helio therapy

Goodevening! Today was absolutely beautiful. It was warm and bright outside. The streets crowed with smiling Italians enjoying the weather with their families. It was a great introduction to the break.

As I wandered around this morning taking photographs for class, I stumbled upon this adorable Sicilian market.

I just wanted to share those with you. I really miss you all right now. Like a lot. 

thinking of you tonight. 

unconscious consciousness

You are now breathing manually.

You are no aware of the fact your clothes are touching your skin and you can feel it.

You are now aware that every time you swallow, you hear a little crackle in your ears.

You are now aware your nose is constantly in your peripheral vision.

You are now aware of the fact your tongue is unable to find a comfortable place in your mouth.

You are you. 

here is to a vacation from a vacation.

I just finished my last midterm test (and when I say just, I really mean three hours ago, but you get the point) and this means that it is now FALL BREAK. You've got it right, I have a week off to do absolutely nothing but enjoy the wonderment of Italy even more than I have already been doing. Joanna and I have already checked out all of the videos and books from the school library. We have the cards ready to play and the wine bottles ready to be filled. On Monday we are going to Castelogne Del Lago for a little sleep over. 

I couldn't help but give you a little check in. I do not have much to report other than I have this zit that hurts really bad but hasn't surfaced.

 I know you really needed to know that. 

Ciao for now! 

xoxo

i feel like the lead heroine in a hollywood movie

"Pretty Girls" by Wale is playing on my ipod streaming the bouncing song through my ear buds hidden by the coral hood on my head. I have not been to the library for a while and sitting here now, I have noticed the change in crowd now that the weather has cooled and the light fades into night earlier. It is quite empty and the bodies that occupy the seats are studios, with legs twitching as they study for the big exam tomorrow. I like the calm serenity that the usual bustling terrace now inhabits. Sadly, this change in weather did not mean that the drinks dropped their prices, because I am very thirsty (but not parched enough to spend six euros on a soda.) 

This week in school has been very relaxed (i know it is only Wednesday.) The big break is next week. There is a slow paced (typical Italian) happy atmosphere in the studio. Although I have a midterm in each class this week, there is no stress. 

I mentioned before that I have had a lot of extra time to read. I feel like the lead heroine in a hollywood movie every night as I take a bath. The lights dimmed (just because I can) and my hair dolled up on my head to avoid water. Steam slithers off my exposed limbs into the chilled air as I intensely read Brett Easton Ellis's latest novel. (It is times like this where I lean my head back against the yellow tiles and sigh "this is the life.") The only difference would be in the movie my mascara would not be running down my recently washed face. I am sure hollywood doesn't want their main actress looking like a member of the band KISS after a bad breakup.

 I finished "Lunar Park" by Brett Easton Ellis last night in quick nervous furry. The novel is a horror, but addictivly written in the quick, sexual, tongue of Brett Easton Ellis (I just have to write him full name because I love the way it sounds.) It is a mix between fact and fantasy but is so artistically intertwined that I was left confused of what was real and what was fiction. I would suggest you read it. 

I started to read "Which Brings Me To You" by Steve Almond and Juliana Baggot. Joanna finished it and as she gave it to me stated "I think this was written for me." Instantly I knew it was a cute love story because she is constantly commenting on my "bleeding heart" sappiness. It is the exchange of letters between a boy and girl who met at a wedding. The letters aren't straight out flirtatious, but rather confessions because sometimes we just need to tell a stranger everything just so we feel better by letting it out. It is cute and I have even found myself laughing out loud. 

In Photography (black and white & digital) I GET to do a final project based off of a single idea. The collection at them end is twenty images that support the topic. Here are my two ideas... 

Body language is often stronger than words spoken by mouth. In a country that forces foreign tongue to my ears, I have begun to rely on the swift movement of hands and eye contact as the main sources of understanding conversation. The beauty of posture, the uniqueness of style, and the anonymous feeling of being faceless, describes the character of people without small talk or exchange of ideas. Therefore I would like to pursue my final project in digital film photography as “Headless Portraits,” documenting the people of Firenze, Italy but leaving out the facial features in order to study my subjects in a different, more abstract, light.

In Salt Lake City street artists spray cans of multi colored paints on the walls in attempt of artistic lettering and symbols. When I arrived in Florence I was, in no way, surprised or interested in the amounts of graffiti littering the walls. I was, however, intrigued by the posters glued hastily over one another. For my final in black and white film photography, I am going to capture the plastered art these advertisements and messages expressed. But even this is too simple for me. I want to find something to set my documentation apart from the average tourist who snaps a shot at them while walking by. I was thinking of making a little stick figure that I put in each shot, or maybe placing a photograph of myself hidden in the fold of the torn edges, or making sentences with the bolded words from multiple posters. I am determined to find this niche after a few rolls of film. 

Any suggestions or comments? I am up for both negative and positive critiques. 

Happy Hump day. Goodnight! 

xoxo

all the ladies on the night of the show. 

Joanna being her lovely self. 

Charles and Melania looking quite dashing.

Friday night "small" gathering 

all of their jackets.

The rest are random shots by an unknown photographer. It is what happens when you leave your camera out on the desk.  (hey look at me in the back!)

Happy Monday! 

Hey Family!

This video message is proof that I am alive and well (and that it is not an impostor writing my last few blog posts.)

Happy 500th Birthday Vasari!

I just made the worst pesto pasta ever. I put too much salt it the water and too much balsamic vinegar. I barley ate half of it.

Today is Sunday and it is a little chilly and with a slight breeze. I am rockin’ the hoodie with light make up on, jeans, and fuzzy pirate socks, as I sit in the dark in the living room. The apartment is about to be completely empty because Rachel is leaving with her friend Jenna to watch American Football in an American bar and Joanna is off with Ricardo and his family. Usually I would hate to be left alone, but I am looking forward to quietness after this fun, but always going, weekend.

Friday night, we kind of hosted a party at our apartment. It was supposed to be small. We invited our two German friends (Jasmine and Anna) and then Ricardo and his one buddy. By the end of the night, the German girls had left and six extra friends of Ricardo arrived. It was a blast watching them interact in Italian and just getting to meet them. (It was like my “Judge Boy” phase but Italian style.)

Saturday was the big day. The art show/birthday party for Vasari was finally here. Joanna and I did not get out of bed until noon, and then we made some lunch and coffee, and took the next three hours to get ready. It was like prom. Music was playing and make up was spread across the floor. We were at the studio at four looking fabulous. When the event started I felt like a proud parent. Melania and Charles looked amazing and were glowing with smiles all night. The show was a success. I had a lot of fun taking photographs, but it was very hard to capture the event because most of the art was in the dark with minimal light. I did my best and that is all that matters. Charles gave Joanna and I two bottles of wine as a “thank you” and because there were extra. We staggered home because our feet were tired. The minute we got home we of course drank some wine, ate too much pasta, and played Phase Ten until really early in the morning.

Today was very relaxing. I went out and took photographs on my film camera and using my pinhole camera. It was perfect. Tonight I will do some laundry, edit some photographs, and listen to sweet sweet music.

I hope you had an amazing weekend. Xoxo

**Photographs from the weekend will be posted tomorrow 

"I am your number one fan. There is nothing to worry about. You are going to be just fine. I am your number one fan. "

Good morning from a chilly seat in my kitchen. I am positioned by the window, but the entire apartment has a cold air to it. I am eating breakfast that consists of yogurt, cereal, and bananas. (My Mother just passed out, I am sure. I never eat breakfast at home.) The yogurt I am eating is like that “all natural- if you freeze it, it would taste like it is from Spoon Me” and it comes with a little side dish of chocolate cereal pieces that you put in. It tastes great, except for that I accidently bought one with coconut in it, so I had to mix some of Joanna’s peanut butter in to help diminish that grainy taste.

The main reason I am writing to you this early in the morning is to tell you about the films Joanna and I watched last night. I need to get them out of my head. The first one was Misery, based off of a Stephen King novel (so you know where I am heading with this.) It was suspensefully (yes, I know that is not a real word) creepy. I am not one for scary shows, but it was sure fun screaming and closing my eyes with Joanna in her little loft/room. I really badly want to tell you the most famous part, but I wont, in case you get some crazy idea to watch it this weekend.

The other one was called Bowling for Columbine, which is a Michael Moore film (again, his name says everything about what kind of film it was.) It was a documentary about guns and the safety of America. I definitely recommend it, but I will say it was more upsetting then the horror film because it was all true. I have always been really interested in the mind set behind someone who does a school shooting, probably because no one knows because the murderers usually do not walk out alive. It is one of those interests that terrify me at the same time. The thing I got out of this film is that The United States is built on fear and murder, but no one knows the reason that makes us so different from the other countries like Canada who only has three murders every few years.

Today we have cinema and I am not too excited. The room is always really cold and we are only watching weird documentary kind of movies. It is not exactly what I imagined the class being like.

Rachel has a friend visiting for the weekend. Just thought I would tell you.

Tonight we are kind of having a little tiny party in our apartment. When I say party, I mean like five people including the ones who already live here. Our German friends are coming, along with Ricardo and a few of his friends. I hope it is more fun than awkward, but I am sure it will be really awkward.

Also, I just want to inform you that my friends have a band called Jahboodie and then played at Kilby Court last night. Isn’t that so cool? I am really sad that I did not get to see it because one: they are my friends, two: it was at Kilby Court (the best concert place ever) and three: Gabrielle and I would have had so much fun wearing our band shirts she made and dancing along. (It would have been Miniature Tigers all over again, except for the Canadian part.)

We are having a really hard time getting Internet in the apartment lately. I just want you to know that I am alive and well and missing you like crazy.  : ) I hope you have a great day! xoxo

**Title: A quote from Misery 

"we make decisions in three dimensions."

*The title of this post comes from a school's website that I just stumbled on while accidentally Googling the wrong name. I found it entertaining. 

I have stared at this bright screen for the last five minutes trying to think of something witty to write. Most people would quit and call this writers block. They would walk away and eat something in hopes of it inspiring them, but I am not hungry and I really want to write. The only thing I can think of telling you right now is how much I love the band “The XX” because their songs are playing and engulfing me within their lyrics like a baby swaddled in a blanket.

I mentioned earlier of a press conference I was asked to photograph because I am in charge of documenting photographically the art show, in celebration of Giorgio Vasari’s five hundredth birthday that is taking place at my school this Saturday. (I think I have failed to tell you that I am studying in his studio. His frescos are where I learn Italian. It is just another reason why I am so lucky.) The press conference was held in the city council building about a five-minute walk from my school (honestly, everything is only a five minute walk away.) I was introduced to a few of the artists that have pieces in the exhibition. They looked like they should be Italian artists with their squinty eyes and crazy hair. All of them had charismatic smiles and I am excited to see what each one is capable of artistically. The four of them, including Melania who is not only an art professor at my school but the curator of the event, sat in front of rows and rows of interested journalists. It was evident that I was the only photographer because I was the only one who was not seated and the sound of my camera’s shutter echoed around the high-rise ceilings. I could not understand a word said, but facial expressions spoke clearly as excited but nervous hand gestures guided a stroll through their own artistic biographies and reasoning for their involvement in the show. I took a total of two hundred and fifty photographs in a forty-five minute period. No one was surprised. All in all, my images turned out well and I am now in anticipation for the big night on Saturday where I get to dress up and am in charge of “capturing the moment” all night (no pressure.) 

These are some images from the event. 

This is Charles (my photography teacher, also he is married to Melania.) It was funny because he stopped to tie his shoe on the way over. I asked if I needed to document this and if it was part of the show. He said yes, joking, but of course I took a photograph. Then we get inside the building and he points to this poster. I ask if I need to take a photo of this. He says yes and then poses. Oh Charles. 

The beautiful, flawless, Melania getting interviewed. 

The book this man is looking at is what Melania put together for the show. It is quite adorable and is on sell for ten euros. I am really thinking about purchasing one for memories and to show off in Salt Lake.  This is also my favorite shot of the day. 

This is Nicola, my Italian teacher. He came to the event to support, but also his father is some amazing artist. 

Overal shot of the room. Notice the balding heads of all the men. Those Italians have hair everywhere but their heads, obviously. 

Again, Melania looking dazzling and puzzled in the sunshine. 

Italian was freezing yesterday which made it a little bit of a challenge to pay attention. I never told you this, but we learned the alphabet last week. It was strange because the Italian’s do not have five letters that we use commonly in English. This wasn’t apparent to me until we asked how to say each letter. Now I want to teach you. Here is your Italian lesson of the day: L’alfabeto

A (aw)

B (bee)

C (chee)

D (dee)

E (eh)

F (effay)

G (gee)

H (aka)

I (ee)

L (ellay)

M (emay)

N (enay)

O (oh)

P (pee)

Q (koo)

R (array)

S (essay)

T (tee)

V (voo)

Z (zeta)

Obviously the words in the (parenthesis) are how you pronounce them. Interesting, eh? I find it strange how they just neglect a few letters. It makes sense why Italian’s cannot spell my name correctly, because there is no Y!

Last night Joanna left to meet Ricardo and she sprayed something near me so much that I could taste it in my mouth. (Is this how my family feels when I spray my “sexual almond” spray?) Rachel went to the library and I had the entire apartment to myself. It is times like those where I get lonely, but it is nice because I can play whatever music I want and read in pure quietness. Speaking of reading, I finished reading The Perks of Being A Wallflower for the fourth time yesterday. I love that book so much that I do not mind reading it over and over again. It is one of those that you can relate to in some way or another and makes you think about your first few high school years. I know I just graduated, but freshman year seems like it happened forever ago. I have begun to read Lunar Park by my favorite author Brett Easton Ellis. I cannot tell if it is a biography or part fiction. So far he has been talking about how he started his claim to fame and also his introduction to seductive life of the real “brat pack.” His writing is so addictive to me that I had a hard time putting it down.

Also last night, around nine o clock, I did not feel good at all. My head felt kind of a balloon and my stomach was dancing around inside of me. Rachel made me some English something tea that kind of helped, but not enough to make me feel like doing anything. I went to bed at nine and fell instantly asleep listening to the entire Florence and the Machine’s “Between Two Lungs” album. Today I did not wake up until nine thirty. Twelve hours of sleep and feel great! I ate a banana for breakfast along with a nice cold glass of water. Sometimes I think I just get to caught up in the moment of being here and do not let myself rest!

It is raining pretty hard today. Walking to school, I slipped on a cobblestone and almost fell. Luckily I pulled out of near disaster with a graceful bend of the knee. The city is darker, covered in a grey blanket, but is still glowing. The lights are fogged creating a ominous atmosphere. In the studio, where I am sitting now, the ceiling is made of glass. This amplifies the sound of the rain while you watch the drops splatter on it. I have a slight chill because my shoes are wet.

I discovered today that all those photographs taken on my pinhole camera did not work because the film never rolled. I have to shoot it all again. But that is okay.

Well I talked you ear off long enough, I am going to go get a sandwich from Pino’s because I deserve it for being such a nice person. Why am I a nice person? Well today I smiled at everyone I saw and picked up some woman’s scarf and returned it to her as she was walking away. I think that deserves a panini. I hope you are having a great day.  : ) I really do. 

xoxo

Ciao Ciao. 

painting with light

Remember when I told you that painted with light with joanna last weekend? Yeah neither do I.. well tried it out, obviously not completely what was intended but the experience was enjoyable. Joanna and I got creative one thursday night. We turned off all the lights in the apartment so it was pitch black. The darkness made the noises of the neighbors moving around us exaggerate and terrify a little. Then as I held the shutter speed open with my camera, Joanna moved a flashlight over her face or the stairs. We did an entire roll of film after these few test shots that you get to see. On the film, one of the images contained a Joanna monster with three heads. Epic right? Well we cannot wait to play with this idea a little more. We are thinking of using our friend Felix, the dancer, and have him dance in slow motion so there are multiple Felix's. 

The following shot may be disturbing to look at and possibly will produce nightmares. Viewer discretion advised. Especially if you want your children to sleep at night. 

I now get to go document a press conference for the big art show on Saturday at my school. No I am not in it, but famous professional artists are. Oh did I mention I am also the official photographer of the event? : ) Talk to you soon. Ciao. 

I ripped my pants today.

There I was sitting at the table and I moved my leg. Some how this simple motion created a tearing inside the leg of my pants. Here I was thinking that possibly JEGGINGS could not rip because they are well, JEGGINGS, but truth be hold I would find a way to put a hole in them. It is evident that I have terrible luck with pants. I go through them like a child goes through socks because I wear them all the time. I wear them out, I dance in them, walk, jump, and do the photographer squat in them.That does not mean that they have to rip. I felt like Sponge Bob in that one episode where he ripped his pants, except I did not sing about it. I wanted to, but I held back. 

i haven’t been home for a while; my panties are still on the line.

I experienced a vacation from my vacation this passed weekend. Starting in Venice all day Saturday, conquering Siena all day Sunday, and finally devouring Florence all day Monday, my passed three days were full of culture, good food & wine, my father, and lots of art. I have not been home, other than to sleep for six hours each night, since Friday. This fact was quite evident after discovering that my laundry was still out on the close line (I washed them Thursday morning.)

Venice was a school field trip to see an art show (I know right. School field trip to a beautiful city in Italy… what kind of school am I going to?!) This city resembles that of a Disneyland theme park, with rivers as streets and the only mode of transportation being boats and your own two feet. It was magical. I instantly fell in love with its rustic buildings and it’s small town aesthetic. The art show it self left me inspired (watch out Salt Lake City, I have a public art movement coming your way.) Thank you Michael for donating the funds to allow me to go on this trip! (Also, I took so pictures of some cuties for you and Grandma.)

My Father came in that night (after Venice) and stayed until Tuesday. It was great to show him around MY city. We went to Siena on Sunday. I had been there earlier for an art show with Joanna, but I did not really get to look and experience it to the fullest. It was small, yet spectacular. We had a great time.

Monday night we, being my Dad and I, took a one on one cooking class with the cutest Italian Woman ever. We made all the courses from scratch. Pasta, sauces, even tiramisu! Thank you Daddy for such a great time!

Today is thursday, obviously, and I just finished developing "painting with light photographs." Joanna and I did this last night. We sat in the dark, opened the shutter speed on my film camera, and danced a flashlight over things. One of the images we captured Joanna with three heads!! They turned out so amazing! 

I also made my very first pinhole camera today! Cannot wait to use it! 

Ciao Ciao!

xoxo