This week is the strangest “in-between” week I’ve had here. To sum everything up: my family is coming next week, so is Mary, I don’t have work as I normally would (because Paulo and Guillaume are away at one of the art shows I had previously mentioned) and I’ve been a bit under the weather. So, everything’s more or less out of whack.
Let’s begin by discussing the weather here. Last Saturday, being that it was a lovely sunny day, I had decided to sit outside to finish my blog post (this was not the move). I ended up sneezing all day and night and was so congested that I could barely breathe. Now this either developed into a cold or was just a cold to begin with that I interpreted as allergies, but whatever. What I do know is that everything here is just beginning to bud, there are yellow balls of pollen floating like tumbleweeds across the streets and forming fluffy pillows in every street corner. Additionally, the flowered trees have already burst open and the petals have fallen to the ground, very aesthetically pleasing, but not as pleasing for one prone to seasonal allergies. Additionally, rain is kind of hit or miss right now; it’s either drizzling or full on monsoon status. Lastly, during a nice day it reaches between 65-70 degrees but begins to get real chilly once the sun goes down.
This weather wouldn’t be causing such a problem if the city of Rome actually knew what to do during these weather conditions. There is minimal effort to control the pollen takeover (probably because it seems like Italians aren’t phased by it at all) and as soon as it rains, all hell breaks loose and everyone has forgotten how to drive (and I mean worse than usual) get anywhere on time, or bathe (because its raining, right?) …everyone smells. The one thing I can say is that I got a really nice picture of two ducks hanging out during the storm and I just wanted to give ‘em a hug and feed them some bread.
Another issue that I’m encountering is the wonderful bodily function that is perspiration. I have never sweat so much in my life. Now, I’m not someone who sweats much to begin with, in fact its quite the opposite: I’m almost always cold. I can go everyday in the summer wearing cuffed denim and a light sweater or flowy top and almost never wear shorts/tank tops. Long story short, every time I walk somewhere, take the metro or carry anything I get these hot flashes. My entire body flushes with these hot panic attacks and I end up at my destination out of breath and sweating. I’m just going to attribute this to the humidity (which is real even in 60 degree weather) or my disgusting pasta consumption. Either way, gross. YET THESE ROMANS ARE WALKING AROUND IN PARKAS AND SCARVES AND BOOTS AND HATS LIKE ITS SUB-ZERO WEATHER.
I digress, this blog post is entitles “Free time (lol)” so perhaps I should actually talk about that. Free time for someone like me is not necessarily something I use a lot in my every day life. This isn’t to say I don’t have it, but I can never relax enough to utilize my free time. If I’m not in class, working, cleaning or at the gallery I’m usually sleeping. I’m just one of those people who feels like they need to constantly be doing something productive, even if that means getting something done three weeks in advance. I will add a bit of a disclaimer: My “free time” is usually anytime between 9-11pm where I lay in bed and play a few (or many) games of solitaire obsessively and then knock out around 11 because I’m a single 47 year old. I mean let’s face it I’m on my second glass of wine and am ready for bed and it’s only 8:51 so there’s that.
Anyway, the way I spend my free time here in Rome depends on what the weather is like and I know that sounds like a “duh” moment but it’s different than how I approach free time at home. For example, if its raining at home I can go to the mall, or go see a movie, or go to a friends house, or sit at home and watch movies, or bake something, or go to the mall… heh. However in Rome, if its raining the last thing I want to do is go shopping or do any great deal of walking as a general rule. The cobblestones here ruin your feet, I mean you get home everyday and are like “oh my Lord, OW.” So pair that with those slippery cobblestones being wet and the unevenness that has been produced over time and you get massive manholes that you could easily drown in, AND your feet hurt. It’s on those days that I go home and get work done (or obsessively play solitaire).
Thankfully, these rainy days don’t happen too often in Rome and many days are fairly mild and sunny. Today was absolutely beautiful but I had a migraine and had to go home before my classes even finished. On a nice day (usually when I have time between class and need to get out of the school) I just walk around. In a city like Rome walking around is much more exciting than it sounds. At this point, I know the general direction of where I am most times, so I can wander and get lost without a problem. With that being said, it’s my favorite thing to do because I have no set plans and usually end up stumbling across something I never would have seen otherwise. It provides a feeling of (undeserved) privilege; sometimes I think “oh the average tourist would never make it over here during their stay.” Many times I find a wonderful panini place or cafè that I haven’t tried before and it’s a lovely surprise. One of the most rewarding feelings is beginning to know the area, and after being at the gallery for almost two months I’ve gotten to know the place pretty well. I can successfully get to work using multiple routes and then decide to explore (or usually head home to bond with my bed) and take a different path. “Just walking” has really given me a sense of the city, the different neighborhoods and solidified that the most interesting and treasured moments are usually off the beaten path.
If you need a more transparent description of how I use my free time, its food hunting, while perusing antique shops I find along the way and grumbling about how people don’t walk on the right side of the sidewalk.
da Roma,
Kat
Let’s begin by discussing the weather here. Last Saturday, being that it was a lovely sunny day, I had decided to sit outside to finish my blog post (this was not the move). I ended up sneezing all day and night and was so congested that I could barely breathe. Now this either developed into a cold or was just a cold to begin with that I interpreted as allergies, but whatever. What I do know is that everything here is just beginning to bud, there are yellow balls of pollen floating like tumbleweeds across the streets and forming fluffy pillows in every street corner. Additionally, the flowered trees have already burst open and the petals have fallen to the ground, very aesthetically pleasing, but not as pleasing for one prone to seasonal allergies. Additionally, rain is kind of hit or miss right now; it’s either drizzling or full on monsoon status. Lastly, during a nice day it reaches between 65-70 degrees but begins to get real chilly once the sun goes down.
This weather wouldn’t be causing such a problem if the city of Rome actually knew what to do during these weather conditions. There is minimal effort to control the pollen takeover (probably because it seems like Italians aren’t phased by it at all) and as soon as it rains, all hell breaks loose and everyone has forgotten how to drive (and I mean worse than usual) get anywhere on time, or bathe (because its raining, right?) …everyone smells. The one thing I can say is that I got a really nice picture of two ducks hanging out during the storm and I just wanted to give ‘em a hug and feed them some bread.
Another issue that I’m encountering is the wonderful bodily function that is perspiration. I have never sweat so much in my life. Now, I’m not someone who sweats much to begin with, in fact its quite the opposite: I’m almost always cold. I can go everyday in the summer wearing cuffed denim and a light sweater or flowy top and almost never wear shorts/tank tops. Long story short, every time I walk somewhere, take the metro or carry anything I get these hot flashes. My entire body flushes with these hot panic attacks and I end up at my destination out of breath and sweating. I’m just going to attribute this to the humidity (which is real even in 60 degree weather) or my disgusting pasta consumption. Either way, gross. YET THESE ROMANS ARE WALKING AROUND IN PARKAS AND SCARVES AND BOOTS AND HATS LIKE ITS SUB-ZERO WEATHER.
I digress, this blog post is entitles “Free time (lol)” so perhaps I should actually talk about that. Free time for someone like me is not necessarily something I use a lot in my every day life. This isn’t to say I don’t have it, but I can never relax enough to utilize my free time. If I’m not in class, working, cleaning or at the gallery I’m usually sleeping. I’m just one of those people who feels like they need to constantly be doing something productive, even if that means getting something done three weeks in advance. I will add a bit of a disclaimer: My “free time” is usually anytime between 9-11pm where I lay in bed and play a few (or many) games of solitaire obsessively and then knock out around 11 because I’m a single 47 year old. I mean let’s face it I’m on my second glass of wine and am ready for bed and it’s only 8:51 so there’s that.
Anyway, the way I spend my free time here in Rome depends on what the weather is like and I know that sounds like a “duh” moment but it’s different than how I approach free time at home. For example, if its raining at home I can go to the mall, or go see a movie, or go to a friends house, or sit at home and watch movies, or bake something, or go to the mall… heh. However in Rome, if its raining the last thing I want to do is go shopping or do any great deal of walking as a general rule. The cobblestones here ruin your feet, I mean you get home everyday and are like “oh my Lord, OW.” So pair that with those slippery cobblestones being wet and the unevenness that has been produced over time and you get massive manholes that you could easily drown in, AND your feet hurt. It’s on those days that I go home and get work done (or obsessively play solitaire).
Thankfully, these rainy days don’t happen too often in Rome and many days are fairly mild and sunny. Today was absolutely beautiful but I had a migraine and had to go home before my classes even finished. On a nice day (usually when I have time between class and need to get out of the school) I just walk around. In a city like Rome walking around is much more exciting than it sounds. At this point, I know the general direction of where I am most times, so I can wander and get lost without a problem. With that being said, it’s my favorite thing to do because I have no set plans and usually end up stumbling across something I never would have seen otherwise. It provides a feeling of (undeserved) privilege; sometimes I think “oh the average tourist would never make it over here during their stay.” Many times I find a wonderful panini place or cafè that I haven’t tried before and it’s a lovely surprise. One of the most rewarding feelings is beginning to know the area, and after being at the gallery for almost two months I’ve gotten to know the place pretty well. I can successfully get to work using multiple routes and then decide to explore (or usually head home to bond with my bed) and take a different path. “Just walking” has really given me a sense of the city, the different neighborhoods and solidified that the most interesting and treasured moments are usually off the beaten path.
If you need a more transparent description of how I use my free time, its food hunting, while perusing antique shops I find along the way and grumbling about how people don’t walk on the right side of the sidewalk.
da Roma,
Kat