The Bulleted List, February 23

Things You Can All Fuck Off About

• haircuts
• shaving
• drinking
• studying
• the John Wall dance
  
• 8 Seconds sucking
• 8 Seconds being awesome
  

The Office Hood Dance

This Friday one of two things will happen. I will either be attending our fraternity's date party (theme: The Office) if it doesn't get canceled or I will be going to The Hood Intranet concert at The Slowdown. For those of you who do not know who The Hood is check them out. They are basically two dj's who mix together genres (mostly indie w/rap) and are similar to the more popular Girl Talk. This type of show pretty much turns into a dance concert from what I hear; therefore I won't be upset if the date party gets called off.
I've recently found some new dance moves that I would like to incorporate into which ever event I attend.

New Moves
- The Wall - this is a new move which is catching on like wild fire with sports fans and I can't blame them.. rollin like a big shot
- The Nathaniel - this kid has the right idea. feel the music, cut lose, and see what happens.
- The Stomp (fast forward to the 1 minute mark) - this is an old move in a classic movie, but is one that I've been needing to learn and use. Doubtful I'll get the right beat to try it out at The Hood; probably have to wait for Texas to use it..

Old Moves
- The Glide - AKA the Adam Walk - the glide was introduced to me freshman year of college by Adam who is the closest to actually gliding out of us..
- This Guy - hes awesome.
- The Moon Walk - this is one that I can actually do, took me some lessons but its a classic also the other moves like the crotch grab and thrust are fun to throw in as well
- The Lawn Mower, The Shopping Cart and The Shovel are also favorites of mine due to humor but don't deserve video.


Should be a fun night.

The Life and Times of a Mursing Student: Part 2

(I am not a writer, I am simply a mursing student, so dont make fun of my grammer or spelling Harrison.)

Recently the life and times of a mursing student have been quite typical. Whether it is getting off the elevator at Children’s Hospital with my clinical group and hearing “hope you ladies have a good last week!” or reading the daily Nursing Listserve emails about babysitting opportunities or job applications for female only youth camps. Since there isn’t much recent activity in my current mursing career worth sharing; id like to start with some typical situations I have been through.

Today I will go to lunch; but I will be eating with a nursing crowd usually with a ratio around 11:1. Back in the day I used to wonder what people thought when they walked by or saw me eating with this group. “Either he is gay, or he is a nursing student, or both.” This used to be fun to play with or joke about, however since Creighton is a small school word has gotten around that I am a nursing student so that took some fun out of lunch time but it is still fun to do at the bars..

However I have once received the complete opposite statement in my Research class. Last semester I was in class sitting next to a girl-friend of mine and our professor was dividing us up into project groups. The professor did not want anyone living with each other to be in the same group. She points to me and the girl sitting next to me and asked “are you two married?” We both began to laugh and so she assumed it was a no. The professor’s reasoning was because “well you’re always sitting with them, and you look like you could be.” So now I walk a fine line between gay and married within the nursing field. Sweet.

This past week I started my new rotation at CUMC in the Med/Surge Unit. My clinical group is sweet by the way, probably the best one.. Anyway we were assigned just one patient for the first week to take care of. I happened to be assigned to a complete look alike of Mrs. Doubtfire. One thing I have been catching crap from the nursing girls is my clinical shoes. In clinical we have to wear white shoes, this is not an easy look to pull off to start with, especially for a guy. Therefore I just said screw it and went for a cheap pair of off white cloth-boat like shoes that I purchased for $9 from Urban. When I say “off white,” I mean that they used to be white. However the brown street snow has taken there toll on them; and my friend Mavec who stole them one night to stumble home to campus. The best clinical shoes definitely go to Rachel and her EasySpirits, which look like grandmas rehab walking shoes.. Classics. They for sure top off the other girls white clogs or standard white tennis shoes. I am considering my next pair to be velcro, since I cant find any size 13 light-ups. Until then I will support my tan cloths and the jokes to come with.

Road Trip Jams

Last weekend I hit the road for a one-night-only gig in Columbia celebrating my friend Gracie's birthday. Road trips all by my lonesome aren't really my favorite things in the world, but it did give me a chance to blast some road trip tunes with complete disregard for the longterm health of my ears. Just wanted to share a couple of the highlights/songs that I think should be listened to on every road trip.

Old Crow Medicine Show: "Wagon Wheel"

Kanye West: "Can't Tell Me Nothing"

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: "Last Dance With Mary Jane"

Big Tymers: "This Is How We Do"

The Rolling Stones: "Sympathy for the Devil"

Counting Crows: "Friend of the Devil"

For Lightweight, K-Mart, and Pistol...

Garth Brooks: "Callin' Baton Rouge"

Jack Family Toast.

The Bulleted List, February 12

What I Think AP Should Say Instead of 'Vino'.

• Wine

Venice Carnevale

Sorry it has taken me so long to get a post up about Venice. We went there last weekend for Carnevale and it was a blast. A group of students signed up for a bus service that took us there early in the morning and returned us around 3am in Florence. Venice is an amazingly beautiful city. It was a little chilly (like 45 degrees), but it didn't dampen my spirit. Carnevale wasn't exactly what a lot of the Americans were expecting I don't think. I think a lot of them thought it was going to be more like Mardi Gras in New Orleans. I don't think the American gringo realize that Italians don't really rage like that. They save that more for the "discotecas". Carnevale is a lot more sophisticated and classy than that.
Venice is one of the most unique cities in the world. Not very many places in the world where you can walk across bridges every other block and have a gondola with a hot and heavy couple blow by underneath you. Yeah it's romantic. San Marco square was really cool and very busy. It was loaded with people dressed up in masks for carnevale and bands playing music. It was a great scene. I ended up purchasing a mask for about 10 euro I think. Not sure, I just remember that I spent a lot more than that on vino that day. I regret not getting this black mask that reminded me of the ones the siblings from the swedish electronic band, The Knife, wear on stage. My favorite place we had a bottle of wine was definitely this small restaurant where we sat outside right next to the board walk. It was pretty amazing to have a glass of wine while overlooking the beautiful bay area. Overall it was a great experience and I truly think Venice was of the coolest cities in the world. I am going to Siena and San Giurgno tomorrow. I am really looking forward to it. Apparently, Siena is kind of a rival city of Florence, more from the olden days but it still rivals Florence for its art. If that's really the case, then I am pretty excited to see it because Florence is pretty amazing. Till next time, buena sera, ciao!

Ode to the Night Jew(Tunez version)

Being that it is national Harrison Appreciation Day, I thought I would toss together a few tracks that for me embody our most loyal and beloved superfan. (all songs are linked in the highlighted titles)

Harrison's Gay? - For years Harry's sexuality has been questioned. Though now hes found a special someone(a female), I cant help but reminesce about the days spent wondering which team our friend was "batting" for.

Mazltov- Unlike his sexuality, Harrison's Jewish, shylock ways were never questioned. From his hair to his nose, the man is a pure blood son of King David. He never forgets/forgives other's debts and lives his life more conservatively than Ronald Reagan. Im also pretty sure he has control of most US media...

Cortez/Night Jew-As Lightweight already mentioned, ol' Harrison has a tendency to transform after he gets a few alcohols in his system. During the day Harrion is a nerdy pre-med with his nose in a book but when a beer finds its way to his greedy Jew hands the man transforms. All the morals and standards by which this man lives his life go out the window. He becomes an animal. Girls beware Cortez is on the prowl.

Secret Agent- For as long as I have know Harrison he has been bound and determined to keep information from me. He loves being vague or "mysterious" as he would call it. The kid loves keeping others in in the dark but then again I guess he is the Night Jew. Plus he dancing like the panther in the video...and loves the color pink...

We love you Harrison. Please comment on this and give my life validation.

For You, Dear Reader

In this relative Renaissance of activity here at 31/Chi, I found myself remembering the old days, the dark days. I'm talking, of course, of that laggard period back in October-November where we went weeks without a substantial update, and I myself went days without even checking in. It seemed the blog had fallen into disrepair. Then, on December 3, our three week old 'freshest post' received the following comment:

Harrison said...

Don't abandon your loyal followers, post something new

This was the kick in the ass we needed. Rejuvenated, we started posting pretty regularly. For about two weeks.
Still, Harrison remained our most loyal reader, checking for new posts far more frequently than we posted them. Sometimes he even had the audacity/desire for ridicule to mention a few posts in public. Harrison was always a trooper. This is why we salute him today.

Who knows what the future will hold for Harrison and 31/Chi?
Perhaps future posts will chronicle the adventures of the Night Jew or Cortes, Harrison's varying drunken, belligerent alter egos.
Perhaps we will let Harrison do a 'one time only' guest post.
Maybe he'll just keep studying and being a better person than me.
Whatever tomorrow brings, it is surely nothing that Harrison cannot handle. Harrison's pithy, semi-insulting comments will continue to grace this blog/be the only comments ever posted.

Oh, this is what Harrison looks like:

Stronghand's Old Favorites: Death Cab for Cutie, "The Sound of Settling"

Since every other writer on this blog seems to have something they post on a semi-regular basis, I figured I would just start randomly sharing songs that I used to love and recently remembered my fondness for. The shuffle button was kind enough to bring this little ditty my way this morning, and I could not have been more pleased. So put on that Hollister shirt your mom bought you in 2003, click the link, and enjoy 2:12 of sweet nostalgia.

Death Cab for Cutie: "The Sound of Settling"

The Medici Villa, Italian booze, etc.

So last Friday morning our ISA group took us on a free little adventure to the outskirts of Florence to the Medici Villa. The Medici family is of course one of the richest families in the history of Italy and basically controlled Florence during the renaissance. Anyway, I heard how beautiful it was and planned on going for sure and then Thursday night happened. I was a little hungover on Friday morning, to say the least. Supposedly someone once said that the wine in Italy doesn't give you a bad hangover like it does in the States, well I can assure you that statement is utter bullshit. Now if there is something saying that cheap wine gives you worse headaches, that may be a little more believable. Booze is booze. But I did end up going. It was pretty cool, really pretty. I'm glad I went now, but that morning I wasn't thinking much of it.

Also in this post, I'm going discuss my alcohol discoveries in Italy. First category, vino or wine.

1. Wine is good. Some people don't like it, but I do. I don't really appreciate the way some people do (my parents). But I figure if you drink enough of it, you start to figure it out. Or at least that's been my excuse anyway. When we go out to eat we always get wine mostly because it's cheaper than water and it's booze. We usually go for the house wine as it is usually cheapest normally dark. I have found that I am definitely more of a red guy than a white guy. Not really sure why. If I asked my dear friend Lightweight which one he wants, he would most likely reply by asking which one has more booze in it. To that I would reply the red, but of course it varies and I'm probably full of shit, but that's what I hear. Unfortunately, no I have not yet found the Keystone Ice equivalent to a normal beer in a bottle of wine. Still, I have my fingers crossed.

2. Beer. The Italian's beer are pretty good. The three I have had are Peroni, Moretti, and Nastro Azzurro. Supposedly those are three big guys in Italy. Peroni is my favorite. It's just a good beer. It's like a classy PBR...if that's possible? Pistol, you'd approve. We played beer pong last night with Nastro Azzurro, so I'm going to have to get back to you on that one. Moretti is solid. I don't know, again...booze is booze. I just haven't come across very many beers that I don't like, that's not even saying ones I wouldn't drink, which is very few. Miller High Life though...damn. I have to choke that shit down.

3. I really haven't had much besides beer and wine. I have had a few mixed drinks at clubs and what not, but those are usually pretty expensive so I tend to stick pretty close to what I know (my dear friend jack and coke). Asked for a Windsor and Coke, no such luck. I constantly harass one of my roommates, who is from North Carolina, for calling a Long Island Iced Tea an L.I.T. Must be southern slang? K-Mart? I probably wouldn't have given him any shit at all except he went up to the bartender at a local Firenze joint and proceeded to ask, "Can y'all get me an L.I.T?" Of course they had no idea what that was, but anyway we came back a few nights later and the same bartenders were working and were pretty excited t see Paul. "Hey it's L.I.T.!! The L.I.T. man!" Classic.

I will continue my exploration of Italian booze and hopefully other foreign delicacies. Till then, everyone who reads this, tip back a cold one for me. I miss the boys.



Pistol = PBR
Lightweight = Keystone Ice (tall girl)
Stronghand = Budweiser
K-Mart = Joose
Connor = Bud Select
Harrison = just steal a PBR from Pistol

Pistol Previews

Today I feel like catching back up with 31st and Chi. I have been away from posting for a while which has given me time to discover some stellar new tunes. So here I will preview some of my recent favorites and rate them on a 1-5 'slin pump scale.

Sleigh Bells- This upstart Brooklyn band has hit the ground running with the release of singles "Ring Ring" and "Crown on the Ground". Their sound reminds me of the band Girls but with an edge. They will be joining Yeasayer on tour this spring and are scheduled to play Omaha's Waiting Room on April 25th. _____4.5 'Slin Pumps_____

Gil Scott-Heron- Poetic lyricist Gil Scott drops his new album in an attempt to marry a 70s R&B/Jazz flow with new age, hip hop influenced sound. I checked this out on recommendation of Pitchfork and have not been able to turn it off. _____4.75 'Slin Pumps_____

jj- A breakout sensation in '09, jj is back and better than ever. After signing to acclaimed label Secretly Canadian jj has been in the lab cranking out tunes that send shivers up your spine. The new single "Let Go" is phenomenal and will provide any listener with the feeling of summertime on a warm beach(even while stuck in shitty snowville NE). _____4.8 'Slin Pumps_____

Peter Gabriel- As you may have heard, Peter Gabriel has begun his new album Scratch my Back. This album will be comprise of Gabriel covering his avorite indie tracks. In return his favorite new indie artists will cover some of his classics. I believe we are all in store for something special if Gabriels version of Bon Iver's "Flume" is any indication how the album will be.
_____4.25 'Slin Pumps___

and now you know...

Video: Massive Attack, "Splitting the Atom"

I absolutely love this video. Most of you probably know this band from making the "House" theme song ("Teardrops"), but they are still making some pretty cool stuff and their new album just came out today. Click on the title to check out the video, and let me know what you think.

The Life and Times of a Mursing Student: Part 1

(First of all I am a nursing student, not a writer. Second, girls, don’t be offended)

The life of a nursing student is what you would expect of it; the classes, clinicals and a somewhat normal college experience. However the life of a mursing student is quite different.

When I tell people that I am a nursing student they usually respond “hey that’s smart, you’ve got the best odds with the ladies.” Imagine yourself as a guy in a room full of 75 girls and you (the guy) for 3 years. If that sounds good to you, then you are wrong.

From the beginning you are the one guy that they all know. From them you get questioned, commented and judged on everything; who you’re talking to, your drinking habits, your guy friends, and your appearance! These girls are in of many sororities, but really they are there own cult.

In the beginning our relationship (me and the 75 females) was reserved in some fashion. Within the last year or so, it seems as if those flood gates have broken. Their lady like aspects have flown out the window, their thoughts are no longer kept in their heads, and their “times of the month” have become far more noticeable, and they don’t dress nice anymore. Sorry ladies but its true, you’ve changed. I find lots of humor in these things, and even though they are annoying at times it is simply just the norm these days.

Even though there are 4 other guys in my nursing class, they really don’t count. Two of them are married and old, one is gay (which is fine) and the other is reserved and keeps to himself. So really they don’t help or benefit me in any way with the cult. Therefore I am glad I joined a fraternity. After a long day of classes or clinicals with the up and down relationships with my fellow girl class mates, it is nice to return home to a house full of 17 bros and refrigerators full of bronson’s which I will consume and be criticized for the next day. Usually I get the common phrase “you always drink and never study, and you still do better than me; I hate you”

Look for many more parts to come soon and for peters next IV video.

Aside.

Have you looked at any crappy websites today?

Well if you haven't you should check out this turd: The Dailyer Nebraskan. Actually, before you click on any links make sure you're over a sink, bathtub or plastic sheet so you don't make a mess when you claw your eyes out.

My friend sent me this link with the qualifier, 'Hey, you like The Onion, you should check out this site, it's kinda like that.' What a dickhead, what with his faulty logic. His train of thought makes about as much sense as this one: 'Hey, you like enchiladas, you should check out this toilet paper tube stuffed with Kraft singles, it's kinda like that.' Someone punch me in the face, please.

Note: The Dailyer Nebraskan's moniker is a play on the name of the U of Nebraska's student newspaper, The Daily Nebraskan. If this doesn't show you the kind of 'zany' humor they're employing at the Dailyer Nebraskan, you just don't get it, man. They are so quirky.

If you're into 'really dry' and 'deadpan' humor, check out awesome articles like

'America Sees Earthquake In Haiti As Wakeup Call, Thankful No One Was Hurt' or

'Boy Who Shot Father Recruited To ‘Halo 3’ Team'. If you're into vaguely left leaning politics and taking lots of digs at the right, you have to read 'McCain Promises Nation’s Youth Hard Candies If Elected' and other gems like 'Republican Dog Shits First, Asks Questions Later'. These guys are just like Jon Stewart with their hard-hitting political pieces! Personally I prefer stories like 'Small Town Has A Lot Going On, Reports Every Visiting Politician' or perhaps 'Perfectly Preserved 1950s Small Town Discovered In Western Nebraska'. These really capture the essence of 'Lincoln is the biggest city we've ever been to' that just screams off the page.

Hey, Dailyer Nebraskan, cynicism is really funny, you should really stick with it.

Now, I'm not here to claim that 31/Chi is a legitimate artistic/rhetorical forum and I'm not here to throw around phrases like 'state school riff-raff' or 'self-aggrandizing pretentious fuckholes' but this is the reason why journalism departments should have to take monthly field trips to the real world. The 'masterminds' behind this webesite are all probably really nice guys, but this is the kind of bullshit that comes out when everyone around you thinks the way you do. You start getting a lot of 'Hey, man, you know what would be cool?' met, tragically, with 'Oh man, yeah, that would be awesome!' instead of the 'No, dude, you're a fucking idiot' it probably needs.

Super Bowl.

We're watching the Super Bowl as we speak, and like most people we have been getting drenched with all the pre-game bullshit. Chief among these reports are countless specials on how much this Super Bowl victory would mean to the people of New Orleans as they are still reeling from Hurricane Katrina. These reports swayed me to think that maybe I should cheer for the Saints, since the people of New Orleans, having gone through great tragedy, could really use a pick-me-up. Go Saints, right? These people have been through a lot, right? They deserve this one moment of sunshine in an otherwise dark, wretched span of time, right?
Well, yeah, New Orleans has gotten pretty fucked over lately by hurricanes and what not, which I will admit is a total bummer, but then I realized that the Colts are from Indianapolis for God's sake. They're waking up in a living hell every morning and they didn't even need a natural disaster to spur it along. They live in the state of Indiana, for fuck's sake, a place where the capitol city translates to 'Indiana city'. It looks like Illinois' mishapen young brother. Check this out: Illinois is Schwarzenegger, Indiana is DeVito.

Seriously, why would you even wish a loss on someone who has to live in a city where this building is the next best thing after your poorly uniformed football squad?
Holy shit, what is wrong with your city when this is what comes up on a Google image search? How can I not feel sorry for people that live in a city that is associated with a graphic fireball hurtling some slackjawed, cross-eyed Southerner/greasy Euro to his char-broiled death?



On the other hand, this is what springs to mind when people think NEW ORLEANS:


And check this picture out:

Holy shit! This guy is standing on a horse in the middle of the fucking street. Who gives a shit if the people in New Orleans win the Super Bowl? They're all drunk right now. Mardi Gras is next week, the streets will be running with booze and naked chicks and no one will even remember the score as they enjoy a mild Gulf Coast winter. Meanwhile, in Indiana City, boring, white guys in khakis will be waking up to a shitty Midwest winter to go to their awful jobs at some kind of lameass mid-level corporate job. I feel like the prefix 'mid' fits Indianapolis perfectly.
Those poor bastards in Indianapolis deserve this. True, their city was never underwater, but something makes me think that a lot of those miserable bastards would prefer it that way.

The Bulleted List, February 7

Me and Pistol Pete's 'Real Life' Sunday Afternoon Playlist

• Austin- Blake Shelton
• I Can't Smile Without You- Barry Manilow
• Love Is All Around- Wet Wet Wet
• Bring Me To Life- Evanescence
• coughing and sniffling

We Also Travel

Not to be caught sitting on our hands in this age of 'traveblogs' we decided to hit the road for a little sightseeing of our own. Saturday afternoon we shipped on down to Lincoln for a very special occasion. It was Pistol P's little sister's winter formal and we had to make sure the little wiener taking her was an alright kid. Also, we had big plans on getting hammered. Totally hammered.
We blazed out of Omaha through some sketchy weather, hellbent for the desolate wasteland. We arrived at the palatial home of Pistol Pete, and were greeted by his saint-like mother. Pistol P's dad, a man who shall be known as 'La Begota', asked us what kind of beers we wanted. Coors Light, of course. And some Coronas. However, we had a special request. If at all possible, we were going to need La Begota to appropriate some Joose, the highly caffienated, highly alcoholic devil syrup that turn the most mild-mannered cat into a raving, jabbering fool. It's awesome. Unfortunately, it was not to be found in the liquor store frequented by La Begota, so we would be forced to make do with the beers. And make do we did. After a few beers, the 'picture group' for the dance arrived and we harassed a small boy for 20 minutes (this will be covered in a future post). Then we drank some more beers before Pistol P's folks took us out to dinner, a fine Mexican eatery which means we had to have some margaritas.
Now the night began in earnest. We were dropped off at a sorority house to meet up with Pete's main squeeze and her associates. This house was really nice, and I could feel my fingers getting sticky, an urge I resisted. From there, we walked to some bar (Cliff's?). I was having mixed feelings at this point. On one hand, I was getting ready to just get absolutely obliterated with some dear friends. On the other, I was in Lincoln, home of the hated Huskers and the even more hated 'kids that go to Nebraska'. They were all around me; this was enemy terrain. We got to the bar and I was pleased to see there were a few pretty good specials. I ordered up a $2.50 Hurricane and went after it with gusto. After a few sips, I wondered out lout, 'Is there alcohol in this?' God damn it. I thought maybe this one had just been a bad mix, so I got another and discovered it had the same problem. Kmart and I split a pitcher of 'Everclear and orange juice' which should have been called 'mostly orange juice'. I've been sick a little bit lately, so its a good thing I got all that vitamin C. There's a reason why the drinks are so cheap in Lincoln. There's no booze in them.
Another difference between Lincoln and Omaha: most of these people were only ordering one drink at a time. I even heard a group of dudes, with surprise/wonderment, exclaim a chorus of 'Whoa, dude, double fisting!' when their buddy walked up with a drink in each hand. In Omaha, I have seen a guy carrying two beers in each hand with another tucked in the crook of his arm. This embodies the mindset of the Omaha bargoer; one that is always worried, 'What if I run out of alcohol? What if the line at the bar is really long and I can't get another drink? I better just order two.'. In Lincoln, bars are used to socialize while you have a few drinks. In Omaha, they're for drinking while you talk to the same three people you showed up with.
We left the 'juice bar' and walked straight into a hot garbage dump packed with Afflction-wearing cool dudes and a lot of mediocre looking chicks drinking weak-ass well drinks and 'getting hammered'. 50 cent Natty Light draws helped to ease the pain, as they slid down the hatch with ease. I continued to avoid the mixed drinks after I ordered a Long Island that was less potent than an actual glass of iced tea.
We ended the night at a dingy hole in the wall bar where we watched two hookers play pool with their 'broker'. I wasn't sure how to process this, so I just took it in. I feel like my life has just been a series of taking it ins.

Pisa

Last Sunday, Fr. Bruno asked a few of us if we would like to spend Sunday afternoon in Pisa. Of course the first thing all of us asked was "how much is the train ride", as that is pretty much the first question nearly all of us ask when we want to go somewhere. It ended up costing me a total of 10 euro to go to Pisa and back. I felt like that a pretty good deal. The train ride to Pisa is about an hour long.

Pisa is a small city (87,500) in Tuscany, central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the Arno River on the Ligurian Sea. You can see the coastline from the Leaning Tower. The Leaning Tower is located in a courtyard of sorts and is right next to Piazza del Duomo which is basically the area where everyone goes to when visiting.

I enjoyed my visit here as it entailed more beautiful artwork, cathedrals, and architecture. It's an archaic city that is very representative to everything I've seen so far in Italy. I was there on a Sunday and everything wasn't next to the Leaning Tower was pretty shut down, as is in many places in Italy.

My next post will either contain more about Florence and my apartment and the area I reside in or it will be about my trip to Venice this weekend for Carnevale. Either way, I promise to have more photos of myself and others and hopefully a good story or two.

Ciao!

First few days in Firenze

So I am now currently a resident of Florence, Italy. My goodness what a beautiful city. THough I haven't been to very many places yet, Florence has easily been my favorite so far, which is a good thing because it's where I chose to live. Florence is an ancient, beautiful city that is one of the art capitals of the world. The city and it's buildings have a very "white" sense about them and by that I mean I can tell now why some people in Rome I talked to called Florence "The White City". The residents themselves, for the most part are very friendly and quite patient. Time seems to move a little bit slower here. Everyone walks everywhere and take their time doing it. I have been accused of this frequently back in the States, so I have had no problem adjusting to the "chill" lifestyle.

As I mentioned earlier, I live in the center of the city which is where all of the action and most of the attractions lie. I live on Via dei Calzaiuoli, which is a main shopping street where many formidable Italian fashion label's stores are (Armani, Dolce&Gabbana, Prada, etc.). I am taking a fashion marketing class while I'm here, so it's interesting to hear about these brands and the influence the Italians have had on world fashion. I live one block away from the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore which everyone here refers to as simply "the Duomo", the world's third largest cathedral. Talk about an amazing structure. It is truly massive and is the center of the entire city. I live on the north side of the Arno River, very close to the world renown bride, the Ponte Vecchio. My friend Kate walks across it every day to get to class. It's a structure unlike anything I'd ever seen. I now understand better why Florence is known as one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

My first day here, I met this interesting man named Fr. Bruno. He is quite the character. An amazing man, he has literally been everywhere and a good source to have when looking into traveling. He took us out to dinner our first night in Florence, got us boozed up and fed us like royalty. He reminds me a lot of the Jesuit priests back at Creighton. He is a apparently a pretty famous guy in this area as when we are with him, we are constantly bumping into people who seem to have some sort of affiliation with him. I believe he is working as some sort of chaplain for the program I am studying through. If any of you come to visit me (which I would love if you did), I will be sure to introduce him to you.

So my last post drew a little bit of criticism as although my photos were well taken, I need more photos of myself and people in them. So this post won't have many but I will try to in the near future, starting with Carnevale in Venice this weekend. Also, I will have a lot more pictures of Florence soon, but these are just the few I have taken since I've been here.

Ciao!

Doppleganger.

So lately I've found myself equally intrigued and repulsed by the 'Doppleganger' profile picture. To bring everyone up to speed, this is where ordinary (read: average) people change their Facebook profile picture to their 'celebrity look-a-like'. However, more often than not, these 'dopplegangers' are more like 'famous people I wish I looked like'.

Since 31/Chi is culturally relevant, I decided to break out our own dopplegangers, but I decided to keep it real.
So...here we go.

Here we have Pistol Pete. This may or may not be considered a compliment. On one hand, he's a bald, goony looking guy with a few screws loose. On the other hand, he wrote Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

This isn't so much a look-a-like of AP, but a glimpse into a future where he has horribly let himself go and gotten a job with Food Network.

Looks like Stronghand got some hormone treatment and sprouted facial hair! That's cool.

K-Mart freed the slaves. Or kept them in chains. I'm not sure, I got a B in history.


You can all go fuck yourselves.