Giovanni Allevi

6.24.08

So I know I said that Atrani was my favorite place on earth, but I think I may have lied without meaning to. We just got back from a weekend in the area of Umbria, where we stayed two nights in Assisi, one night in Perugia, and an afternoon in Spoleto and Orvieto each. Before the first night in Assisi was over I was hooked. While out at dinner Tim told us how he had seen some advertisements for a concert that night. After asking around, we found it was a famous Pianist. Little did we know the fame he held.

The concert was on the lawn in front of the Basilica di San Francesco. Tickets were expensive but since it was an outdoor concert in a hill town we just climbed up any stairs we could find and ended up in a space looking directly down on the lawn and concert. I was in awe the entire time. We later found out that his name was Giovanni Allevi and he is one of Italy’s finest composers of the current time. After taking piano lessons for 10 years I truly enjoy listening to great pianists. An hour into the show he took a break from playing the piano and an orchestra got set up. He came back out on stage to direct the orchestra, and at the end he even sat down with them and played along with them while directing. I was on such a mental high after listening to the music with a wonderful backdrop to view that I could have sat there for hours.

When we made it to Perugia I found out that he has four CD’s out, three of them are just him and the piano and the newest is him with the orchestra. I bought his two newest, and can’t listen to them with out reliving the experience.

The rest of the weekend was amazing with wonderful churches and architecture and history to learn, but the Allevi concert was definitely my high for the weekend. But to prove that I had fun elsewhere here are the two watercolors I completed.

A Watercolor To Make Me Proud

The picture doesn't do it much justice, but I was really proud of this watercolor I did... I set it up one morning in class then when I got home that evening I did all the brown and the next day finished it up. In all I would say it took around 4 hours if not more to do.

Frisbee

6.13.2008

So yesterday I got to go watch a high school (or jr. high) choir perform in Sant. Ignazio Church right around the corner from my apartment. Although I was hyper critical of the performance the experience was amazing and I am glad I went. I would love to hear a male group perform in the space, or even better a male soloist. That is the type of voice that best suits the space.

Anyway on to the amusing part of my story. As I left the church walking in front of me is a group of my roommates on their way to Piazza Della Minerva to play a game of Frisbee, I of course decide I must join. Game was going great and we only hit the Elephant 5 times with the Frisbee. Then Morgan throws the Frisbee a little too high for me to catch so I jump to try to get it. I only barely touched it but it was enough to stop the forward momentum, however it still had vertical momentum and fell and landed on my nose. So I have been walking around all day with a bruised nose that hurts oh so badly whenever I put on my sunglasses.

To conclude it is official, I’m going to take my friend Sam’s suggestion and be “Accident Prone” for Halloween and wear every brace that I own. For everyone who doesn’t know me all that well that would include:
Boot for the sprained ankle
Crutches
Numerous ankle braces
Wrist braces from early signs of carpal tunnel
Thumb brace from spraining that this winter
Knee brace
If I can find one a back brace
Then of course numerous bandages from cuts that come along with leading an accident prone life.

A Bathroom Story

6.07.08

I never want to leave. I have never imagined falling head over heals in love with a city the moment I see it. Atrani is my new home. Italy in general is always going to hold a place in my heart, and it will yearn for the moment I get to come back. Italy even tried to keep me here; it doesn’t want me to leave. We were in Paestum, which by the way left me speechless, I was in awe of what I saw and what I remembered from my history classes and how it all clicked.

Ok so back to the story about how Italy doesn’t want me to leave. It started pouring so we ran back to the shelter of the empty train station hoping to catch and earlier train. I decided I had to use the restroom. I as I turn around to leave the stall the door won’t open. Apparently I picked the stall whose handle had been broken off. I tired to get out for about 10 or 15 min before I caved and got my phone out to call Morgan. She came, laughed, and then tried to open the door as well. She couldn’t do it so decided we needed a guys help. Now not only was I kinda freaked out about being stuck in a bathroom at an unmanned train station but I was mortified that there was going to be a guy trying to get me out. HOW DO YOU GET STUCK IN A BATHROOM? (Mom asked me why I didn’t just go out the bottom, but the gap was only large enough to slide my camera through and the walls were about 9 feet tall.)

Morgan came back with basically our whole group in tow. All the guys try different tactics with the door and of course none of them work. They then told me that my only way out was by trying to climb the wall again. It took me many tries and I had to take off my socks and shoes in order to get some good grip. I was able to get up on the toilet, barely get a grip on the top of the wall with my fingers, stretch over to the door and raise myself up so that I could rest my arms on the top of the wall. From this point I had to get my legs up above my head and pull myself up to sitting on the wall. (Mom thanks for the gymnastics lessons when I was little, the flexibility was handy here) This took lots of arm strength and grip with my knees. I don’t even want to think of what would have happened if I fell. I finally made it to sitting on the wall though. Then I had to get back down. Tim and Jess held the door in the neighboring stall (which by the way had a door handle) and supported me as I finally succeeded at getting out of the bathroom. Caty took lots of pictures as I took the walk of shame back to the rest of the group who had given up laughing at me.

But see…. Italy tired to trap me in a bathroom so I could never leave, and I got pretty bruised in the process of trying to defy Italy.

New blog

I posted another new blog on the Idaho blog page.... it has pictures so go take a look.