Day 18 - may 17 2003 - Random notes and musings

In rome, watched an impromptu latin jaz ensemble perform at a piazza along side the tiber in trastevere, they played for an hour on the steps of a fountain, there were at least 15 of them, just the old classics bt each had their go at a solo which was special... and no hat being passed around either... they were probably famous

did i ask if anybody knew if russel crowe was in rome with his new bride around may 1? i am sure i saw him at a table in a small osteria in trastevere,.. i looked under the tabel for a slab of VB but didnt spot one, which is the only reason i am in doubt it was him.

In rome young guys and girls were wearing these odd looking shirts,.. sort of tie dyed but mor elike thay had been used to do the painting, everywhere.

All girls in italia use surgical implements to put their jeans on, the expression <> is greeted with positivity... in fact it is sought after.. and although they are into the tight jeans .. god bless their cotton socks... unfortunately this passion for clothing doesnt always extend to the undergarments they wear with these jeans... the bog catcher is very much in vogue

I need a haircut

Ive managed to avoid familiarising myself with the sweets at the cafes and bars so far,.. doing well,.. have lost quite a bit of wait and im still recovering from the walk to Peglio which i have graphically documented in another post... although i have recovered to the point where i am now contenplating doing it again.

Still cant get over the beauty of the coffee here,.. going rate for an expresso in urbania is 80 euro cents, 85 for a machiatto and 1.05 or 1.10 for a cappuci. Purchased a 4 cup stove top espresso makre the other day, typical italian aluminium model... 3 euro, lavaza crema e gusto same packs we get back home is around 1.90 euro.

Also getting stuck into the sicilian red )we call them blood) oranges... 1 litre is about 1.80 which isnt ridiculously cheaper than back home... but i love the stuff.

I wrote my first italian poem today for class, currently with my delectable teacher Monia, will no doubt post it here when i get it back... lots of cliches and lots of really amateur images,.. but hey at least i hav an excuse... everything rhymes in italian as well which can be annoying but you end up with some long words when speaking in 3rd person passato.

The sky i blue, unphotographable blue, i thought i knew what blue was, turns out i had no fucking idea.

everyone smokes, my next door neighbours dog smokes, everyone smokes.

You cant tell how old the woemn are around here,.. until its too late... not that i have been in such a position... but my teahcer looks maybe 25, shes actually 34, a girl in the cafe nearby looks about 30, shes actually 40, a women we spoke to at the bar last night looked about 32, she was 48,.. sofia loren has had no plastic surgery looks hotter than most of th scrags walking around chapel street and was born when my grandmother was just a kid

On that note my grandmother is doing fine and waiting for me in Ampelokipi, hang in there granny, got hours of video tape i need to fill with your memories.

Learning the lingua di strada is a lot more fun than learning how to conjugate verbs. Many words that relate to the act of picking up are based on the entire fishing experience... lovely, why mince words.

The italian word for an at sign is a 'chioccola'' which is a little snail... how cute... i picture all these hardass finance dealers and shit swaping email address...... << si mio email indrizzo e... hardass - little snail - your mamas house dot com dot italia >>>