Imballagio

Dopo parlavo con jill ho trovato che il ritmo circadiano non era importante perché già naturalmente durante le ore giuste per italia. Come già raccontavo mi sveglio presto come contadino alle cinque a roma nessuno si sveglia prima del dieci o l’undici ( sei ore dopo) . a roma dormano tarde alle tre, e qui io dormo alle ventuno ( sei ore da prima).

Ieri ho imballato tutto per il mio viaggio. Ero più organizzato di quanto avrei pensato. Ho metto le mie corde elettroniche in sacchettini di plastica individuale secondo il loro uso. Poi mettevo tutti i sacchettini in un sacco più grande che l’ho messo nel mio bagaglio a mano. Il processo era disorganizzato. I miei vestiti erano cosparsi per tutta camera di letto e quasi tutti non lavate. In primo piano dovevo lavare tutti e poi ho dovuto scegliere quali vestiti può portano secondo la misura del bagaglio. La mia mamma è imballatore esperto perché lei imballava più che avrei voluto in un bagaglio semplicemente. Soprattutto non era troppo difficile. Domani vola alle diciannove.

Anche jill mi suggerisce a comprare nuove scarpe, guardate!


After I talked to jill i found out that the circadian rhythm was unimportant because i was already on the right hours. I get up so early and go to sleep so early and they get up and stay up so late that we keep the same hours. I wake at 5 and sleep at 9 and they wake at 11 and sleep at 3 am. six hours different.

yesterday i packed everything for my trip. I was more organized than i thought i would be. i put all the cords in little plastic bags and the plastic bags in a bigger bag. and that bag in my carry-on. The process was completely disorganized. my clothes were strewn all over my bedroom and only half of them had been washed. so first i had to wash them then i had to figure out which ones i wanted. my mom is the expert packer she packed more than i could have wanted in the one bag i was allowed by alitalia. overall it wasn't too hard. tomorrow i fly at 7pm

jill suggested i get new shoes! check it out!

il ritmo circadiano

Remember when i told you that i had no idea what time it was, or where i was, or that i felt this whirlwind feeling? Now I admit that before I had exaggerated a bit, now I really have a whirlwind feeling. I started to change my circadian rhythm so that my body would be prepared for the change of time zone in advance of my trip.
My uncle suggested it. He travels a lot because he is an administrator in the hospitality industry. Maybe he was joking, but im crazy so I wanted to try it. I can’t really hurt and the most important thing is that this will help me sleep on the plane. The Idea is if I sleep and eat at the same hours as I would in Italy, my body will already feel adjusted when I arrive in Italy.
This is the hard part because if I plan on doing this I must stay up all night. If you don't know me like this I am a classic early riser. My routine is this: I get up early like a farmer between five and seven (never later if I didn’t drink the night before) and consequently I am already tired by nine or ten in the evening. The most difficult part is meals because a meal like breakfast would be at three in the morning in the United States.

Ricordi quando ti ho detto che non so che ora è, o dove sono, o che mi sento una sensazione “mulinello”? Adesso ammetto che ero esagerando, oggi mi sento proprio come mulinello. Ho cominciato a cambiare il mio ritmo circadiano in modo che il mio corpo può prepararsi per il cambiamento di fuso orario prima che viaggio.
Mio zio lo suggerisce. Lui viaggia spesso perché lui è un direttore nel settore alberghiero. Forse scherzava, ma sono pazzo e lo voglio provare. Non può farmi di male e l’ultima cosa d’importanza è che dormo in aereo che farò così. L’idea è che se dormo e mangio nella stessa ora che farei in Italia, il mio corpo si sentirà già regolata quando arriverò in Italia.
Questo è punto difficile perché se ho intenzione di fare questo devo stare svegli tutta la notte. Se non mi conosci così io sono classico, quello che diciamo in inglese, “early-bird” . la mia routine è così: mi sveglio presto come contadino fra cinque e sette (mai più tarde se non bevevo la notte precedente) e di conseguenza sono già stanco per ventuno ventidue alla notte. La parte più difficile sono le ore dei pasti perché un pasto come colazione farebbe tre di mattina agli stati uniti.
Sono stato sveglio dal mezzogiorno ieri e l’ora di andare a dormire in Italia è forse le otto o nove ore di più. Ora devo pacchetto in questo stato strano di mulinello.

Déménager II

I had a feeling moving out was going to be a long day. I already had that whirlwind feeling leaving PA at midnight the night before, and considering I was already so tired and that at 8 the next morning I would be at U-haul of East Orange picking up a 10 foot truck, I knew that I would be feeling this way for the next couple days.
6:30 AM in Mount Laurel is 8:00 AM in East Orange. I guess this is something that little brother didn't understand because he stayed up late the night before and wasn't really aware of the time we were leaving. I didn't even really know he was coming because the day before mom was talking about coming and never mentioned him, but I guess she missed the 6:30AM memo as well.

After the obligatory trip to WaWa, coffee and sizzlies, we started north on the turnpike. We took the classic route that I don't really think me and my dad have taken since my freshmen year. After about 2 trips we are always trying to find new ways of going somewhere. We started taking 295 instead of the turnpike the full way there about the time I moved into my place and really haven’t taken that way since.
So there we were: 6:45AM around exit 6, in our boots, knit hats, driving to some unknown northern destination, finishing our sizzlies, drinking coffee, the sky is just starting to change colors. We start talking about how this is basically the scenario of a camping trip back when me and my brother were both in scouts. This is really the calm before the storm part of the trip because it’s shortly after this that I realize that I forgot my keys. This is another lesson of camping apparently left unlearned because I don't think I’ve ever been on a trip when I didn't forget something really important. Luckily I figured out that my roommate was home and that I would be going back anyway so we didn't have to turn around, but after that it’s hard to avoid the feeling that this was going to be a long day.

We pick up the U-Haul. I’ve lived in this area for a few years now but of course I don't really know how to get everywhere. I don't have a car so my knowledge of driving in North Jersey is limited to highways. Actually it’s limited to one highway, the Garden State Parkway. I pretty much spend 80% of my time driving on the route from Mount Laurel to Newark so I can tell you which exits are the closest to my place (none of them) or which time of day is the best to avoid traffic (from 2 AM to 3 AM other than that is a parking lot). So getting from U-Haul to my apartment requires GPS even if it’s only like 2 miles away. Even with all my knowledge of the Parkway me and my dad forgot that trucks can’t go on the Parkway and it wasn't until we he just merged onto the highway that I figured this out. We were caravanning and he was leading since he had the GPS so all I could do is hope for the best. Luckily everything turned out OK.

Here is where the real fun starts. I moved in on the hottest day of the year, in a huge rainstorm. I moved out on basically the coldest, when the whole block was piled up with snow. Here in New Jersey we don't really have the luxury of going to the Ice Bar since I could make cups of ice outside from all the snow piled up. Ivy Hill isn’t really noted for its spacious parking and unloading the U-Haul was hard enough the first time so moving out surrounded by piles of snow and icy roads and sidewalks forced us to walk carefully and block about 6 parking spots. Thanks to me for forgetting my keys the basement door became a one way so we had to walk around the building. This resulted in the Ivy Hill Relays as trips moving out furniture became a big circle: U-Haul, walk around the building, elevator to the ninth, grab some stuff, elevator down, basement door, back to the U-Haul, repeat. We really made good time though and because the 6A crew is taking my sofa it was really easy to pack up. This was supposed to be my dad’s last trip to 9N but in a last minute audible he left the vacuum so that I could clean thoroughly so he’ll be back on Friday. Moving stage one was complete ahead of schedule. We moved the wall unit, Bombay table, kitchen table, chairs, lounge chairs, bed, dresser, carpets, and a few other things out in about 2 hours with a team of 4. In spite of all our mistakes we realized one thing that we did make an improvement in from the moving in process. This time I opted for the $7 rental of a furniture dolly. Gamechanger. We took a break for lunch before beginning moving out part two. In order to do that we had to lock up the truck something that the two eagle scouts present had neglected to bring on this camping trip so I had to borrow a lock and rope to tie up the furniture in the truck from the 6A crew. Dad took us out to Hot Bagels Abroad, which is The Place in South Orange. I firmly believe it is the best place to get bagels on earth, even if they are real expensive. Little brother approved so I know I can’t be far off from being correct.

Moving part II was a lot easier. We thought ahead and talked about the route in order to avoid the Parkway, we had my cousin the pro mover who loves the opportunity to fit as much stuff as possible into the smallest places he can, and I had already made reservations so we were set. Not exactly.

My cousin and uncle met us back in Mount Laurel and we unloaded all the stuff that wouldn't fit in the house. We had to estimate how much would fit into storage and move as much out as possible without really knowing how big the space was. After that we headed down to Berlin, NJ for storage. Apparently Berlin, NJ is the storage capital of the world. I choose Berlin originally because I found online that they had the cheapest prices at the shortest distance.

I unknowingly gave my dad and uncle directions to Berlin Self Storage instead of Public Storage in Berlin. This was the last hang up of the day. I made reservations at Public Storage and they called me about 3 times last week to confirm. We get to Berlin Self Storage and figure out that this is the wrong place, they are a little more expensive but dad talks them down to about the same price. Then Walt “Pete” takes us to see the space. It looks fine (we really don't know what we are looking for) so we go back to the van. We the decide to measure the furniture, then we realize we need to measure the space ( we didn't purchase yet so Walt “Pete” has to take us back for trip number 2). Turns out that 5X5 really means 4’6’’ X 5 so we have to bump up to the 5X10 so we had to take trip number 3 out to storage to see that. Then Walt “Pete” and my dad start working out the rental agreement. I knew things were gonna be bad when Walt “Pete” asked my dad for his license first so that he could have time to record the number because he was aware that he “typed slow”. Then he printed the rental agreement but the price on it was wrong. Somehow Walt “Pete”, who has worked at that place every day for years, didn't know how to change it and told my dad to call his boss on Monday. This was no good. After teaching Walt how to use a computer we started to move in. We realized we needed a lock so we had to use the one that we borrowed from the 6A crew, but I’m getting a new one for them today. Moving in was easy and went off without a hitch except for the gate of the storage almost killing me because went up into the air when it opened like a drawbridge instead of just sliding sideways. After that we parted was and dropped off the U-Haul at yet another storage place in Berlin (this one was more expensive than both the others).

I grabbed my keys and had Little Brother take me to the train to head back to Newark. I realized I had forgot the rope half way there and somewhere between Newark Penn Station and Ivy Hill my keys disappeared. Who’s gonna blame me for that. I had no idea what time it was, what day it was, or where the heck I was after going all over the place for the past couple days. Hopefully my next post will be from Italy. See everyone in a week.

Déménager

I always knew it would be difficult to move out. It was difficult to move in and I had fewer clothes, less furniture and pretty much less of everything. I moved in during a rainstorm in august of 2009, and I’m moving out during a snowstorm. It snowed both moving out in Newark and this morning it started snowing here and Mount Laurel and we still have to move things from the car to the house. My dad came up and helped me last night. We made good time I think, loading up the whole care with things in about two hours.

The real hard part is yet to come. I have a whole apartment of furniture to move yet: couch wall unit, bed, to chairs, kitchen table, and bureau. There are three US weekends left and I still don't know where this stuff is going to go. I was going to measure all of it and relay this info back to the home base but dad and I forgot the tape measure on the way back to Hamilton. So now I have to see if I can find measurements somehow. Right now we are planning the move for two weeks from now. There really is no good time to move. The last weekend in the month is too late and too stressful since ill be leaving days later. Two weeks from now is my mom’s birthday which complicates things, and this coming weekend things just won’t be ready.

Physically moving out is going to be hard as well. I remember a conversation with all involved with the move in where we joked that the only way the couch is going to be moved out is in pieces, meaning chopped in half. This apartment has probably the worst design. The front door, which opens to a hallway on both sides of the threshold, doesn't even open all the way. The hallway is less than an inch shorter than the door so the door opens a lot, almost all the way but it comes just short, frustratingly similar to the Eagles today. On top of this the couch, if I remember right, is only a few inches taller than the door. Moving it in we tried every possible way we could to fit it through the door. It took like 20 minutes until we could find the right way to fit it in. if only I remember which way that was …

i giallorossi

Last year I picked up the Saints when I visited Jill in New Orleans during the playoffs. After celebrating a playoff win over the Cardinals on Bourbon Street I decided that I'm now also a Saints fan. I had good reason to do so: they rarely play the Eagles. Celebrating a playoff victory in a bar is something I have clearly never done in Philly anyway so really this was kind of its own thing.
Well today I've chosen my Serie A team: Roma. I've spent all morning watching their win over Catania and listening to it on Italian Radio. Considering I got really angry when the feed froze during each gol, and seeing the stadium made me realize that I'm going to live in this city for months and i'll probably see that stadium and i may even be able to go to a game. So Roma is my team now. forza roma! forza giallorossi!

i giallorossi

Mai stato un tifoso di uno squadro specifico di calcio. La mia famiglia non sono italiani nel senso culturale a dunque non si guarda il calcio, no si sono tifosi. Cominciavo a guardare il calcio quando ho scoperto che di domenica il cannale internazionale mostrava le partite più importanti della settimana che subita passava. Anche a questo punto non posso nominare tutti degli squadri del serie A. conosco forse due calciatori … Totti.
Sono bugiardo, conosco uno, ma lui è un giallorosso, e quello è l’unica cosa d’importanza per me. Ho subito guardato la partita fra Roma e Catania. Non mi chieste dove perché non era legale, ma non importante perché l’ho guardato. Il sito che usava non era buono. Infatti, ho mancato l’ultimo gol che permetteva Roma a vincere. Lo stream era rotto durante tutti i momenti più importante della partita ma l’ho seguito tutto del radio sportivo italiano. Adesso imparerò più della mia nuova squadra. Se ci sono soldi, vorrei andare a un partito allo stadio olimpico a Roma per guardare i miei giallorossi.

Walsh/Vatican

yesterday i left seton hall.
Maybe I'm the only one but I think there's a bit of similarity between St Peter's and Walsh. Right? Right? ... Probably Not

Caro Diario

In between transcribing an interview about theology and transhumanism I got distracted. This is pretty common in the line of work I do which involves a desk and a computer at all times. I was looking up movies set in Rome, specifically by Italian directors. I don't know that much about the city and compared to a lot of other things in Italian culture I know almost nothing about cinema.

One of the movies I noticed was one I had been meaning to watch for some time, Caro Diario by Nanni Moretti. Romani taught me about it in Italian Civ II. The class was organized into a study of Italian History from unification on. The final portion was about current cultures and themes in specific cities. She explained that Moretti is almost the Woody Allen of Italian Cinema.

Caro Diario starts in Vespa in Moretti’s favorite part of the city, Garbatella. I still don't know where I’m living but UniRomaTre is on the edge of the Garbatella near the Tevere. Garbatella is historically a working class neighborhood. Moretti says it was settled in the late 1920’s. Suburban, it looks like a blend of old, new, city, suburban, it is beyond the part of the city which dates back to ancient times, but it still has history by most standards, “Garibaldi fought here” they say in Diario.

This film has a lot of great elements which I find irresistible, the way Moretti says Jennifer Beals with an Italian accent, riding vespa, a part of Rome I will probably know well, the 90’s, world music, humor, the way Moretti interacts with people is like an Italian version of Seinfeld. He loves just looking at houses, there’s the facades, there’s a bridge he must cross twice a day. I mean for me this is more the relatable. He dances like a nut on his Vespa. If the first part of the movie is about anything it’s about regionalism. We know how I feel about that.

One question: does Jennifer Beals really speak Italian?
I must be "a little off center"

To Rome!

My flight is on Thursday, at 8:30pm.  It's a red eye to Amsterdam, so I'll arrive around 10am.  Then I have two hours at the airport before I transfer planes.  I arrive in Rome at 3:25pm.  Then it all starts. 

I'm feeling an annoying mix of emotions that change constantly.  I'm excited and nervous.  Yesterday I was thrilled when reading about the shops and restaurants in my new home, Rome's west bank, Trastevere.  Today I don't feel like getting off the couch.  I am dreading packing and traveling, but I can't wait to meet new people and get to know the city.

Mostly I just want to get there!  When I get to Rome all my "pre-departure anxiety" (as described in the online orientation) will disappear and I can start falling in love with Rome!  Maybe I'll even learn something in the next four months!

ai nuovi romani

Jillian and I are living in Rome for the next couple months.
We are going to different schools in different parts of the city.
This is going to be the closest we have been to each other for the longest sustained period of time since we were both in high school.
So we are going to do our best to keep a good record of things.
I imagine Jill will keep track of learning Italian and architecture throughout the city.

I'm going to probably do the same and just general thoughts on roman life.
I'm also using this blog as a way to practice Italian and French. Since i've heard that the Italian university system has much less writing than the American. So i'll do my best to do as many translations of these posts as I can.

I have no idea what Rome is like despite studying Italian for 6 years. I was there for 2 days in 2006. I only have slight memories of the city, most of which took place at the Vatican. (i dont remember that much of Rome but i could easily describe almost every second of my tour at st peters.)

Jill is living in the Trastevere. I dont know where ill be but my school in the Garbatella near the piramide.

Really Long Weekend

Were on break, so who cares. I intended to read all of an Italian translation of Pamuk's "Istanbul" and Jill intended to practice Italian everyday, but we got lazy. Jill leaves Thursday so shes out of time. I go back to Newark later today this is the end of me giving her lessons. This is what happens over break. You get back to Mt. La-La, you are tired from the semester, you want to meet up with all the people you haven't seen. Next thing you know your watching Modern Marvels: Cheese and reruns of American Pickers.

I think I gave her the tools she needs to "butter/ladder" her way to at least an understanding of the language so that she can tell when a shop is closed for calcio or a strike or something.

I'm in the mood to watch some Fellini today so maybe La Dolce Vita or La Strada can make up for like a week of not practicing.