Papers

I just finished my HIST 301 (that's Art and Architecture for those who are counting). It is now 3:15. I have sent the dreadful thing (it only took me all afternoon to finally get it all on digital paper) to the Bakers' wife, and now I can sleep.

ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Stress

If the amount of sleep you get because of juggling things, trying to fit everything into your daily life, is the measure of the effort put in, than I'm probably the most laid back person on this Rome campus. I try to get as much sleep as I can. When studying, if I start dozing off for periods of at least 10 minutes while reading my notes, which, although they are extremely boring, are rather simple and straight to the point, if you're into that thing. If you go to Christendom, you must have at least seventeen metaphors in your notes, and more on your tests. I'm kidding of course.

We are finishing up the midterm cycle (which has now taken almost a month) with an Art and Architecture paper due on Monday, and an Italian test on Tuesday. Italian is my worst subject. I think I have a C, more likely a C-. I'm just not grasping it, probably because of the whole reccommended 15 minutes a day that are reccommend for outside studying. I always forget, or at least have something that takes the time away from me. In other words, my Italian studying stinks and I'm in deep dog poop.

However, the weekend after this extravaganza of fun things is a longer one, so more rest can be enjoyed. It will be nice.

Farewells

We had four dogs in our house at once, two black labs, one Golden Retriever (thats my sister Emily's dog) and a daschund, named Luci. Luci was nearly fifteen years old (she would've reached that age on November 18th) and had been in our family for that long. Being that age, an extremly old age for a daschund, she was weak, along with natural ailements, and we knew her time to go was coming. She almost died during the summer, when my little siblings and I forgot to bring her in on a hot day, and she nearly died of heat exhaustion. We managed to revive her just in time, and she continuted going on. Well, time keeps going, and time was against Luci. She died last night, in her sleep. She was buried in our backyard, a parting for a dear member of my family.
I am relieved that I was not there for the death, because back during the summer, when she almost died, I could barely handle it. I know I wouldn't have acted like a big brother if I had been there when she actually died. So I am happy I was hear, across the ocean. And yet, I kinda wish I could've said goodbye, or something.
I know that dogs don't have souls like we do, and when they die, that's it, and all that human nature jazz, but one of the things that pets are for is to give pleasure to their owners. Yet when a pet is that close to you, you feel the loss harder, like it was a human friend. That is something even the staunchest Thomist would agree upon.

So goodbye Luci. May your memory live on in the stories we tell of you, for that indeed is your immortality.

More Pictures

Since Blogger only has so much memory per post (should've known that) I could not put all the pictures up that I wanted to. SO. . .

Here are the rest




These are the nuns we hung out with. They were nice, but they spoke Italian and no English, and we speak English and extremely little Italian, so that was interesting.



HERE HE IS. VIVA IL PAPA!














The Talk went on for a while, and we had to sit there and wait through all the languages. . .













And Wait. . .


















And Wait. .














But eventually he finished and everyone was happy, for then the Pope would drive by. So we pressed ourselves against the gate, to the dismay of all the Italians behind us, and got to, at long last, touch the Holy Father. What a moment, looking at him and his hand as he drove by us. It was truly wonderful.

Sam switched Pope hats with the Pope, and Andrew gave him a can of orange soda, his favorite drink. Both of these things were searched first by the guard people, but all was well. Why would we want to kill our Pope?

So that was a fun adventure, and I hope to have more while I'm here. But I only have so much time.

I should really remember to write in my journal. Posterity needs it.

The Pope Pictures

Sorry about the rushedness of the previous posts. I have little to no time to do anything, much less keep up my blog. Here are some pictures from that epic event, that Wednesday audience when we Christendom (or Christiendom, or Christtendedum) students attendend. I am indebted to Nicole, who so kindly put her pictures on the internet for all to see/take and put on their blogs.















Here is the pope driving by us as we were going to reach out and touch him















Here is us just sitting around, doing the whole waiting thing















Here's St. John the Baptist playing Basketball with the Moon. I think it turned out really cool















Jen and Joe (Ambrose to most people) were sitting to my right, so they are the blunt of many of my pictures. I give them their well deserved love in featuring them here, in their splended "I've been up since 5 thjis morning waiting around for the pope" glory















Here is Sam talking with one of the nuns who were our sitting mates.

They also had been there for a while. They also were pushed around by the Italian women (who, when it comes to the pope, get very touchy). We were like a band of brothers. Ok, not really. . .

Popes

I TOUCHED THE POPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's all I got to say. I can die happy.

Except I could really go for a gelato right now.

oh gosh

so the internet is down in the residence, and we are foced to check the email here, in a lovely internet cafe. i hate this keyboard, a the shift key is so freaking small. so iàm saying hi..

HI

tomorrow we will see the pope. . . at a papal wednesday audience. it will be dangerous, and probably blog worthy.

you will hear bout it in like a week or so. at worse, of course.

Welcome

Welcome to the most freaking awesome blog in the world. It is mine, my own, my precious.

More on that as it develops.

Love,

Ibid