Bits and Bobs

I feel like I only post here when I'm doing something ridiculous (which actually happens more often than my frequency of posting here would suggest -- I am terrible. I fully admit it!), but right now I'm both building muscle mass and rectifying the whole brown sugar situation:

I'm making my own! Zucchero grezzo di canna (raw cane sugar) plus the molasses I picked up from the import store. I'm grinding the coarse grains of sugar in my mortar and pestle to a finer grain (although there are still some big beautiful crystals hanging about) and pressing it through some molasses. This is what the stuff looked like with about 3/4 of the sugar already added. Gorgeous, rich, moist -- I wish I could do justice to the smell, but it's this thick and almost smokey richness that is just beautiful. I'm just about done with it now and it's looking like any nice rich dark brown sugar you'd pick up in the store. Coarser grains of course, but mmmm it's lovely, and full of the natural trace vitamins and minerals found in unrefined, unbleached sugars! Sugar that is (in at least some ways) good for you? Why thank you, I do believe I will. I'm going to put it in this mason jar we picked up from Ikea to show it off, and to keep it from drying out like a brick. (Also, I'm pretty much obsessed with Jamie Oliver right now and homeboy would definitely approve of the natural goodness of this sugar!)


So, I posted before about the obelisk down the piazza from us -- It'd been shrouded in scaffolding and advertisements since we'd gotten here. As we're driving up via Cristoforo Colombo in the shuttle back from the airport, all of a sudden this comes in to view from beneath the archs of the walls. As much as I'm sure the obelisk in all of its unrestrained glory is breathtaking in and of itself, this? The thing rising from these jagged poles and platforms is pretty staggering in a different way. Each evening we get this view of it with the sun as it's setting peering through the structure. I caught this picture last Saturday night -- I mean look at that sky. The picture barely does it justice. Those two little dots are two giant balloons that were released from a Carnivale party that was going on in the square in front of the church's side facade. If I can get my camera to behave (it's in full revolt right now) I'm going to get some pictures of the Carnivale happenings this weekend. This is the last week so Sunday should be a riot -- all of the little kids walking around in these outrageous costumes (princes, princesses, clowns)? It's pretty fun to see.


And just for fun, here is the "fresco" that's on the wall in our room. This was before we did any arranging (there's a big armoire in the middle of the wall now). The thing is actually an enlarged photo (complete with typical 70s color saturation) on four strips of wallpaper and it is hideously hilarious. Jackie, Freya and I have a new goal in life: find out where the picture was taken, go there, take a picture in typical tourist fashion (peace signs and fanny packs), and hang the framed picture right in the middle. Amazing!

We didn't die, but nearly did in our hearts.

Never, ever, ever again.

Here, my friends, is the true story of two girls. Two little Palermitane trying their hardest to find tickets to the Roma - Palermo game. And not just any tickets. Tickets for the away fans section. Tickets to sit with all of the Palermitani so that they could cheer to their hearts content for their boys.

Unfortunately, this was only a dream, because (surprise, surprise) every Italian is oblivious. Sure, I knew this, and love this about living here, but yesterday after running around to 4 different Roma stores, it gets to be a bit too much.

Let me fill you in a bit on how this works. You do not buy tickets at the stadium. You buy tickets at various AS Roma stores, some which are supposed to sell tickets specifically for the settore ospiti (the visiting fans section). This is the section we were going for. After being turned away from the one down the block from us on Friday, we took Saturday (the day of the game) to find these seats. We went to the Roma store in the centre and were turned down. The man of course has no idea where to get these tickets. Then we make our way back home and try the one down the block again. Some genius kid decides to tell us that we can go to the ticket booth at the Gran Teatro to get the tickets.

This is about a 1.5 hour trip.

We go all the way there, and find out from the woman that away tickets are never sold in Italy on the day of the game. But if we knew about this place yesterday it would've been fine. WHY!?

Fine. So we buy tickets next to this section (which is quite far away because they close off the two sections closest to the Palermo fans. Talk about your security.

Okay. We travel all the way back home to eat for the first time since breakfast, and then travel all the way back, bundled up and ready to go.

We are sitting in the middle of a bunch of Roma fans. They are singing, cheering, chanting, waving scarfs and making obscene gestures at the Palermo fans. Poor little Steffi and I are sitting silently, squeaking here and there when good and bad things happen to Palermo. And when my favorite player Rinaudo gets a red card (completely uncalled for), Roma scores a goal 2 minutes later. Everyone around us stands up and cheers and we sat all discouraged in our dirty stadium seats.

So all in all, regardless of the multiple pilgrimages to find tickets, the 28degree weather, sitting with a bunch of stupid Roma fans... at least now we know how to go about doing everything for when Lazio plays Palermo on May 4th.

Also, I did get to see Francesco Totti play, which just solidified my reasoning for disliking him and Roma. Perhaps if he spent more time playing and less time rolling around on the floor like a baby trying to get calls from the ref, he would be a considered a good player in my eyes.

In non-football related news, we are going to a new church today. A non-english speaking church. Finally! Long story. Write later.

Forza Palermo!

Ikea! Ikea!

Hurray! Ikea is so good to us! I am proud to say that for the first time in my life, I am a proud owner of a down comforter. And for only 25euro! We both got wonderful bedsheets as well, and the apartment is finally starting to look like a home. Life is delicious.

As are the kebabs from around the corner. We made a kebab run tonight (because we already ate all the food in the house) and the guy gave us free falafel to try. Not only was it free, but it was mmm mmm good too! I could get used to this.

Pictures will be up soon of our new place.

I have been lucky to have this mini-vacation before school to settle in and such. Umm... it also gave me the time to start watching Buffy again... which is the best show ever created. Too bad all of those free tv sites don't have it, so now I'm all stuck downloading every episode. Can you say LOSER!?

Don't care. Watching Buffy will educate me on how to beat up all the gypsy thieves in Rome. Ha!

Here. Safe. Happy.

So here I am, writing to you all from our very lovely new (old) apartment. As most of you know, we switched apartments with the people living next door to us. Long story. The point is that we now have a lovely studio with a little loft for Stef to sleep in (she just can't shake off the whole attic creature thing!).

We'll post pictures eventually, of course when we have fixed it up and decorated with the help of Mr Ikea.

School doesn't start until next Monday for me, which is wonderful because I still can't get my body to follow Rome time. I sit wide awake at 3am.

But I'm so happy to be back. I have really good feelings about this coming semester. I feel like it will be a perfect combination of my first semester (all fun, games, and Italian loveliness) and this past semester which was all serious business of paying rent and getting schoolwork done. Last semester I didn't really have the time or energy to spend exploring Rome and meeting new people. This time will be different and I'm happy for it.

My friend Freya took a semester off to go to a language school and do an intensive Italian course. I think I'll follow her lead this summer. I want this language so badly, and if I want to start speaking it fluently, it is essential to learn through speaking, reading, and hearing it constantly.

My family comes in 3 weeks. I'm gonna make them party ;)