome. Though I haven't been able to watch any Pistons games yet this season, I can simulate some NBA action on the PC. Allison and I were doing this one night when she decided that it would be funny to write a letter to the Pistons on my behalf (a la Letters from a Nut--remembering giving me that book, Kathy?). So she wrote it and sent it.

Lo and behold, the Pistons responded with alarming speed:

They included a letter that mentioned Darko:

And a bunch of stickers, basketball cards, schedules, and a picture!

What an organization! Go Pistons!!!

Happy Fat Pants

Two More Baby Pictures

New Things

A Poem for Easter

Locks of Love?

All in the Family

Cat Update

Stray Cat Strut

Someone Offered to Sell Me Drugs on Friday

What American Accent Do You Have?

Blast from the Past

Athens Terrorism

Big Sandwiches

Danish TV Here We Come!

Fall Football

Woo-HOO! Got a Win Tonight!

Philly Love

Nine Tonight

Montepulciano

The End of an Era

Back in the Saddle/ The New Apartment

Little lovelies

Ciao, ciao, ciao

Fifth, Dante's Tomb

Fourth, the Arian Baptistery

Third, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia

Second, the Beach

First, the Camp Site

Ravenna

Sculpture of Paul at San Paolo Fuori Le Mura (Rome)

Berries That Almost Fit in a Straw

The hidden life of Santas Little Helper

Some More Nemi

For the Youngs

Birthday weekend in Ariccia

Fine time with friends

Two healthy girls!

I Promise This Is Not a Joke

This Post Has Nothing To Do with Feminine Products

Race for the Cure

Basilica San Marco, Venice

Why No Pictures?

This is for the Birds

Some Venice for You

Hike Follow-Up

URGH

Ischia Hike

Running Behind

Flying Solo

More Ischia

Ischia Pics

Inter-run-tion

Ischia

More Lack of Posts!

Camping Update

Another reason it's good to work in Italy...

Camping

Ok, Some More Montepulciano

Easter Visit

Peeps in St. Peter's and St. Peter's Square

I Stole This from Vanessa's Blog

Two More from Montepulciano

A Christian Sarcophagus from the Vatican Museums

Good Friday

Race Readiness

More Pics

Montepulciano

More Italy Pics

Company, Inc.

Slow Business

Aquino (2)

Marathon Post-Game

Countdown

Aquino (1)

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

Vidimus Papam!

In the News: Of Italian Interest

More from the Via Appia

Via Appia Antica

Catacombs