Hurry Christmas, Hurry Fast

Break was wonderful, I only had a few short days and let me tell you they were jammed packed and I still didn't get to see everyone I wanted to.  I did get some stuff I really needed done though, I cleared out my closet again, the less stuff I have in general the better.  My opinion is if I can live months at a time without it, or missing it, most likely I don't need it and if I need it later in life I can just buy a new one.  So I need cleaned my room, getting ride of that skirt from middle school I loved and was "waiting to fit into again" (Ha) and those chatchski's that just were collecting dust with no sentimental value.  I felt better leaving my room this time around knowing I had just....  Less.  I did keep all my posters though, I have a couple, ehem, motivational posters from the movie Kick Ass.  I like being reminded each morning I get up that I can do what ever I set my mind to, and that I will kick ass at what ever I so desire to peruse...  the only caveat to that would be directions and maps(fail on all accounts).

The Case of the 24 Hour Layover

I arrived at the Florence airport with no incident.  That morning I packed up the last of my stuff trying to make sure I would have the simplest flight home as possible, ironic I know, but that was my goal.  I had just a small carry on and a small checked in bag.  I always get little butterflies when I travel about everything that could go wrong; is my bag overweight?  Will I have trouble at security?  What about my connecting flight?  What kind of fees will I have to pay for those changes?  What if my seat mate wants to talk the whole time? So I try and come up with contingency plans before I even leave my house (Can you tell I have had traumatic flights before?).

How Do They Fit a Pumpkin in That Little Cup?

Walking around Florence is always such a wondrous activity.  When I sit on a bench watching all the people go by, I like to imagine that everyone is in a complicated dance with each person playing a part.  Somehow everyone always remembers their place spinning and turning, never colliding in a graceful dance of the masses.  This is somewhat helped by my "When I people watch" playlist.  Think folk/rock/indie/bluegrass bands and you will understand the rhythm I give people.  I love giving the world a sound track, so I create playlists based off of how I want to feel or how I do feel such as; "When I am sad", "When I workout", currently "When I feel like a badass" and "When I feel happy" are my top contenders.  These are literally collections of music that  are sorted by mood, as the name implies, literally.   I am super excited also, because I created a "Amurica" playlist with including but not limited to; Party in the USA, Sweet Home Alabama(its sort of close to Connecticut), American Pie, Americano, Flightless Bird American Mouth, Rock in the USA and other gems.

Worn Faces, tired spaces.

Walking around this city, I like to look at all the people passing by, and with each day it becomes easier to detect each type of person.  You can tell by their clothes, how they walk, and how they interact with other people.  Every country has different mannerisms that can be associated with them.  You know who is American and who is not.  Who is Italian and who is not.  And so on.  I think that if you spend enough time watching, you can really see some interesting things about how cultures interact with eachother.

Something that has been bothering me for a while has been the travelers that live on the streets here.  Poverty is nothing new to me or new to the world, and poverty exists in every country.  But what I have been noticing more as I have grown up into adulthood is how poverty is treated. I had very little knowledge of what was going on in the world around me until I left the country and really looked at what was going on.

Thanksgiving #italygirlproblems

I bought a Thanksgiving Parmigiana instead of a chicken 

I once again, hit another hurdle: my first holiday away from my family as a working girl.  I was a little apprehensive as I come from a large, loud family.  My dad is one of eight, and they are all very Irish.  Meaning get together's - even something as simple as a first communion is usually 50+ people.  My mom is Italian - and we all know how that goes down.  40+ people, everyone in the kitchen telling everyone what to do.  This would have been the first Thanksgiving since my great grandmother passes, whose house we usually have dinner at.  I am not going to lie- nostalgia was hitting me like roundhouse to the gut - and that is a little tough to swallow and not show your opponent that you are crying like a little girl.

The farewell

Back in Florence it was like I never left(except for that pile of emails) crazy to think after the whirlwind week of travel and week hanging out with my sis that everyone was just going about their business.  Man, that was a solid trip.  ...  There was mystery, intrigue, adventure, some fake crying and a lot of fun.  It had everything!  I had an amazing time with my baby sis.  I really did.  It was a fantastic trip, and I really appreciate the bonding we got to achieve on this trip.  I can't wait until she comes back next year

That night we went on some reconnaissance shopping and finished up the list of things the girls needed to see in Florence before Anna had to leave on Thursday.

Bagpipes! And Kilts! And Haggis! Oh My!

Let me start off with, I LOVED SCOTLAND.  I loved Scotland so much in fact that I was seriously considering not leaving.  I am sure that work would understand, I mean, what isn't to love about Scotland?  Honestly, I fell in love with the country the instant I stepped off the plane, and it was probably the most difficult place to leave.

Secondly, I was slightly stressed because I wanted this to be an amazing trip for my sister and her friend but I am - well - lets say "directionally challenged"  Maps and I have never gotten all that along.  Our First day we settled into our hostel before going out and exploring, because of the strict liquor laws  in the UK most hostels in the center wouldn't allow under 18's stay in their dorms so we were located a little less central than I would have liked but it wasn't that bad.  We arrived pretty late and ironically the only thing that was open as 2am was - a Mcdonalds.  I shame ate a whopper and fries.  Who am I?  I don't eat McD's.  Period.  I am not going to lie, I did some experimentation in college but who doesn't in college.

It Comes in Pints?

 Yes...  Yes it does....  but more on that later.  I had finally arrived in Ireland.  It was around 6pm by the time I had checked in, and settled.  AND THEN I SAW KELLY!  I was so excited. I didn't let go of her....  Literally we had the most wonderful bear hug since when Robin came home from her semester abroad.  Well actually I didn't let go until dinner.  It was great to hang out with her and her Galway roommies.  It is sincerely fantastic to see people who know who I am and just be myself.  I was on top of the moon.  We sat and chitchatted for a while, our gossip quickly lost interest for the little ones and they ran off to get ice cream.  I find it strange that "little" is 17 I don't feel old, but five minutes ago I was 17 and starting the best summer ever, before I left for Italy.

Home Again

Florence - I mean why not.  I had to show Florence to someone new so it was like I was exploring it all over again through the eyes of someone new!  We first got to Florence late at night, we were tired from all the travel and hauling luggage up hills(that was me) so we collapsed in our apartment and didn't move.  Liz had the time to upload all here pictures, and I had time to look back at all the emails I had missed over the weekend.  I am giving in to any preconceived notions about myself- I am addicted to the internet.  Anyway, Monday I had to be at work, and I worked through Wednesday then Liz and I were going to Scotland with her friend Anna! Monday night after work we walked around the city and looked in all the store windows, Liz decided that she wanted everything as a souvenir, so we had to narrow it down a bit.  What was nice was we got amazing leather jackets together, she got shoes and so on.  It was more nice to just walk around with her and talk.  I missed that so much, we used to be together all the time before I went to college and she went to high school.  It was a great catch up.

Re-united at last in Rome!

Rome - a romantic city full of beautiful monument, wonderful sites and amazing food right?  Wrong.  I have now been to Rome three times, and not to be a downer but it tops my list of worst Italian cities I visited just under Pisola (probably the best- worst getting lost story ever) and Naples.  Now I gave it multiple tries, I did a day trip there with school, I went for four days with my mom and now last weekend, and I think I can safely say, Rome is not for me.  Now I am sure that it could be all fine and well for other people, but here is why I would just be really ok with not going back.

Such Great Heights

A question you may ask yourself about my blog is, why are there music videos in all the posts? Well let me tell you. My plan is to include my song I am listening to/is my favorite/is my new jam when I published each post that way when I look back I can create a playlist that can bring me back to that moment. I am a huge fan of music, and while my list of favorites is diverse (Techno, folk, rave, pop, techno, rock, techno, alternative) I am going to try and make a well rounded playlist that can really bring this year together nicely. 

So this weekend I went on a very interesting trip. I got to see three of Italy most famous foods, and how they are created: Parmigiana cheese, Balsamic de Modena and Prosciutto de Parma.  If I do say so myself it was quiet a gastronomical adventure.  The first stop we did was in Parma to a small cheese factory and I got to see exactly what goes into making Parmigiano cheese, which is surprisingly not alot: milk, whey, salt.  It was really cool.  Basically all true Parmigiano factories are open all year long with no days off because the cows never stop needing to be milked.  The cows are milked each morning and the beginnings of the cheese is made by the afternoon.

So Happy Making

I don't even know where to start.... There is just so much I have to say, and there are so many little off shoots on a main story - like an episode of How I Met Your Mother, just bare with me and you can hear an unbelievable story.

Firstly I was so excited to be going on this trip, Cinque Terre was on my list of places that I really wanted to go to. Cinque Terre for those of you who don't know is a set of five small cities interconnected by a foot path and train system. Cinque Terre literally means "five lands", and is a protected historic land mark by the Italian government. Each Town has its own individual flavor to it, although each four towns are located on the cliff's of the Mediterranean and one town is more inward. Chronologically we went through Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia,Vernazza, and finally Monterosso al Mare. Our hostel was in Riomaggiore, and was by far the best choice of towns to stay in. Riomaggiore is on one end of the chain of towns, so we we able to start our hike and go in one direction for the whole day - although I use "one direction" loosely. The hike was unbelievable tough, but now that you have some idea of what Cinque terre is I will start from the beginning.
So I have work on Fridays and the girls I was traveling with didn't have plans on Friday so I was going to join up later in the day after work. I am not going to lie I was a little nervous taking the train alone, I have had a couple disastrous experiences with taking the train alone , and this would be my first time since my return taking the train. Thankfully this was nothing like the first time, using all my knowledge of trains I had acquired and timetables I was fine!

If I Ever Leave This World Alive

There are many things I could say about the majority of September, but travel was not among those words.  I have been trying to decide life plans and what I am doing with myself, I have work(which is PHENOMENAL by the way) but what else.  I am here in this fantastic city with none of my usual vices: my crafts, sewing machines and the nearest AC Moore is 4014 miles.  Yeah I googled it.  So now what?  I need a project.  Its not that I don't have things that I could do, I am an expert time waster, I in fact have whole folders devoted to the most inane and useless websites you could find.  Its not even like I spend hours on TFLN or postsecret, no these website are much worse.  Alas, I need focus or a direction of my personal life that I have yet to find.  I have very little athletic skill(See hand eye coordination) so joining some sports team here is out of the question, I like baking but baking does no favors for me and thus forces me to run jog awkwardly canter around the city.  My attempts at running have been vividly compared to that of a baby dinosaur and a horse stuck in the mud.  So that rules picking up some kind of cross country.  I bought a basil plant, and aptly named him Phillip, but he is already shedding all his leaves.  I hope he will survive the month I have grown quite fond of him.

Iron and Wine

 Let me start off by saying I have been trying - unsuccessfully - to write this post for some time. This is attempt three, starting from scratch, to get my thoughts on paper.. Er... Internet.
This morning was my adult morning. I sat down with my cup of tea and started doing finances, figuring out budgets and all that stuff. It was an interesting feeling

Saturday, we took a trip to Castello di Verrazzano, Verrazzano means the family of the wild boars of the forest. On the way there I saw two girls, they looked in their late twenties in dresses that I wouldn't wear to Hattaz at 2 am. It was such a juxtaposition, the girls dressed up in their club gear, walking down a country road with one house every five miles. They were hitchhiking their way to who knows where. I was shocked, I didn't know a) that people still hitchhiked and b) that hookers came out in the day. I kinda figured it was like the whole vampire thing, they only come out at night, they sparkle (their shoes, bags, dresses shirts everything is sequins and glitter) and their skin is cold (from standing on the corner all night). It kinda blew my mind to see them out in the day light.

Tangled

On September 7th there is the Festa della Rificolona every year in Piazza Santissima Annunziata which is one of those very Italian festivals and my group was probably most of the only non-native it the square.  The Festa della Rificolona(or festival of lanterns) is a festival created to celebrate the birth of the Virgin Mary although according to my information this festival wasn't a big deal until 1555 when Florence defeated Siena.   It was an amazing site, I wish I had brought my camera (it was tucked neatly in my drawer waiting for me to get it, although to be perfectly honest it doesn't take great night photographs so images wouldn't be as impressive as it actually looked).  This is also known as the Festival of lanterns, there was a woman giving what I expect to be a very moving speech, the whole crowd was mesmerized.  There was families with children, and everyone had lanterns.  Some lanterns had an electronic light in them, some had an actual tea light, some were handmade and some were obviously purchased, but all lanterns were on sticks held above the crowd.  There was one very large replica of the Duomo that obviously took someone a very long time.  They were beautiful, especially all held up on over the heads of the crowd.  There was also children running around with spit ball shooters, trying to hit as many lanterns as they could.  This was a strange event to watch, especially because not only were these spit balls hitting lanterns, they were breaking them by puncturing the cray-paper and in some cases knocking them completely off their support stick.  I did a little research and that tradition has something to do with the schism between the rich and poor.   When this festival was first started the rich patrons were be able to afford lanterns, where as the poor would not, so to try and knock the rich down they would try and destroy their lanterns.  

Everyone gets a day: Mothers, Father's, Bastille's

 I am have so many things to talk about about but very little continuity so I will try and make things interesting but I cannot promise any smooth transitional sentences (*cough* sorry heather).

I am covered in bites, before you your knickers in a twist, no they are not the fun kind.  They are the itchy, hard lumpy kind.  There are these beastly warrior mosquitoes here that give bites the size of quarters and look like raised welts.....  And they are everywhere.  A legitimate question someone asked me was if I had slammed my hand into a door.   I look leprous.  Thankfully my face has been spared, but not much else.

Summer Fires

I am finally moved into my apartment.  It feels like I have been here for forever just because of how crazy things got.  Things are supposed to calm down a lot after the next week, but for now free time is a luxury, when I find it  I do the healthiest thing possible.  Nothing.  My first sight of freedom was last night, my first night in Firenze, I had been running around moving everyone in and had a light lunch and no dinner.  I figured I just would get a light fare and then if there was leftovers I would reheat them for breakfast.  I walked around for a bit just to remind myself of where everything is.  Some stuff I remembered, others looked completely new(although I am sure that 400 year old buildings are put up all the time).  I wandered around for a bit before I ended up in Piazza Signoria and stopped.  The night was dark, it was probably around 9:30, and I decided that I wasn't going any further.  I could have bought a cheap sandwich anywhere, but I just wasn't in the mood to do the whole grab-and-go thing.  So I sat down at the most obvious tourist trap that looked right out at the Palazzo Vecchio with full intentions of ordering dinner.  As soon as I saw the menu I knew that wasn't happening.  It was in Italian with not only English subtitles but pictures.  PICTURES.  Yeah.  I felt ridiculous sitting there, I knew I was better than that.  I felt bad leaving after I sat down, and I was so tired I dont know if I actually had it in me to move anytime soon so I decided to just enjoy a glass of wine.  It was obnoxiously expensive, but that wasn't the point.  I spent two and a half hours drinking my one glass of wine just sitting staring out at the families bustling around, making friends with the waiters, and just decompressing.  It was exactly what I needed.  The view was beautiful, it really reminded me of what I missed about Florence.  My free time and meals are appreciated more when the world is quiet and I just get to sit and enjoy my surroundings.

Steady As She Goes

I passed out.  Between the stress of coordinating three different flights, jet lag, lack of sleep, mild dehydration, lugging about 7 tons of luggage from the airport to the bus.  I was exhausted.  So this morning I set my alarm for six even though I didn’t need to be there to help the kids with breakfast for two hours.  I walked around Tuscania just to orient myself as I was pretty much zoned out when I got to my hotel the first time, fell asleep and was still a little asleep when we walked to dinner.  It was necessary to figure out where everything was.  At 6:30 am the town was quiet, although it is generally a quiet place, it has that feeling of restfulness about it.   The doors are crowned with creeping vines, and the stone is old and worn, the place has a old world feel to it.  A lot of Tuscania’s architecture and buildings are made out of volcanic stone, which were built around the time of the roman empire(over the Etruscan tombs).  Some parts were restored after an earthquake destroyed a good section of Rome and its surrounding areas.    

After these messages we’ll be riiiighht back

Ok.  Remember when I said “so long as I have my credit card, my few important items and my passport everything else can be replaced?”  Yeah.  Don’t ever say that again.  In fact I should know better than to say such blasphemous things aloud – you know my track record with saying stupid, stupid things aloud (and if you don’t, ask me about shooting stars and maybe I will tell you).   Today was a long day and I am not going to go into details (because, well I am exhausted and can’t keep my eyes open) but I will give you small details.  There were missed connections, overweight luggage, bad lightning storms, very invasive TSA security checks, flight cancellations and flight re-booking, but all the madness was dealt with aplomb (until the very end).  Long story short I  am now in Tuscany with only my carry-on.  I have a change of clothes, and my laptop, passport, various sundries and three pairs of shoes.  Go figure, I would put several pairs of shoes in my carry-on, the one thing I can’t actually buy in Italy... Go me!  I would almost say that bad packing saved me.  Almost.   

Silver lining – we are all here in Italy, whole happy and ready to fight the day….  Or eat dinner…..  Whichever comes first.  Probably dinner.  Viva Italia. 

Pop Princess

So I sit here, poised on the edge not yet leaving but still caught in-between.  I packed up my room the best I could (that is to say I shoved everything into the closet), made a lunch for the train and now I sit… and wait.  This is it.  The moment of truth has come.  The last time I was leaving for Italy I didn’t actually get nerves until I saw the JFK terminal off in the distance with hundreds of planes taking off and landing.  When I told my mom and dad I was nervous they said the flight would take less time than the traffic to get home so I should just get on the plane.   So this is it.  I am just going to get on the train.  Nothing will get in the way of Crossing the first threshold………

It's The Final Countdown

And so it begins -  my final hours before take off.  I have my rain boots tucked safely away, piles of individual packets of powdered Snapple and my bear (who I am unashamed to say has been to as many countries as I have) in my carry on.  Now if only my luggage would zip closed I would be golden.  The day has been crazy, I felt like was being stretched into a million different places trying to finish the long list of things I needed to get done.  Somehow I miraculously managed it because here I am sitting in my parents office typing away, as the house sleeps.

I came back yesterday to find all my plants had shot up over the past two weeks.  The morning glories took over - climbing on; the trees, the fence and the porch making a raucous mess.  My brother and sister where off enjoying their summers as kids should be and my mom took me to find shoes, and my dad and I finished the banking.  I deferred my phone, it was the only way to preserve my number but not pay to have a phone I would never use.  What that means is they freeze the number, I cant tell if I am relieved I don't have a phone or going through withdrawl of legitimately not having a phone any more.  I can handle not being on Facebook or my email for long periods of time( I may not like it but I can do it) but my phone is another story.  My mom didn't understand why I made such a fuss about keeping my number - she was voting to just delete it and get a new one when I came back.  Some part of me just couldn't let go, I can still delete it later if I so choose but for now my phone lies dormant surrounded by all the other things that didn't make the cut.  It looks a little like the island of misfit toys- I am sorry Buddha mug and shirt that I bought in the 5th grade its not that I don't love you but there is only so much room in my bag and I can't bring everything. 

Totally Necessary and Important Tangent:
I sometimes wonder how younger generations will deal with power outages without their phones or facebook or constant connection to their networks?  Not to go all Into The Wild or Armageddon on you but I am pretty sure that need be I could survive on my own for a while.  I would get lost as hell and never find my way back to anything and most likely eat something that (while harmless to most people) would end up killing me.  But for that one glorious week - I would survive like a champ. I am not so sure as to how these kids would do without power - because for all their life problems their is an App to solve them.  I digress, this is not a social commentary but the ramblings of a girl who had far too much coffee and went a little overboard on shoes.  I swear I never thought I would be that girl but show me a pair of Carlos Santana's and I melt like a Popsicle in July.  

Annnddd moving on.  Tomorrow should be interesting I am taking the train to DC which should take just over five hours, not the longest train I have ever taken but it is the longest train I am doing by myself.  I am bringing with me the card game Phase Ten and peanut butter.  This will be my go-to solution to any homesick crisis that may confront me.  A kid come crying to me about missing their parents and wanting to go home - I make them a PB&J, play some cards and have just chat with them.  Boom.  Done.
 
I know I am going to forget something so long as I have my passport and my credit card I am not going to worry about anything.  I find that thinking like that helps to have a calm flight and a relax traveling experience.

The Importance Family

My parents raised me knowing the importance of family, they believed that to be a fundamental building block to our character.  Family come first.  Friends come and go but your family comes forever.  If you donate to charities - first makes sure your family is ok - then you share with others (that is if you have a cousin who is homeless you find ways to help that cousin first before you donate to a charity).  Those and many other ways of thinking, are now just second nature to me.  I didn't realize until later in life that other family's don't operate how our family operates.  When our elderly is sick or in need - we hire in home nurses and have family move in or move them in with family.  We don't farm out the old to nursing homes.  Its just not done.  There is a deep respect for the history and life that was lived. 

I had dinner with my aunt my last weekend in Poughkeepsie, and she told me wonderful stories about my dad as a kid, and how she had watched all of us grow up - and how she grew up.  Before dinner was over she made me promise that I would be back for holidays, and to keep everyone updated.  She also gave me a piece of my grandmothers jewelry to remind me that family is always close by and that there will always be someone watching over me. 


So why should I ramble on about family for a paragraph - what does family and respect for family have to do with travel?  Travel and adventure may be about leaving everything you know and love - but its the family who supports who pushes you out of the nest to fly on your own wings for the first time - that makes coming home so sweet.

A Girl of Many Names

Over the years I have had many nicknames and as I changed they have change- or maybe I just grew into different nicknames.

My dad called me Baby Doll because he thought I looked like a doll when I was a born.

As a kid my grandfather called me stretch or green-bean, because I was constantly growing and looked like someone took me and stretched me out.  

In high school I would buy a corn muffin every single morning for breakfast so my friends called me Muffin Queen

In college my one of my BFFL/housemate Heather (fondly known as Eather) saw me across the green and called out for Hoolianne.  This was because she had just watched Romeo and Juliet and the Maid called for Juliet across a field (and pronounced it Hoooliettt).  And thus a legend was born.   

When I hangout with my cousin in New York everyone calls me Connecticut because...  Well because that's where I am from.

Throughout my life I can pinpoint traits that have remained constant, and traits that have changed.  My dad's and my favorite story to recant is when I was two and had just mastered the art of walking.  He used to joke that I went from crawling to running and skipped the walking around phase.  He would take me to the mall where I would full on run around the mall as fast as my little legs would take me, and he could just walk next to me seeing as he was a tall grownup.  He said that I would run, stop,  look to at a widow that caught my eyes then keep running.  My mom used to say it was a miracle that she didn't lose me because I would be standing next to her one second and bolting off the next second without another word.  It wasn't that I would try and ditch her or anyone else - I am just curious and what I wanted to see  might not be there later.  She attempted to use a child leash to keep track of me but I got out of it so fast that it was useless.  Honestly - not much has changed since then(except I am taller now and can talk about what I see).  I am always running off somewhere to see something, those are the times when I am truly happy.  Sometimes what I see are what people categorize as fantastic sights like the Grand Canyon or the canals of Venice, and sometimes they are things like a street light or the way a set of trees look like out my window.  There are so many beautiful things to see in this world, sometimes it feels like people take for granted the natural beauty that is in their surroundings be it urban, suburban or rural.  

There is so much to see and do, and I just want to do it all.  Realistically, I know that I can't possibly do everything - but that will never stop me from trying.  Every opportunity I find to do something new I try and take.  This weekend I learned how to salsa and it was fantastic.  This type of adventurism helped me to go to Vegas by myself where I made friends with a band from California, talked to a woman with a B.A who turned to stripping because she couldn't pay her bills, and hung out with a new set of people each night.  I had a great time.  I may not have a defined plan of where I want to be in 5 years(or even know what I am doing next month) but I know that I am going to meet good people and see amazing things where ever I am.  I hit the ground running and never stopped.  

A Change of Scenery

Summer:

Its been such a whirlwind I haven't been able to think straight everything happened so fast I can't believe its almost over.  As I suspected at the beginning working 5 days a week with a rotating schedule, having graduation parties to attend, family events, and what ended up being a whole lot less time to sleep than I ever had to deal with (and I was a college student on the crew team) - my travels through CT were put on hold.  although I did visit more places than I blogged about whoops.  I had much less free time than I anticipated.

I did see so many things during my brief travels and definitely learned a lot about myself and Connecticut.  The main point that was really emphasized by not only the people I spoke to but also the culture of many towns was the importance of tradition and family.  When I boil down everything I heard from people around our great state family and tradition was the overwhelming sentiment.  Someday I think it would be a great project to pick up again as it was so interesting, a lot more interesting than I thought it was going to be!  There are so many hidden gems in Connecticut than people give it credit for(myself included) and it can be extremely easy to discount as boring if you don't know where to look.

What: working in retail, visiting friends and living with my family this summer taught me was to have courage in my convictions and to be more confident in my decisions.  I made some friends, had some laughs and learned some new tricks.  Month's ago I used to joke that I wasn't going to leave college without a fight, I was actually at peace after I got settled back at home.  My School is just a bunch of buildings, but the college experience I loved and will miss is college; that is doing Teach-For-America in Newark, that is going to India for a year to study women in Rugby, that is going to Ireland to be a screen writer, that is working in the Manhattan, and the other million and one people doing amazing things.  That is what I will miss, and as I learned this summer- that college wont end just because we aren't living together in that physical place any more.

Fast forward two months of working long hours, seeing people every other weekend, and a sudden realization of my love of Iron and Wine and you arrive at the end of July.    

Thursday July 28th - I get a call offering me the job to be the RD in Florence

Tuesday August 2nd - I move into campus housing 

Sunday August 21st - I will fly out to Florence 

So in the span of four days I packed up my entire room, got my finances in order and went back to school for
training.  I lugged all my suitcases up one flight of stairs which was enough for me reconsider every single item I packed, there is no way I need all of those clothes!  Especially if I am going to not only have to lug them on a 5 hour train ride, through the airport, connecting flight, and up six flights of stairs.  No way Jose.  I tell anyone who asks about traveling is to pack light, you need a lot less than you think you do!  Only, I didn't take my own advise.  Everyone re-wears clothes when they travel and you can always buy clothes there.  However my logic in the extraordinary amount of things I packed (two of the largest suitcases I could find in JCPenny, a rolling carry on, side bag and purse all packed to the brim) is that.... and how do I put this delicately.....  I am not of average size.  I have on occasion (in jest of course) been compared to an Ent (a mystical tree in the book series Lord of the Rings) for my contemplative nature and tall stature.  They don't exactly carry Ent-sized clothing in European stores as the average size woman I overshot by 8 inches before my freshman year of college.  My choices are very limited when I comes to replacing the simple things like shoes, and pants which most people don't think of as difficult items to buy - I may just have to develop a stronger friendship with the mail-room than I ever anticipated.  As for now though I feel like I have everything packed and ready for blast off at the end of August.  

Foods I am packing:

Diet Snapple Peach Ice Tea

Peanut Butter

VitaCraves    

Music I am listening to:

Mika - Kick Ass

Radar Brothers - Horses Warriors 

Labrinth - Let The Sun Shine  

Hamden CT

Statistics (*source):
Approximate population: 56,913
Median age: 37.7
Number of occupied housing units:  22,408
Average cost of a house: $139,700
Average household income: $52,351 (just over $10,000 of the national average)


Originally when I left the house I had Yale University in New Haven as my destination, but I didn't actually end up there, even with my GPS.  I was driving through New Haven and didn't know where to park or even what to see, and ended up driving straight through by accident.  I was frantically thinking up a new plan as I continued driving, passing the city completely and ending up in a more suburban looking area and was terribly lost as my GPS lost service.  And that should be a lesson to you kids who have never used an actual map before - technology is not god - it isn't an instant solution for everything, sometimes you just need an atlas an a compass to get where you need to go....  Although paper maps tend to thwart all my good intentions.  All of a sudden I saw the strangest sight: a silver oblong shaped building in the middle of a big grassy field.  The juxtaposition of the bright shiny silver building against the soft wildflowers was just so out of place, I turned down the nearest side street to park and investigate.  The whole area looked to be devoid of life but that seemed to be a temporary issue because latter as I was leaving a few big truck started to enter the compound.  Surrounding the building on four sides was a public park, and the building its self was protected by a very tall, black metal fence.  I soon discovered (or think I discovered) through deductive reasoning that it was some kind of learning facility as there was a bus parked inside the gated parking lot.  The whole area had this unkempt beauty the field was in its untamed patches of tall grasses, the ducks chatting away in a small pond and its over abundance of wildflowers.  It really captured my imagination, and I didn't want to leave but I had an agenda and I couldn't stop at only one thing.  As I walked down a different path to reach the road I saw that from the front the building was literally shaped like a light bulb and the front end was all glass!  I may have had a giggle fit for a couple minutes once I calmed down I scurried across the road to see the Eli Whitney Museum.  That building was very different from anything I had ever seen and I think it would be so neat to see it lit up at night.

Across the street was The Eli Whitney Museum, which is a great place for little kids to go to to learn and do activities.  My mother used to take my siblings and I there a couple times when we where kids and I just couldn't believe I stumbled upon it by accident!  It was such a trip walking through the building remembering all the projects I did there.  The museum its self is comprised of a small house with three spacious rooms, two are set aside specifically for group activities allowing kids to be as messy as their little hearts desire and then one very oblong room is for very tactile and interesting displays.  The museum was definitively designed to be fun for kids and allow they to play and learn simulations.  Outside  the house are carved wooden benches for parents to sit on, cute little learning tools and little things for the kids to play with.  The outside area was just as adorable as in the inside, there was even an adirondack chair that could have fit a giant!  I wandered out to behind the museum and saw there was is a state park and a waterfall, I think that maybe in the fall I may go hiking there.  Most things there didn't really spark my interest as they were really geared towards the 12 and under crowd.  However, this museum marks the beginning of a key aspect to the whole town of Hamden, Eli Whitney.  Eli Whitney went to Yale college in New Haven, and lived in Hamden.  He invented the cotton gin and basically revolutionizing how cotton was processed, and gave a serious edge to manufacturing processes.  He didn't make as much money from his cotton gin as he should have because other farmers saw how his machine worked and would make their own, and as patent infringement wasn't that big of a deal then there was very little he could do.  He also invented the concept of interchangeable parts, changing how guns were manufactured, allowing them to be created with separate pieces that are put together, instead of just having one gigantic and extremely difficult mold.  His ideas and inventions themselves really contributed to how we manufacture goods and because of that a lot of places in Hamden are named after him.   He brought a lot of attention to little Hamden, therefore knowing this fact I was not surprised as I drove through Hamden to find; Whitney road, Eli's Garden Chinese food, Whitney Farms, Eli Whitney's Tavern, Whitney Bank, Eli's Best doughnuts, and so on and so forth.  This showed me a group of businesses that remember their past and this ideal is something that is echoed throughout the town.

After I walked around for a bit, got back on Whitney Road silently cursing the fact that it was pouring, until I spotted a coffee named Books & Co and immediately parked around the corner.  It was everything that Borders and Starbucks wanted to be and more.  The store was founded in 1995 and is a great little treasure tucked in the Hamden landscape.  The store had books for sale (but you really didn't have to buy them) people could come buy a cup of coffee from their coffee bar(a legitimate bar, which I would like to note sold soy milk!).    They also had hand-made jewelry all over the store, souvenir buttons, and old comfy couches to lounge in.  If someone was to just glance a the front they might just drive on by thinking it was just a book store, that only had old and outdated things, and they would be oh so wrong.  The whole building just felt loved, like a favorite book, it had been read over and over again and enjoyed so many times, but had been taken care of.  This was a common theme I noticed in a lot of the places I visited, they weren't flashy and new with chrome, digital everything and the attitude to go along with that.  Hamden, had been there for a while, and people were proud of that.  They didn't need that glitz and glam, they have tradition and the honor that goes along with that as well as the buildings that their grandparents built.  This was an amazing site and the history that I learned was just amazing. I think Hamden is a great place to visit, if you don't slow down to take the time to learn about you might just pass it by.

The next place I stopped was Lucian's Florist and Greenhouse, I was driving down the road looking for the next place to stop when I saw a sign saying I could rent flowers!  What?!  I had never heard of something like that!  So I pulled over with no real solid plan of what to even say, so I just told the owner exactly what I was doing.  He seemed thrilled with my blog and said that my generation should be doing things like this.  We ended up talking for over an hour!  I expected to just a few key facts about his business and what he loved about his town and state, but he really went in depth about his company and all the wonderful things Hamden had to offer and it was truly an inspiring visit.  Lucian told me a little of his story - he grew up right here in Hamden and went off to pave his path in NYC as an actor, after a few years he got tired of the city and moved back to Hamden around the mid-seventies.  Once back he took a part time job in a floral shop, something he never imagined himself ever getting into but the flower business was booming and he saw an opportunity.  He eventually took over the business and has been running it ever since.  The shop itself is converted two floor home, that has the flowers on the first floor and antiques on the second.  He told me there is a very strong theater presence in the surrounding area, international festivals and summer concerts.

Next I pulled into an old converted car hop called glenwood  It had this real old school vibe with the pastel benches, and sets of old couples spread out around the regionally acclaimed eatery (named one of the top ten hod dogs in CT).  During the summer there is an only car show every Wednesday (except when its raining....  which it was) where locals bring their classic automobiles and people hangout talking shop.  One of the managers who had been working there for 20 years told me that he loved working there so much because everyday you meet new people, but at the same time there are also regulars who come in.  A mix of friendly familiarity and new things to see each day, because everybody's got a story to tell if you listen.  There have been a few movies that were filmed in their restaurant and a documentary.  Sharing the building is the owner's sisters business kellys kone konnection, Kelly started a homemade ice-cream shop, which ended up being so successful that Friendlies moved their adjacent business elsewhere.

I probably didnt even make it down the road 500 feet before I hit another treasure - Whitney's Donut Shop a little restaurant that is tucked in a little off the side of the road, so if you drove too quickly you might miss it.   They have amazing sandwiches, which are made onsite, and obviously a wide variety of donuts.  When I sat down it was that awkward time of just long enough after lunch that nobody was eating that but too soon for dinner.  But I was told, there is a hug fan base of regulars who come every morning for coffee and donuts.  The shop had been started two generations ago, and is still run by the same family.  The daughter of the owner told me something that, a week later I still find rolling arround my head 'nothing here is just going to come to you.  You have to go out and find it'.  I think that  

I drove down the Whitney Ave feeling satisfied and excited (with a very promising looking red velvet cupcake riding shotgun) when horrors of all horrors my gas light started blinking.  I was a little nervous as I had been driving for a while and didn't remember passing any gas stations, and how was I going to find one as I was very lost.  Personally, it didnt matter all that much that I was lost as I had the day off and this was my only mission, but wandering does not lend itself to find specific items like gas stations.  Thankfully I just happened to be a block down from a gas station and I pulled right in.  The first thing I noticed about Keating Brothers Motors was their old fashion sign, I'm not even sure its the kind the lights up.  The second thing I noticed when I turned was that there was no slot for my credit card at the pump.  For a second I thought maybe they were decoration or not operational and no one had bothered to take them out - but that idea was defunct as quickly as it came when I saw the price was consistent with what I paid last week for gas.  Before I had time to do anything else, a kind old man came to my car and pumped my gas, the station was a full service station (and the only one in town to do that)

I walked right across the street to Rainbow Cleaners, a second generation dry cleaning business, started by two brothers.  One brother, signed up as soon as he was of age to help fight in WWII, and was shipped off to Europe.  When he returned, he started by going to engineering school as a way to pay for expenses he started working as a delivery boy for a dry cleaner service.  Around 1950 he bought out Sun Dry with his brother and they formed Rainbow Cleaners with two locations - each one run by a brother.  An interesting note is that this dry cleaners has a labor union because Sun Dry had already had a union in place when they bought the business they also bought the union.  The business has made it through many turbulent times and outlived many of other dry cleaning businesses, the daughter Karen of the founder(who I believe to be the new owner) attributes their success to the quality of their work.  Their business has been arround for 61 years, they have a quality staff and a relationship with their community, and they had been doing dry cleaning since they were teenagers.  "To be able to press a silk dress...." Karen told me "...is an art. not a skill.  To have to ability to get a stain out of that dress is something to be proud of.".  Karen loves Hamden, she also works as a teacher for the high school "kids tell me all the time there is nothing to do and they can't wait to leave.", but she tells them "there is a diverse array of things to do and New Haven isn't that far away if you wanted a taste of the city".  I'm sure that once they see how nice Hamden really is they will be back.... From everything I have hear, most people do go back.

From all the people I have talked to today I think that Hamden has grown tremendously since the seventies, and is now somewhat considered a college town with Quinnipiac rapidly growing and drawing in more kids to the town.  The town its self has grown larger and has moved from more of a small town feel where everybody knows everybody to a more suburban vibe - where you know some but don't recognize everyone in your town.  But one fact was consistent - Hamden was a place where people took care of their own.  From local business owners collaborating on product orders to community yoga classes- there was a deep respect for Hamden and people who were from Hamden.   Hamden is a place filled with history and tradition where people eat at the same restaurant that their grandmother ate at.  I felt comfortable talking with these people I didn't even know, and they really made me feel welcome in a place I had never really seen.  Hamden was a treasure trove of little shops that were family owned for generations like a hardware store that had been on Whitney ave since the 30's(which I really wanted to visit, but ran out of time).  The roots in Hamden ran deep and they ran strong - it seemed like a great community with a lot to offer.

The Spirit of Adventure is a Four Door Nissan

Notes: I was really nervous about starting this blog for many reasons: I was worried that I wouldn't be able to do everything I set out to do, I would get busy and forget, I would lose interest and end up ditching the project but after today a lot of those fears have been squashed.  I know now that all I need is a little can-do attitude, a travel mug filled with coffee and some elbow grease and this project can become a reality.

Today was my first trip, I woke up worried about everything you could imagine: that the project was too big, that I would never accomplish what I set out to do, that I would be disappointed that I really couldn't find anything and finally that I would disappoint myself.  I know that the first step is always the hardest, just like the first sentence of an essay, dictating the tone of your whole entire project.  I dove right in with only one address in my GPS knowing that if I just went for it I would figure out everything else later(I always do).  I left the house ready for what ever the day would bring me, knowing that just leaving the house was an accomplishment.  With no one but my GPS for company I drove away with trepidation and a little John Meyer.  

I had some wonderful realizations that really helped me to hone in on what I want to accomplish and who I want to talk to when I visit these towns.  I came to realize when in doubt ALWAYS pack a rain jacket(which thankfully I did).  I realized that I cannot feasibility see everything that each town I visit has to offer, I can only really see a few attractions to get a feel of a town, it would be impossible to see everything.  So I narrowed my project and expectations down.  Originally I set my limit of cities to 100 now its 60, I figured that 60 would be reasonable and very doable to accomplish.  Seeing as how I also having a full time job and occasionally need to see my family to remind them yes I am alive and not to turn my bedroom into a weight room.  I also need to make sure I visit a wide variety of towns so I am not just limiting myself to towns that are closer to me in the south so the plan is to go to the far north corner on Saturday.

I made another realization last night, as I was driving home from work, most people in Connecticut(and towns too!) shut down relatively early compared to what I was used to in New York.  I coasted down all the hills home seeing maybe five cars on the road and it was only 11:30 pm!  If I actually want to talk to people and see attractions I am going to have to leave in the morning and probably be home around 7pm(after all the shops close).  Unless I have somewhere else to stay or there is a nightlife scene that I really wanted to check out.  Logistically I am going to have to figure out how I could see this type of night life if I have to drive home (for up to three hours) at 1am, and still be up the next day at a reasonable hour.  I guess I can work that our later.  The other concern I need to address is cost, what with gas and meals. Food is a big part of culture that I don't want to miss out on because of my small budget, so I need to discover how to really experience these cultures without breaking the bank.  I will get back to you when I figure that one out. 

I am going to set up a slide show of all the pictures I take (hopefully by the end of the week) so that each post has a slide show of the day.   I am also going to creating a running external list of the names, addresses and information of the places I visited that way is anyone else wants to visit these places they can find them but at the same time my blog wont get clogged up with superfluous information and messy data everywhere.  I will edit this later to include the links for easy access.(my full list can be found here) 

Connecticut - The Final Frontier?

INTRODUCTION:
A great book always has some sort of introduction, a clue to the reader to show them what the book will be about.  My mood determines how many page I will read before I either deem it to be a worthy foe or to discard for other endeavors.  There needs to be a connection that will get me to continue reading something, my blog has to work the same way.  I need something that will intrigue you enough to read on, but at the same time be something that actually means something to myself and isn't just an outpouring of words.  I made this blog for me, so what I write has to be interesting enough that someday I can look back and go through my posts and not click away to another page because I'm bored.  This blog will test my determination and will power to see this project through to the end.

WHO I AM:
So here I am(see left),  I like piña colada's and getting caught in the rain.  No really, coconuts remind me of summer (they smell so lovely) and I go jogging in the rain.  The runs are great and the rain definitely cools me off but my Ipod on the other hand is not pleased with this life choice.  I went to a nice private school in New York and loved every minute of it.  I stayed at school every chance I could get - working there over breaks, staying till the latest possible moment and going back as soon as I was allowed to go back to campus.  Now I am newly graduated college student, right on the edge of adulthood, and with enough debt to make me cringe at the sight of my interest payments not to mention principle payments.   I am a huge fan of travel, but with my student loans and private loans that I took out to graduate college there has never been alot of room for frills or extras.  So I needed to discover a way to satisfy my penchant for travel without having panic attacks at the sight of my savings account everyday. 


WHY AM I STARTING A BLOG:
My idea was one that came out of a simple concept: Connecticut is boring.  I was told my whole life that Connecticut was a place where people moved to raise their kids and in addition to that Connecticut didn't have a true identity of its own (being that it can be considered just a mash-up of  New York and Massachusetts).


I was very blessed when I graduated this past May (2011) with a solid job offer that included: full benefits, a great starting salary, and with opportunity for growth that was a fortunate find in a rocky job market.  There was just one stipulation to my accepting this job: I would have to stay in Connecticut.  I came to realize that I had a challenge in front of me: could I be happy living in Connecticut and could I find enough things to keep me occupied?  I grew up knowing there was better things out there to do than summer camp and Field-Hockey practice after high school.  I swore I would never live in Connecticut when I was older but was that only because I didn't appreciate my surroundings?   I could either: spend my time in Connecticut alone and miserable that all my friends moved away (and I was back to living with my parents) or I could spend my time finding out what Connecticut really had to offer and find new ways to get involved with my community (the same way I did in college).  I chose to embrace Connecticut for all that it was worth. 


THE PLAN:
Here is my mission: I have one year to figure out what Connecticut is really about.  The question being asked is: is there really nothing to do to do in Connecticut or have I been looking in all the wrong places.  I am going to really explore all that Connecticut has to offer by visiting at least one town a week (by goal is no less than 60 cities/towns/townships/etc.) taking a picture at the 'welcome sign' to each town, visiting at least one restaurant that the town is known for, any museums or landmarks it may have and then deeming whether it was worth traveling to go see.  After the year is up, I will determine whether or not Connecticut is in fact the most uneventful boring state or if I just couldn't see what I had.

Visiting Log Full List

Hamden


The Eli Whitney Museum
915 Whitney Avenue
Hamden, CT 06517
http://www.eliwhitney.org/


Books & Company 
1235 Whitney Avenue 
Hamden, CT 06517
203-248-9449 


Lucian's Florist & Greenhouse
2468 Whitney Avenue
Hamden, CT 06518
(203) 248-6970


Whitney Donut Shop
2574 Whitney Ave
Hamden CT 06518
(203) 248-9095


Rainbow Dry Cleaners 
2600 Whitney Avenue
Hamden CT 06518


Bread And Chocolate 
2457 Whitney Ave
Hamden CT 06518


Kelly's Kone Konnection

2538 Whitney Ave (next to Glenwood)
Hamden, CT 06518

(203)-287-0872

Glenwood Drive In 

2538 Whitney Avenue

Hamden, CT 06518-3032
(203) 281-0604

Mystic