Updafe!

Okay, back story to this title: My dear friend Bridget had a little too much to drink one evening and decided to do some facebooking. The result was the following post showing up on one of my other friends walls: "Od, look who updafed there facebooks mr. smalls"

Boy ooooooh boy.

Anyway, now for your updafe!

Classes: I only have two right now, Italian and the Music Workshop. The Music Workshop is just basically a twice-weekly master class-type deal. I'm not too worried or stressed about that, at least I see no reason to be, yet. The first two lectures that we had last week were rather existential, talking about art and music and the similarities therein. It was interesting but my brain tends to shut off after about 45 min of semi-bs like that, and this is a two hour class. Blah.

Italian's alright. I'm in the 200 (intermediate) level. Our instructor is very nice, speaks very clearly so I can understand her. However, she tends to assign homework on topics that we don't cover in class, like, oh, I don't know, assigning two pages of fill-in-the-blanks with prepositions. I. Despise. Propositions. In any language. Another problem, most other people in the class seem pretty apathetic. It's become a Thursday morning tradition to come into class hungover (yes, you read that right, THURSDAY morning), because apparently one of the bars in town is free on Wednesday nights. Right-o then.

Milan: I'm settling in pretty well. My Italian is improving (very....slowly....), although I still need to convince myself to get out more. I've become very familiar with the Centro part of town, but not much else and that doesn't make me happy. I want to know my city. However, right now not having a cell phone is kind of cramping my style. I'd like to be able to contact someone in case I got lost, you know?

As for the city itself, it's kind of a combination of the best parts Chicago, the worst parts of New York, and the street and public transit system of Boston. You have Fratelli Prada stores juxtaposed with piles of dog poop on the sidewalk. Businessmen wearing three-piece designers and silk ties ride motorcycles and mo-peds to work.

Speaking of men, Italian men are CREEPY! STAY THE HELL AWAY!
Seriously, if I had a nickle for every time I've been honked, whistled, stared or otherwise sexually harrassed at in the States, I would have about 5, maybe 10 cents. Here, I would probably have about $5 now. Which, granted, is only 3.52 euros and could maybe buy me a cookie or two, but still! Geez.
Italian men stare. They stare shamelessly. And the only way to make them not stare is to just ignore them. Not only that but they are pushy as hell! They latch onto you and won't. let. you. go. My roommate Kaz, who goes out every night, comes home every morning with, like, nine new boyfriends who are all promising her the world on a string. We're in the second week and she's already sick of it.

Speaking of boys, for those of you who didn't get this news through LJ, there's a now more-than-slight anomaly in my life who hails from Chicago. Wow. Wasn't expecting that.

In other news, I went to Mass today like a good little Jew. In the big fancy church too! How exciting! Actually it was really nice. Relaxing if nothing else. Also a great excuse to just sit in the Duomo and look at the art.

Um, I think that's all for now! Ciao. A presto