Italian Vacation Part II

I wish I actually had time for this! I'm so sorry. There is so much to catch up on and I'm excited to get to it... maybe over winter break... maybe over the summer. I'm still around though... Yay! What I need is a Personal Documenter. I need someone who can post for me! Yes. Then I could still have time for school and time to display what I'm up to. Time for sketch rip and tear models! Later!

Great deals, Tips, Tricks???

Ok, so maybe this is a terrible way to come back from a long long hiatus from blogging, but I wanted to share this link:

http://promo.shopopensky.com/signup/pitt00779702

I've been able get some good tips, tricks, and even good deals on eco friendly products by following Sophie Uliano, author of Gorgeously Green. I was gifted the book when I graduated from undergrad and loved it. There were so many ideas to take and implement in life. I should really revisit the book and start bringing back some of those ideas for everyday use that I have lost or not followed through.

Anyway, the Open Sky link has a listing of different "curators that connect you with good deals on various things. You choose who you want to "follow" and perhaps then get some excess unwanted e-mails, but also some great deals on whatever you might be interested in! Yay! I can update later on how good/bad this turns out for me.

If you're interested, check it out!

Italian Vacation: Part I

My trip to Italy was fantastic. This was the destination that I have been hoping to get to for years and three weeks ago was my opportunity to get out of this town and see some amazing architecture and art. Dave and I left Minnesota with our names down to stay at a campsite in Rome, Italy. Camping in Europe is funny. There was space for tents and campers, but the majority of the camp grounds was covered in little bungalows much like a trailer house... duplex style. Our first day in Rome was spent getting to the campsite, hanging out around the pool, and planning the days ahead.

Here's Dave reading the guide books that I got from the library.

An interior shot of the bungalow.

A could bungalow duplexes. They were in long rows.

My display of photos from here on are in no particular order. Dave and I were soon joined in Rome by his parents, Bill and Lisa so we wanted them to be able to experience some of things we saw in the days prior to their arrival so some repetition was occurring. For this reason I've decided to present two "like" groups of sites rather that a chronological representation of the journey. Part I is showing a lot of the hot tourist spots of Rome, the easily recognizable buildings and works... Here we go!

The Trevi Fountain.

Dave and I sitting on the fountain. Throw a coin in over your shoulder and you're bound to return someday. Funny story: while at the fountain we witnessed an elderly homeless looking man with a magnetic device retrieving Euros from the pond.

My favorite feature of the fountain is that the natural rock transitions smoothly into the clean cut facade. I enjoy this type of juxtaposition.

Recognizable site number 2: the Spanish Steps. As you can see they are very busy... You can not see though that they can be treacherous. After so many visitors walking up and down or lounging on them they have worn down to quite a slippery state. I fell down a couple steps during my decent. :)

This picture was taken at the top of the stairs. We conquered them... then they "conquered" me. My dad would tell me that I should have been wearing shoes... flip-flops don't count. haha

Number III: St. Peter's

It looks huge even from a long way away.

Here is the front facade.

And the ornate Baldachin in St. Peter's. This picture unfortunately does it no justice. Check out Wikipedia's pic.

This is a distance version of a typical attraction in Rome, the Colosseum. This picture is actually overlooking the ancient city of Rome. I think that it is beautiful.

The Colosseum.

Here is a shot of the interior the the Colosseum. Here is where the brutal games would take place. What you are seeing is the "cells" where dangerous animals were kept before they would be put in the arena. On the far end is the reconstruction of the floor that would have been over all of the cells on top of which the battles occurred.

Can you guess this one? Apparently not understanding the concept of ancient, I did not recognized number 5 of the recognizable sites as I approached. I knew what we were looking for, however when I saw it from this angle all decrepit looking (though still in fantastic shape for its age) it did not click in my head that we had found it.

If you guess the Pantheon before seeing this shot, +1 for you! Here is the view you should recognize the most. I love how the dome just disappears from all outside views...

...and then you step inside and whoa. Huge! and then the oculus! Speechless. Love it.

Well that is part I. I'm moving tomorrow so Part II will be sometime later. Later!

Time consuming...

I'm trying to compile and format the pictures from my trip to Italy to be able to present them here on Erratic Repertoire. It is tough work for the following reasons:

1) I'm not entirely used to Braeburn, my MacBook Pro.

2) I took almost 500 pictures... so, I'm trying to abbreviate for the blog.

3) Moving pictures around in this blogger is harder than I would have ever imagined. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

I was able to get everything sorted for "Italian Vacation: Part I," but it is late so I'm not going to write anything to accompany the photos tonight. Stay tuned! I'll shoot for tomorrow night to share Part I of III...

And now I'll be leaving...

Don't be sad. It is exciting that I'm leaving. I'm leaving for another trip tomorrow and will be delighted, upon my return, to share with you all some images from the hopefully wonderful Italy!

Crystal Strikes Again!

Hello anybody who follows this blog! I'm back for a little to share with you all a hair cut I was recently given by Crystal Roob. We were bored one Sunday afternoon... hanging out and decided a hair cut would be fun. I had been looking at an Elle magazine whilst at home one weekend. It was from 2006 when she had blonde hair... asymmetric. I had liked that style since I bought the magazine all those years ago, so I asked Crystal if she could replicate. She did a great job in my opinion! This just happens to be my favorite hair cut ever! Thank you Crystal

I'm coming back!

I bought my new computer for school! Yay! So, I think I want to start blogging again. Stay tuned!