Blog is Back...

With the entire world being able to read the blog, as much as I like to share everything with everyone, it takes too much time and effort to tailor everything such that it can be read by the whole world. Therefore, I've thrown on permissions and only people with logins can read this. This is open to very close family and friends at this point so I will feel a little more free to blog to my heart's content. And post pics to my heart's conent, as well. :)

I apologize for the very long delay in posting, lots has been going on as usual, lots in Italian.  As hard as it is for me to speak it, I still want to live in that place and be frustrated when I can't find the right words, the cool part is that the frustration levels and stress levels have significantly declined over the past couple of weeks, in particular.

Last night was a birthday party for the daughter of one of my teammates. For the first time in a social setting, not only was I able to understand, I was able to carry conversation somewhat. I am, in general, talking a lot more and able to connect with people I couldn't understand or begin to talk to not very long ago.

Night before last I went to see Sonny Rollins (dude is 80 years old) in concert in Perugia. There's a Jazz Fest here during July every year, it's cool. I have had live jazz streaming in my bedroom window every night for 2 weeks. I hear it now as I'm typing and it's 1 am.

I meant to get to bed a little sooner than this, I am a bit tired but also a bit wiped out after today. Today was a Gran Fondo near Siena (a place full of Americans in Tuscany...all because of the book "Under the Tuscan Sun." Honestly, it's pretty and the couse was awesome, but I believe Umbria to be greener and prettier. The road surface is better in Tuscany, however. Again, the world champ showed up but I raced super hard and took 2nd. After racing my heart out, the result felt awesome. So did the all-you-can-drink red wine and bowl full of fresh tomatoes at the pasta party. Yum. I even met an American who works for Ciclismo, the company who I traveled with last summer who inspired me to come back here. It's a small world...this is small world story #4 since I've been here.

Gotta fly due to time and lots of homework to do before class resumes tomorrow morning.