Pasta, Piazza, Prego, Gladys!

For the first 2 days of my Roman experience there were 4 girls, (including myself), living in my palace. At 12:04 AM on day 3, miss Shaleen joined the crew... and then there were 5. Roomie #6 is supposed to grace us with her presence sometime today...

The crazy characters that reside in this luxurious Roman castle are myself, Frenchie, Courtney, Shaleen, Phili and Tyler, (who hasn't arrived yet). Also staying with us is Gladys, a self-portrait of some guido that we found behind Frenchie's dresser. (And Aliki... the somewhat-alcoholic housing coordinator who frequently stops by and overstays her welcome).

Now... ROMA! What an exciting place: Three hobos permanantly station themselves outside our building, Italians yell until 4 pm in our Piazza and lettuce is referred to as "rocket" on American restaurant menus. (I'm totally serious... "rocket"... Not lechuga, letice or letuss, but ROCKET!) It's hot as hell outside, everyone tries to rip you off and there are no screens on the windows... (ENTER bugs!) Customer service is an unknown concept here. Waitresses glare at you, waiters stare at you and sneaky old women try to steal your purchased groceries.

On the other hand... tips aren't necessary when dining out, all prices are set at even dollar amounts and alcohol is wicked cheap. Every building, alley and artwork is absolutely gorgeous and cute sundresses are highly encouraged :)

When in Rome!

Ciao Bella... (Roma, Roma, Roma!)

Bonjourno! (Is that how you spell it?)... I'm here, amores! I'm here in Rome! (Please check out the videos posted on my facebook wall for an interesting portrayal of my Italian adventures)...

I'm living in an apartment in Travestevre, (again- is that how you spell it?)... It's not really an apartment, it's more of a palace! The place is HUGE with marble floors, high ceilings and Henri Matisse paintings on the walls.

The food is absolutely splendid. I ate some gnocchi the first night... Mouthgasm! I was also feeling the olives at "Friends Bar," a great cafe next to our palace that serves an American-style breakfast and delicious happy hour treats :) ... I was also pleased with my ham/mushroom/olive/artichoke pizza that I had for lunch today. Bon appetit!

Today I saw the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Piazza Fiori and other beautiful places. The buildings are all so charming. The city's ancient architecture and deep-rooted history provide for some very enchanting scenery. I will keep you all updated as I enjoy my first European experience. Ciao, Ciao!

Happy Hangover! (Dude's Graduation)

It's about 2:00 am... I went to bed at 10:30 but woke up because of a stupid decision to eat a pack of M&M's at 10:00, (Side Note: chocolate has caffeine).

I have successfully made it through the brother's graduation weekend! (Minus the drive home later this morning)... For the past 3 days I have embraced the gifts of the wine gods to calm my mind and tune-out any unwanted family events/conversations. I was able to celebrate the accomplishments of my honors-everything "magna sum laude" sibling and was generous enough to lend him the spotlight for the weekend.

On Friday morning, Moomsical & Faji (Mom & Dad) sat me down for a serious conversation... "Now Hilsey, you know that this is ANDREW's weekend, right!? We know you like to be the center of attention, but try to let HIM shine for the next few days. Don't be a little brat and steal his thunder... Or we're cutting you off financially. Thanks, sweetheart!"

I can not lie... It was a challenge... But I think I behaved well and gracefully hid in the shadows during Andrew's "spotlight moments"... BUT: Now that the festivities are over, I can move back into the spotlight... the place I feel most comfortable :)

Hilary's Weekend Forecast...

Several things...

1) I've concluded that men in their 40's should stop going to bars and hitting on college girls. It's gross. You're old and could literally be my father. Go meet some cougars!

2) Tomorrow I leave for Williamsburg with my parents, 4 grandparents and Uncle Jeff to attend THE Andrew Gerard Leister's college graduation... (FAMILY OVERLOAD!) I'm hoping that there will be minimal drama, (Hey, I can dream!), and a steady flow of alcohol, (quite possible :)

3) In other news... I'm having lunch today with one of my oldest friends! DQ and I have been close buddies since second grade. She spent the past semester over in Europe and I haven't seen her since January. It should be a glorious reunion!

4) I'm going to a birthday party tonight for Brian's roommate's girlfriend... who I've never met... nor do I know her name... should be awesome!

Just Call Me A Libertarian

On my way to the dentist this morning, there was a hot silver Lexus driving in front of me. It had 2 hilarious bumper stickers that pretty much made my day...



Let me just say... I am NOT anti-Obama. He seems like a great man capable of leading our country. To describe my political viewpoints... I believe in liberal social agendas, but believe strongly in conservative economic policies. I therefore found these stickers quite amusing. I hope all of you economic conservatives will appreciate them as well. Go USA!

Ace Final Exam...CHECK!

I wanted to tell you all about the extra credit question on my art final last week...

After a wicked hard 2 hour-long exam, my Professor told us that there was an extra-credit question. She read it to the class... "Which pope built the Sistine Chapel?" Because I was exhausted and couldn't feel my hand, didn't know the answer and felt like being a smart-ass, I quickly scribbled in my booklet...

"The pope did not build the Sistine Chapel. He merely sat there, smiled and watched as the poor Roman workers labored away. He also bossed Michelangelo around. Have a great summer, Professor!"

I ended up getting an "A" in the class. I like to think it was because of the cleverness put into my response for the extra-credit. What have I learned?... Wit pays off in the end :)

Apartment, Brian, Rome, Stars, Craigslist

Several updates...

1) After endless hours of searching, (ok... more like 3 hours), I found a place to live for the 2009-2010 school year! On Sunday afternoon, I checked out 3 different abodes...

Option #1 was a lovely apartment, huge bedroom, 2 roommates (one gorgeous guy and a slightly intimidating girl), where I definitely felt at home.
Option #2 was basically the basement of a frat house. I didn't even make it through the door before running in the opposite direction.
Option #3 was a charming garden apartment, very close to school, one extremely awesome and down-to-earth girl, minimal space but optimal price. Me and Option #3 got along quite well and agreed to be be roomies starting July 1st!

2) Brian told me that his co-workers thought he was on heavy drugs because of the exhaustion he was showing during work today. (I may have kept him up past his bedtime last night :) ... Basically: The conversation led to him describing me as a drug... i quote... "you are addictive and induce feelings of euphoria"... for all you Twilight fans out there... I'm basically his personal brand of heroin!

3) I leave for Rome in exactly 1 week! That's like... 7 days! AAAAHHHHHHH!

4) I was given two stress-balls yesterday shaped like stars that are supposed to help with the anxiety I have now that classes are over and I have way too much free time. (I know... People are supposed to be stressed out when they have too LITTLE free time. I'm just weird and obnoxiously productive)... Anways... SO far, they aren't helping. I need entertainment!

5) Craigslist is going to get me killed. That's all I'm going to say. Happy Tuesday!