The Chestnut King

On Sunday I was heading out to this small town outside of Florence.  This town is so small that is not even on Google Maps unless you know to look for it.  In Marridi I would find a pretty famous and highly popular Chestnut festival (otherwise know as: Castagne di Marroni).

However my story doesn't begin truly until I reached the S.M.Novella train station and bought my train ticket.   It was 20 to 11 and I figured I had time to settle myself on the train, set up my sketch pad, pull out my almonds for a nice train snack (clean, requires no additional steps other than eat, and quiet) and watch as I go through the Tuscan hills.  Oh boy was I wrong.

The Bologna Special

I'm sitting in my kitchen eating zucchini (just zucchini) out of a bowl disproportionally large to its contents, and drinking ice tea out of a wine glass.  Somehow in my mind this makes sense for a Monday night. Thinking back to the strange weekend I just had....  Somewhere down the line it probably did.  Lets start off with Saturday morning, I wish I could say I was bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to take on the day.  In reality, I was having an epic battle within myself as to which idea sounded better: staying in my plush down bed all morning with a cup of tea and not a care in the world? Or would I make the great trek out to Bologna like I had been planning all week.  I am ashamed to say the bed came so close to winning.  Closer than I would like to admit.  So with great regret, and mild disgruntlement I made my way to the train station at 7am with what was promising to be an interesting day.

Sea Glass

So I sit musing.  I have been here for just under 50 days but time seems to be passing differently.  The moments drag as if they will never end but the days fly by faster than I can keep track.  I have been here for forever but haven't finished a week.  I think back to August when I was packing up my room.  Each time I returned cleaning out more of the the dark corners filled with childhood dreams and high school wishes.  I discovered a small wooden box from when I was really young, in which are rocks.  Not sparkly, not shiny, not colorful or bright, nothing too special except that they are smooth a worn until all the edges had been removed.  Mixed in with the rocks, that I had treasured and saved from pre-ten-years-old times, was a blue piece of sea glass.  It was actually intriguing and truly wonderful to find this little treasure chest I had left for myself.  Of all the things that I would save over the years; favorite toys, my barbie doll collection, music posters, projects or papers, I saved a small tin of ordinary stones and a small piece of ordinary sea glass.

They Can Take Your Money, But They Can't Take Your Attitude

Paris was such an unexpected adventure.  I left with the intentions of only staying two days at a friends flat and ended up staying for four!  I have had many a crazy travel shenanigan in my day but nothing compared to what this past weekend had in store for me.  It all started in India where I met Solen(see   India Part I), we had such a fab time on our trip and hanging out we both invited each other to visit any time.  So my first free weekend I booked a trip out to Paris to visit!  I planned a short stay friday night through Sunday afternoon, just expecting Solen to show me a couple thing but thinking I would be trekking out on my own for the most part.  I was so wrong, not only did she show me around, introduce me to the locals and show me the inner workings of Paris but when tragic circumstances struck she saved my life quite literally.  My trip was mind blowing and I owe it to Solen for showing me all that she did.  

American Dream

Docks, Stars and Horseshoes

I sit on the docks looking out at the slowly setting sun.  I try and focus, just me and my music.  But around me are so many people trying to do the same thing: watch the sunset in peace.  Why can't I watch the sunset in peace?  My foot start tapping, my fingers drumming to the beat of an off beaten tune.    I do the thing everyone does when they watch a sunset, I think  I think hard.  I think softly.  I think far.  I think near.  Splashing the Hudson waters with my feet I think about where I was and where I am.  What defines me?  When am I truly happy?  For right now, I am truly happy on this dock, right here, right now, isn't that enough?

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost

Warriors Jeans

Over winter break I had "superhero week".  Each night I would watch a new super hero movie: Batman the dark night, Iron Man II, Kick Ass, Captain America, Green Lantern,  Thor and Superman Returns.  Ohhh it was a great week.   This Super Hero Marathon week (now going to be an annual event for the second week in January) got me thinking.  It was not the straightest of lines, but bear with me. I like to think all the concepts connect.

India: How to spot a fake.

It has been so long since I have even had time to look at myblog... To be honest, I had so much come up in the past two months...Wow, its been two months since I got back from India... I didn't realizethat until now. Anyway, so much has happened that I haven't had sparetime to spend on my computer, or even reliable internet to write it with. I guess that's a good sign, that life is so busy that you don'thave time to sit and think about it.

Its going to be a challenge but now I am going to go back and tryand write about my experiences in India, although some of the colors and smellshave faded, I hope I don't miss the important parts.

The cow had better makeup than us

India: How to survive a rickshaw

 I awoke, early the next morning (day two) feeling bruised and like I had taken a turn in a washing machine on high...  I would soon learn, that the feeling would be a reoccurring event each morning.     We arose extra early to try and watch the sunrise over the Taj Mehal.   By the time we had walked over to the Taj, the sun had already risen and there was a considerable line.  There were four different lines to get in to seethe monument: Indian Men, Men, Indian Women, Women with seperate prices for each group.  I'll leave you to your own emotions on that on, but we had gotten half way through the line when we realized, they didn't sell tickets.  Robin ran back to one of the shop owners who had tried to corral us into buying something from him, and somehow convinced him to take her on his moped to buy tickets and that we would stop in after our trip inside.

India: Part I - Epic Pizza Delivery

As I sit in my room in Florence, I think back to how all the events unfolded to create my trip to India.  Where do I even start?  Do I start in September when Robin Joking mention me visiting?  DO I start with crazy visits and running around New York with my mom and sister?  Or does the adventure really start when I get off the plane.  I believe that adventure is in the eyes of the beholder.  I had cleaned out my fridge, picked up such essentials as pro-biotics, a multitude of drugs, a new bag that I wouldn't mind sacrificing to India and other such wonderful trinkets.  The one thing I did pick up was some good old fashioned Italian Pizza.  I was ready to go.

Fresh to Death

We had to run.  No matter how early we ever try to leave for the train it always seems like I am running for a train.   Fortunetly, we did make it just in time with some tag teaming, one person parking and one getting the tickets, but we made it on the train which was the important part.  Anyway, every seat was full, of course, so we walked down the train until we found three seats in a car.  I sat down next to what was I later figured out was two girls pre-raging for their birthday, on the 12 pm train into Manhattan.  Now, I have absolutely nothing against day drinking, and I really can nothing bad about day drinking in strange places (the weirder the better), but Budlight lime?  Really?  That's where I draw the line.  Have some class ladies.