Deep Philosophy...

So, yesterday, deep thoughts were twinkling through my mind as I lay soaking in the bathtub, aromatic fumes encircling me.  I sunk a bit deeper into my mermaid pool, and added a bit more hot water, using my toe to turn the nozzle.  My thoughts gradually turned from all the different ways I shall eat Nutella come Sunday, to more weighty thoughts, like the role of women in modern society. 

"Why," I mused, "can women just not be cats?"  I mean, face it, we pretty much have the personality--happy one minute, and clawing angrily the next at some unfortunate soul.  (By the way, this is meant to be tongue-in-cheek and amusing, not offensive...) 

Pleased with my mental prowess, I applied myself once more to this new philosophy of woman.  Women, I asserted to myself, should be cats because the fatter they are, the cuter.  This would address the issue of anorexia and whatnot caused by the body image society is projecting on the female race. 

Secondly, once you choose a nice man to be your personal slave, he will pet you, but only as long as you desire, since he will have a healthy fear of the claws.  And we will be so cute, that the men will feed us more and oodle with delight over our cute, fat, fluffy selves. 

Oh yes, the fluffy part... Ladies, throw out those razors!  Fluffy is fabulous.  It's gonna be No Shave November all year long! 

Furthermore, we will have tails, and tails are awesome, period. 

Also, every winter, when it gets too cold and there are less sun beams to nap in, all the women can take a trip to Egypt and spend two weeks basking in a temple, revisiting the old glory days when cats were worshiped. 

And lastly, best of all, we will get to nap aaaall day.  When we aren't napping, we can eat, and can gaze upon our luxurious tails.

 A half hour later, I roused from my reverie, realizing that my bath should probably really, truly cease now.  But only because it was dinner time.  After that, I took a nap.  ;)

Books and Whatnot

Hello there!  Sorry about the long silence, its been a busy semester so far.  As an English major, I'm taking three literature classes right now, along with an apologetics course, and a modern philosophy class.  There's a lot of required reading to keep up with, but so far I've really been loving all the books.  In my American novel class we have read Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper, and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.  Last of the Mohicans was kind of a drag, and all along I was really hoping Alice would die soon, but alas, in the end, she was basically the only one left alive.  I had read The Scarlet Letter once before in high school, and was a little unimpressed by it at the time.  But coming back to it, especially after the boring Mohicans, I realized the wealth this little novel has to offer.  Suddenly, I was so captivated by the intricacies of symbolism which Hawthorne weaves throughout this tale, making it almost like a poem in prose form.  After spring break, we will continue onward through American literary history with Huckleberry Finn by the inimitable Mark Twain. 

For my Restoration & 18th Century British Literature class, I am reading a book called Evelina by Frances Burney, which, so it turns out, was a favorite in the Austen household.  I can certainly see the influence it had on shaping the literary genius in Miss Jane Austen.  Just like in Emma, there is a painfully awkward profession of love in a carriage.  Evelina such a wonderfully witty book, quite the hidden gem, I think.  It is almost too fun to be a school book.  :)

Anyways, that's it for now.  Cheers!

Roman Reflections: Bicycles and Picnic Baskets

In a few days, I will be heading back off to school, but before I go, I want to share one more Rome story.  :)

The Villa Borghese has such a magical feel to it, like a secret garden in the middle of Rome.  I first stumbled upon it the first week I was in Rome, while on a quest to find the Spanish Steps.  I couldn't stay too long, since it was almost time to head back to my apartment complex to meet with my class for dinner, but I knew I must come back to this enchanting place. 

A few weeks later, a couple of girlfriends and I stopped by the supermercato on our way back from class to pick up some picnic victuals: bread, cheese, prosciutto, chocolate, and wine.  The next day we did not have class and we wanted to make the most of the Roman sunshine, so we were planning on taking an excursion to the Villa Borghese.  The next afternoon, the sun was out, the birds were singing, so we grabbed our picnic basket (actually it was a grocery bag, but it sounds more romantic to say basket) and hopped on the metro.  We walked a little bit through the park to find the perfect spot, and while we were walking, we saw some random guy practicing break dancing in the grass, kind of hidden by the bushes.  We decided to creep on him a little bit, whilst pretending to study the map of the park, but he saw us snooping and stopped dancing, so we moved on after a little while.  We found our perfect picnic spot under a monument to Umberto I.  We sat on the steps, sipping wine and nibbling cheese.

We were amused/annoyed by a whole arsenal of yappy little dogs bounding around the trees, barking shrilly up at the branches.  We were trying to decide what was catching their attention, but came to the conclusion that squirrels were out of the question, since our Italian teacher told us there were no squirrels in Rome.  But then, one of the girls recalled that a guy in our class claimed to have seen both squirrels and parrots in this park.  "No no," I said, "he must be mistaken.  There are no squirrels here.  Ms. B said so."  But lo and behold, when we got up to walk to the bicycle rental stand, in the span of 5 minutes, we not only saw a flock of parrots fly by, but also a squirrel (not flying by though).  We called it our "Big Tail" sighting.  I have photographic evidence that there are indeed squirrels in Rome.

 
We all rented some bicycles and rode around the park.  It was a glorious feeling to have the wind in my hair and the ground slipping effortlessly behind me.  And my bicycle bell "bringed" beautifully. :)  Once, I pretended to run over a pigeon, but I discovered that pigeons are inordinately slow at moving out of the way of swiftly approaching wheeled vehicles.  I didn't actually run over it, but I came too darn close, so no more pigeon assassinations were attempted after that.

We biked around the park once, and started feeling a bit hot and sweaty, so we decided to call it a day, and brought our trusty wheeled steeds back to the rental kiosk.  All in all, it was a truly glorious day, and I think we all agreed it was one of our favorite afternoons spent in Rome.

 Chillin' with Byron.  M is carrying our beloved "bambino" aka our picnic bag. 

 M and I are the original pillar huggers- the Roman response to tree hugging.

 Sigh... What I would give to be back there right now...

 

Five Favorites

Well, this is my first Five Favorites, linking up with Moxie Wife.  Anyhow, andiamo as they say in Italy!

1.  I am head over heels in love with Pope Francis.  While Benedict focused very well on the liturgy, Francis is the perfect compliment by focusing on living a Catholic life.  No one will pay attention to the liturgy unless they live as Catholics, and no one will want to become Catholic simply because the liturgy is correct.  People will be attracted to the Church because they see the joy and love that Catholics have in themselves and with their dealings with other people.  Pope Francis is a true example of the Catholic joy and charity.  When I was in Rome, there were rumors circulating that Papa Francesco himself snuck out of the Vatican at night to feed the homeless under the Bridge of Angels.  Now, I have no idea if this is true or not, but I wouldn't be too surprised.

2.  Since getting back from Rome, I've been really appreciating all the down time I have at home and being able to just sit, drink tea, and read.  The other day, I purchased Anna Karenina, and it is proving to be quite the worthwhile read!  It is slow going though, keeping track of all the long Russian names and the intricate plot twists, but despite all that, it is very enjoyable.  In ENGL 202, we read Crime and Punishment and my professor enlightened me on the main themes of these Russian novels, so it is kinda rewarding to be reading my book and going "oh yeah!  I know what they are alluding to here!"

3.  Its See's Chocolate season again around here.  When we lived in California, See's was aplentiful, but now that we are living not in CA, we only order a 2 lb box around Christmas time.  I would say that See's is arguably the best American produced chocolate.  And, huge plus!  It doesn't have any artificial flavors or preservatives!
 
 

4.   This time of year, cozy chunky sweaters are absolutely, positively my favorite wardrobe staple.  I was able to acquire some nice ones in Rome and other places.  My favorite is one that I picked up in Fatima.  It is so cozy, and as one of my friends said, a good sweater to have tea in.

5.  And finally, I love this song so much.  It has a good message to bring to us, especially as we near the end of the year: learn to appreciate what you have.  If you don't step back and take a good look at your blessings, then you will only realize how much you had when it's gone.  Truly, we are all so blessed, each of us in different ways and different circumstances.  God is very good. 

New Look, Same Great Product!

Yay!  I have successfully updated my blog look!  I hope you enjoy.  :)

A Cozy Sort of Day

Today I went to the bookstore and bought Anna Karenina, which I am reading for the first time.  I was introduced to the allurement of Russian novels by my favorite Literature professor, Mrs. H last year when we read Crime and Punishment.  It is definitely not light reading, but it will give my mind something wholesome to gnaw on this Christmas. 

Today being the cold and blustery day that it is, I have spent the majority of it curled up on the couch by the crackling wood stove, a cat purring at my side and my new book in hand.  Of course, tea is involved as well.  When I was in Italy, I purchased a Tea Advent calendar: a tea bag for every day of December!  It has been so delightful trying out a different tea every day. 

Other noteworthy and miscellaneous news from today... While at the bookstore, I popped into the little Starbucks and got a cappuccino!  My first since coming home from Italy.  It was absolutely delish, but at first I was astonished by the size, even though I got the smallest size that Starbucks has to offer.  I am so used to European sizing, and have been constantly surprised by the typical American "super size me" sizes.  But hey!  I'm not complaining!  More cappuccino for me!  And that, my friends, is a very good thing.  :)

Last thing for now, I just found this simply lovely, soul-stringing song, and I thought you would enjoy it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAdWBBOIYm0

Cheers!

Roman Reflections: Visit to the Gesu

About two weeks after first arriving in Rome, way back in September, our college chaplain, fondly known as Padre, came to visit us Juniors.  Padre is our college expert on Rome.  As a teenager, he lived in Rome with his family for five years.  He later returned to the Eternal City to study for the priesthood. 

One beautiful, warm Italian evening, before he whisked off to have dinner with Pope Francis (yeah... no biggie...) Padre took us on a walking tour of Rome.  I don't think any of us were expecting it to be quite as long and quite as grueling and quite as fast paced.  This tour became known affectionately as the death march.  But that is neither here nor there.  Padre showed us all the hot spots for gelato, cappuccinos, and chillaxing.  He also brought us to a church called the Gesu, which is the headquarters of the Jesuit order.  

When we arrived on the steps to the church, the doors were all closed and locked, since it was siesta time.  But Padre had it all planned out with Fr. Daniel, the rector of the church and also one of the two main exorcists of Rome.  With a quick phone call to let Fr. Daniel know that we had arrived, we heard the creak as the door to the church swung open.  We felt like VIP's as we walked inside, past the gypsies sitting on the steps who muttered "the church is not for visitors!" as we filed past.  We entered into the cool, dim interior of the church.  It took our eyes a moment to adjust from the bright sunlight of the Roman streets.  Peering through the shadows, we gasped in wonder once our eyes focused.  Gold, marble, fabulous paintings made manifest the Glory of God, hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the street outside. 

Overwhelmed, my eyes drunk deeply on the beauty which surrounded me.  Then I saw the ceiling.  The hosts of heaven appeared to be tumbling down towards me.

"Hold on," Padre said, "while I go get Fr. Daniel."  While he strode off towards a side door, we just stood there, mouths agape, gazing around us.  We heard the mumble of Italian coming from the direction where Padre had left.  I turned around, expecting to see a giant of a man, strong enough to pull demons out single handedly.  But the man I saw was a short, plump, quiet old Italian priest.  He addressed us in quiet Italian, Padre translating saying that he didn't speak very good English but he welcomes us.  Fr. Daniel went on to say, with Padre translating, that he had something very special to show us.  He had been working on putting together a museum with the Gesu's treasures which he had found.  We would be the first people to see it, as it was not yet open to the public.  He took us up a passage way, through the inner workings of the church.  Until finally we came upon a little room, filled with precious chalices, reliquaries, art, jewels, and vestments. 

Someone's heart:

Relics of some of the North American martyrs:

Finally, after showing us the treasures of the Church, Fr. Daniel brought us down to the sacristy where we could ask him questions.  A lot of my classmates inquired about his life as an exorcist, expecting to hear dramatic stories, full of chills and goosebumps.  But Fr. Daniel just chuckled and said it was not interesting at all, in fact, he said it was boring.  Some people were disappointed by his answer, I think, but I was so struck by his humility and his absolute, perfect, child-like faith in God.  This, I thought to myself, is a man who trusts.  This man is a saint.  He calmly smiled, the figure of a peaceful, joyful man.  Then Padre translated that Fr. Daniel had something else to show us, a bit of cloth burnt by the finger of a soul from Purgatory.  Normally I would have been totally freaked out when I saw it, but somehow, I felt no fear.  Fr. Daniel's calm ease and faith helped me to remember that I can do anything, but with the help of God.  Only with God are all things possible.  The devils stand no chance against a person who relies on God as his strength.  I've always known that, but meeting Fr. Daniel helped me realize it in actuality and to know that such a love and a zest for life really is possible.  Then Fr. Daniel said he had something even more important to show us.  Our anticipation was set a'singin, expecting something grand like the head of maybe St. Francis of Assisi.  He bustled off to his office, and then returned bearing a cat just as calm and sweet as he was.  He explained that he had found Gatta on the street as a kitten and raised her, and she lives in his office, and once a week he buys her pigeon meat.  With humble joy, Rome's greatest exorcist showed us his cat and let us pet her.  He smiled, and said "the only other cat she has ever known is me."