Call to Action

I thought this was too well written not to post up here. Here is an email from my husband, Paul regarding the UC Davis rally on 11-18-2011

 

I have never sent out a mass email but I cannot watch this video without saying something to my family and friends. I will try to keep it short.

I have lived in Davis for about 20 years and I never thought I would see this happen in my town. Yesterday a group of UC Davis students were pepper sprayed at a peaceful protest. You can watch video of the incident at here. These students attended the rally in response to tuition fee hikes and a call for solidarity from students and faculty who were bludgeoned with batons, hospitalized, and arrested at UC Berkeley last week. The students were sitting, locked in arms, on the quad near Mrak Hall.

I know many of you have connections to the city of Davis and the campus so I thought you may want to see what is going on. If you watch that video and are as upset as I am, please try to find out what you can do to help in your neighborhood. Winter is coming and many of the protesters will need warm clothes and supplies.

Thanks.

Paul

P.S. If you want to learn more about what occurred at UCD yesterday here is a list of articles. Just click on the text and it will take you to the article.

An Open Letter from a member of the UCD faculty calling for the resignation of the chancellor.

A blog about the students response to being pepper sprayed.

Several different videos of the incident of varying lengths and angles.

"Receiving a bachelor’s diploma is quite frankly the same as receiving a high school diploma." This video is not in relation to the events of 11-18-11. It is from a protest on 11-16-11 and does a good job describing what this is all about.

 

Guest post

I'm over at 2000 Dollar Budget Wedding today...Enjoy!

April Showers

Oh my! March was so busy it bled into April! I feel all sucky that I haven't written here in a while, but I guess better to be too busy to write than just not having anything to write about! Work has been insane as we are all trying to get as much done as we can in case the budget stalemate puts us on furloughs for a while (and I thought working for the feds would always be stable!)

My commitments for March went pretty well. I feel like writing them down here really made me focus on what I needed to do to attain my goals. Let's see...I am totally rocking the whole driving on the highway thing. I think my little phobia is just about nailed. In March I drove to school (17 miles away from home) more times than I can count. I also drove home from Stockton (about an two hours in heavy rush hour traffic), and I drove to Reno which was a bit scary since the roads were wet from a storm--at least no ice was to be found!

On the whole my anxiety about work stayed pretty low this month. I've begun to realize that I don't need everything figured out right now (so hard for the pathological planner inside my head).  Yes, I am not a fan of parts of my job, but I can work to change those parts later. I have options, and I need to stop acting like I don't.

The one thing I didn't get to in March was starting an online book club. I've been thinking about it a lot, and am still excited about it. So I am going to try to get something going this month....which leads me to my April commitments, of which I only have one:

BE A BETTER FRIEND!

I have been a crappy, flaky friend lately. I let work, school, and a million other things get in the way of friendships that I value more than anything. I've become totally inconsiderate, and it's time to kick myself in the ass and work at changing that. 

Fun with Rocks

My beginning collection

 The weather has been nasty. I don't remember March being so wet in the past, but I probably say that every year. Regardless it's putting a damper on my efforts to get out into the field for work. I am suppose to go survey 120 acres of rangeland on Tuesday/Wednesday of next week, but we may be stuck inside. Part of me is happy about this--we'll have to use ATV's to get to the area, and with my all of three hours experience driving one I just don't feel comfortable doing it in wet, slick grasses and mud. Of course part of me is sad that we will likely not be going out, I'm excited to visit rangeland since those areas are relatively pristine and the likelyhood of finding archaeological sites is much better.

Oh, by the way, the ATV training I took went pretty well, though I still maintain that I'd rather use horses to get into inaccessible places. At least I know a horse won't tip over, run over my leg, and break me.

To keep myself busy and in an archaeological mindset, I've started flintnapping with some obsidian my supervisor gave me. So far, I suck pretty hard at it. But practice, practice, practice...

ah! I was doing so well!*

* I wish I could take complete credit for the general pointy shape of this obsidian. My supervisor got it started for me, but I did get some good progress on it before one wrong hit broke it in half. 

My Review of "The Quickening" and "At First Sight"

I just finished these two books and I gotta say, I was a bit disappointed by both of them. Neither one was quite what I had expected, which in itself isn't a bad thing at all, but I just didn't get that wonderful feeling of being immersed in the story that I so crave. 

The Quickening is the story of two women, Enidina Current and Mary Morrow, who both struggle in their own way to create a life worth living in the harsh Iowa prairies.  It takes place in and around the Depression years and provides a great deal of insight into the hardships of that time.

This was not, by any means a bad book. In fact it is incredibly well written. Hoover provides a gut wrenching, masterful depiction of the hardships of the Depression. One scene in particular left me shaking. I won't say much, since I don't want to be the bearer of spoilers, but if you do read it I am talking about the the scene with the Current's pigs. It is a scene that perfectly depicts the impossible choices that have to be made when communities begin to crack under the shared suffering of the people.

I found myself very much connected to Enidina. Her perseverance through more struggles than she deserved is what kept me engaged in the book. I wanted to see where she would go in life. I found her last days to be different from what I hoped for her, but wholly within her character. 

But despite the beautiful writing and my fondness of Enidina, in the end this book didn't capture my imagination or make me feel any lasting emotional bond to the story. Enidina is the only character who I feel was real. Mary, in particular was quite one dimensional. From the start she is unlikeable, and while her past and present situations explain her motives, she is wholly predicable. I did feel sorry for her during parts of the story, but mostly she was just landscaping. She could have been so much more. Mary is such an important part of the book, and the fact that she was so one dimensional hinders the entire story. It is as if Enidina is a living breathing person surrounded by cardboard cutouts pretending to be people.

This book had the potential to pull me in and make me care and connect with the characters. In the end, it just didn't. I struggled with this book, and my review of it. I really want to like it. Maybe it just wasn't the right time to read it. Maybe I'm just not in the right place myself--perhaps I will try again, someday.

 At First Sight is about Jeremy and Lexie, two people who find themselves getting married after a six week relationship and an unplanned pregnancy. The story follows their engagement and Lexie's pregnancy, and ends with a twist.

My conflicted feelings about The Quickening do not carry over to this book. I plainly did not like it. When I picked up this audiobook, I had no idea who Nicholas Sparks was. I've never seen or read The Notebook (though I've heard from others that it is very good), and after reading this book I'm hesitant to venture near this author again.

I don't mean to sound so harsh, but I just could not stand how manipulative and uncommunicative the characters were.  I found myself feeling throughout the book that these two weren't meant to be together, despite how much they did actually seem to love each other. I just don't understand relationships so completely devoid of communication. Lexie hides things from Jeremy when she had no need or motivation to do so, and he keeps his feeling from her seemingly out of habit instead of any real reason. By the end of the book, I was going to scream if Jeremy said one more time "I'm feeling ____, but I'm saying ____ instead." So much heartache and misunderstandings could have been avoided if they had just talked to each other.

It is rare that I finish a book and my feelings of it are so black and white, but I just can't find any redeeming qualities to this story. Sparks' view of relationships feels distorted. I get so infuriated by the over-played "romantic" meme of " woman is manipulative, man is emotionally distant and somehow they make it anyways." I don't think it reflects real relationships, or at least not what a relationship should be.

For my next bit of readings I've lightened the mood a bit. I picked up two books of short stories: Boys and Girls Like You and Me, and Tales of Wonder. My audio book this time is The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl (I couldn't resist a title like that!)

The Cooking Quest - Lemon Spaghetti

After a crazy six months that prevented Paul and I from experimenting with new recipes, we're finally back at it! We go grocery shopping every two weeks and pick up the ingredients for a new dish each time.

This time it was: Spaghetti with Lemon by my favorite recipe creator, Deb from Smitten Kitchen.

It was...aaaaamazing. Paul's aunt gave us some lemons from her tree and this recipe was the perfect way to put them to use. It's very summery, and the light but creamy sauce was perfect.

Our Changes to the recipe include:

• The addition of some grilled chicken tenders. Honestly, didn't need the chicken at all. I think I preferred it alone, as the chicken just took away from the incredible taste of the lemon sauce.
• Can you believe we could not find fresh basil anywhere? Tried three different stores and nothing! We substituted dried basil. It was still good, but I want to try this again with fresh. 

So yummy!

Not only was this meal scrumptious, it has a secret added bonus--we had enough heavy cream left over to make some homemade whip cream, which we added used as a topping to fresh blueberries and strawberries for dessert.

another bonus: heart shaped mini nilla wafer. awww

March Commitments

It's been a long time since I've committed to making monthly goals. But this semester has been really  good so far. I feel more focused, more centered. This gives me time to think about other things. I have time to write this little blog, and I have time to make (and keep) commitments to myself. So, for this month I am committed to:

• Continue reading. Having non-fiction back in my life after years of textbooks is amazingly therapeutic. I have to keep this up.
• Researching book clubs. I'm considering starting my own online book club, or joining one. But I need to figure out what I want, and how to find it. 
• Start walking again. The cold and rainy weather has halted my twice daily walks, but as the weather warms I want to get out there again. There is something meditative about walking in the early mornings before starting the craziness of the day.
• Be more positive about work. I have a good job, and I enjoy it. But sometimes I let my anxiety get the best of me and it becomes overwhelming.  My job makes me go out into the field. I have to leave my comfort zone more often than I would like to (for example, I have to take ATV training on Monday. This both excites and terrifies me.)
• Continue breaking my phobia of highway driving.  This is really embarrassing, but I have avoided driving on the highway for my whole adult life. It scares scared me to death. My job is forcing me to work at getting over this. I've been practicing and I'm doing really well, but there is plenty of room for improvement. Tomorrow will be my first trip without Paul there for support. Wish me luck!

That's all I'm putting on my plate for this month. Highway driving and being positive at work are difficult for me, and I need to work extra hard to tamp down the anxieties.  Lucky for me, reading and walking make me feel emotionally better, so I think my commitments for this month balance nicely.

Toby Monster

Exactly the company I needed tonight...

(not pictured: my big glass of wine and dinner made by my hubby after a long day at work)

Family Game Night

Photo Credit

Last night was our test run of family game night. It went spectacularly well, and appears to have become a set family event for at least a while.  Paul and I came up with the idea to get all the family together every other week. We are lucky enough to have his parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents all in town, but we still don't see everyone as much as we would like. Paul's parents hosted, we brought pie, and a close family friend provided our first game--Cranium.

At first I was worried about Paul's ninety year old grandfather not wanting to play such an active game, but he seemed to enjoy watching us all make fools of ourselves. I gotta tell ya, watching your mother-in-law attempt to mime the action "fly fishing" is pretty effing hysterical.  It was great to see everyone enjoying themselves. They sent up another game night right there on the spot. Hooray for good ol' fashion family fun!

We are now on the look out for new games to play. Anyone out there have any favorites? We have a group of 12, but are willing to get two different games going at the same time if we have to.

Appreciative

On our wedding day

I just gotta get all mushy for a second and say that love this man so much. When I was feeling oh so very crappy this week he was there, uncomplaining and supportive. Even when I got grumpy and whiny, his carefree spirit kept me going. And when I started feeling better yesterday, and able to laugh and enjoy myself again, I fully realized just how important his awesome humor and outlook on life is to my own attitude. He makes marriage, and my life, pretty damn fun. What more could a girl ask for?

Star Wars

"I don't want to live in a world where Greedo shot first" Amen, Brother!

Dsytopias

Huffpo has posted a great list of Dystopian novels that have me inspired.

Brave New World is my all time favorite book.  It freaked the hell out of me in high school. It's cold, and hostile and completely blew my then 16-year old mind with it's distorted reality. I was initially not impressed with 1984, but gets better as I get older--and creepier.

Some of the books on the list sound incredibly intriguing. I don't know when I'll read them, because...well...I'm just not in a dystopian kind of mood right now. But, these are certainly going on my to-be-read-someday list:

• We by Yevgeny Zamyatin 
• The Drowned World, by J.G. Ballard 
• Blindness, by Jose Saramago (based on the Huffpo synopsis, I think I will read this one before the others)
•  Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (this has been on my list forever. Why do I keep forgetting about it at the library?)
• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (a feminist dystopia? Sign me up!)
• Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro (This one just sounds creepy, which is awesome!)
• World War Z, by Max Brooks (eh, this one's a maybe. I am not a fan of zombie stories. But a friend recommended it to me as well, so maybe I'll give it a shot.)

These look like great books, but can I just say--what's up with no Animal Farm on this list? That's an amazing story and it seems odd to leave it out of a list on dystopias. But, I guess I'll take a few books that I have never heard of at the cost of one the amazing book that I have.

Sick

Photo Credit

bleh, I am Ms. Sicky McSickersons this week. And it suuuucks. I went to the doctor on Tuesday and I may or may not have bronchitis, or I'm just having a bad week-long asthma attack. Or it's the nastiest allergies ever. Or, all three! yay, it's a party of ick in my lungs! Basically, she said there wasn't anything they could do. Fine. But I'm still grumpy. And Whiny. And incapably of using proper grammar.

Oooookay, that little tantrum made me feel better. Time to pretend like an adult and get my ass to class. Happy Thursday all!


*grumble* *grumble* *grumble*

Planned Parenthood

Yesterday, the House voted to strip Planned Parenthood of their funding. I don't even have the words right now to describe how angry this makes me. So, instead of going on a rant, all I'm going to say is that Planned Parenthood helped me in the past when I was too poor to get help from anywhere else. They were supportive, caring, and incredibly professional. This organization helps women and men, and if it didn't exist, who would be there to take it's place?

If you feel the same, Stand Together with Planned Parenthood

My Review of "The Summer we Read Gatsby" and "Thirteen Reasons Why"

The first books of my official "I have to read more before I go crazy" tour were: The Summer We Read Gatsby and Thirteen Reasons Why.

The Summer We Read Gatsby is about two step-sisters coming together from different sides of the world to take care of their beloved Aunt Lydia's estate after her death. One sister is cautious, quiet and retrospective. The other is a free-sprited New York socialite--a fashonista channeling her own version of what Gatsby's Daisy would have been had she lived in 2008.

It ended as a delightful book, but started as a lesson in the snobbery that pervades the modern Hamptons. I am more fond of the story after finishing it than I ever was while in the process of reading. It took me some time to realize that there was more to one sister than meets the eye. Her initial superficiality annoyed me; but eventually I came to see her, and her debutant-like qualities, charming. 

Overall, a very sweet and romantic book about the joys and tribulations of sisterhood, adulthood, and finding your place in the world.

Thirteen Reasons Why was entirely a different story that was neither charming nor delightful. Instead, it was haunting. I explored this story as I think it was meant to be told--as a voice on the mp3 player. I initially chose this book on CD after reading the back cover. The author wrote that he got the idea after listening to the disembodied voice of a woman giving an audio tour at a museum. I don't know if reading the book would provide the same haunting qualities as listening to an equally disembodied voice tell the story. The format just fit the story.

It is about a girl, Hannah, who commits suicide and leaves behind tape recordings for the people in her life who influenced her decision. It's also about a boy, Clay, who listens to Hannah with you and goes through his own torment along the way. It sounds depressing, I know. But Clay makes the story hopeful. Yes, it's about teenage suicide, but it's also about moving on and coming to terms with events you cannot control.

As for the story as a whole, it was decent. It's all teenage-angsty and even a little emo at times, but it goes deeper than just that. Ultimately it's about how freaking hard it is to grow up, and how our life stories are interconnected to those around us--whether we like it or not.  It reminded me of my own depressed teenage years, how hard that time was for me, and how alone I felt. But it also reminded me of coming out of all of that, of gaining emotional strength, and of learning to come to terms with what hurts.

Moving on...

Ugh...I've been avoiding my own blog. You see, I'm honeymoon'ed out! Paul and I have showed pictures to our families, my coworkers, some friends, and now--I just don't wanna talk about it any more. Don't get me wrong, it was a trip of a lifetime and something that I am forever grateful that I did. But for now, I just want to let it sit in my memory a little bit rather than describe it again. So, the rest of the Honeymoon photos will probably make there way up here eventually, but for now I need a break.

What I've really been wanting to talk about is my 2011 goal. It's kinda like my New Year's Resolution, but I guess I don't like that term so, whatever...My goal has been to READ. Read actual books, with actual narrative, and PLOT! I know crazy idea, right? Well, for the past three years at least, I haven't really read anything other than technical books related to anthropology/archaeology. I feel like one side of my brain, the creative side, has atrophied. I discovered in myself during our trip, that I desperately missed novels.

I brought one, small book on the cruise with us, thinking that would get me through two weeks. Luckily there was a library on board. I didn't really read anything that great...Christopher Moore's first book, Practical Demonkeeping, which my Father-in-law recommended. It was decent, not a favorite, but entertaining. I also read one of Anne Rice's newer Vampire Chronicles, which even in my brain-atrophied state was a bad book. So disappointing. I used to love Anne Rice. I wonder if she's become a bad writer, or if I've just grown up? Probably the latter, but it kept me busy for a few days at any rate. I also read The Shattering, which is a book based on the World of Warcraft universe. At the risk of sounding like a geeky fangirl--f* it, I AM a geeky fangirl--I thought the book was great. It's a bit surreal to read a fantasy book and say "I've been there! I know exactly what the author is describing!" It's just a fun book that fellow geeks would probably like, and non-geeks will probably think is lame.

Once we got back home I went straight to our beautiful local library and wandered. I deliberately went alone, so I could avoid feeling rushed when Paul was ready to go, and without a book in mind. I wanted the feeling of discovering a book on the shelves. I guess right now, knowing what book I want before I go is just too structured--too much like grabbing a textbook. I focused on the newly released books. The last time I read novels it was the classics and this time I want to explore new writers.

While at the library I decided to also get a book on CD. I take the bus to campus twice a week and it's about an 1.5 hour commute each way. I get motion sickness pretty easily, so I can't read on the bus. I ripped the CD's on to my mp3 player and it was perfect. I found myself listening while cooking dinner, doing housework, and at night when I was too tired to actually read.

I've already made it through my first set of book/CD's and am on to the next pair. I read The Summer We Read Gatsby, by Danielle Ganek and listened to Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher. I'll review these two in my next post. Until then, happy reading!

Honeymoon Part 4-Stromboli Island, Sicily, and Athens

January 5, 2011
Today was a full day of sailing. We left Rome late last evening and this morning I woke up to a volcano right outside our balcony. I rushed to get Paul up as we sailed closer, practically yelling "Paul! There's a volcano outside!" A sentence I don't think I'll ever get a chance to say again!  We sat and the sun rise behind Stromboli Island and even got to see some lava spurt out of the top.

Stromboli Island (one of three active volcanoes in Italy)

A few hours after we passed Stromboli Island be began our travels through the Strait of Messina. We got a great view of the Sicilian shoreline. It looks so beautiful. My mom's mom's family was from Sicily and growing up my Grandmother would tell me the stories her grandmother told her about the "old country." In my mind Sicily became a magical place. After seeing it today, I still think it is.

Sicily

The afternoon didn't hold much excitement. We read our books, watched a movie or two, and just kept to ourselves. The activities on the ship just aren't what we're into--mostly because they all involve spending more money. It was going to be $80 to play bingo! Ridiculous! At any rate, it was nice to relax a bit. Both of us are still battling colds, so we probably needed a lazy day.

Tomorrow is Athens, and I am excited to see all the architecture I fell in love with in my old art history class.

January 6, 2011

First view of the Greek Isles

What a wonderfully low key morning we had. The ship began pulling into Athens about about 8:00 this morning. Our excursion didn't start until 11:45, so we had a nice breakfast on our balcony and watched the Island go by.

 We sailed past a beautiful church and could hear the priests singing. It was enchanting.

We made our way to the bus, when disaster struck--Paul has lost his favorite beanie...scratch that--he lost his favorite piece of clothing. He dropped it in the theater and by the time we noticed there was no way we could go back. He checked lost and found when we got back to no avail, and is truly distraught. (we never found it. And thus begins the great beanie hunt of 2011). 

Anyways, back to Athens...The tour was great. It turns out today is a public holiday, the Epiphany, so the streets were pretty empty. Our tour guide explained that usually the traffic was terrible and that recently the protests of the government had made traveling through Athens impossible. We really lucked out!

Our first stop was the Olympic Stadium, built in 1896 for the first modern Olympics. I'm a dork for the Olympics so this was quite a treat. The entire stadium is made of marble and it just glistens in the sun.

We then made an unscheduled stop to visit the Greek Parliament building, and got to see The Turkish Guards. It was neat, but the best part was turning around and getting our first close view of the Acropolis.

The Acropolis was amazing. I feel like we're traveling back in time on this trip. I can't really explain how great the Acropolis is, so I won't even try. Here's some pictures that I hope give some sense of the beauty:

Temple of Athena Nike

Parthenon

The reconstruction of the Parthenon

 The highlight for me was the Porch of the Caryatids, which I have loved ever since I saw it in my art books years ago. These are reproductions, as the originals are now housed at the Acropolis Museum. Amazingly enough, this didn't diminish the beauty one bit.

The Porch of the Caryatids, on the Erechtheum

No trip would be complete without me ogling the archaeological tools of other countries!

Acropolis Cat

The Theater of Dionysus, built 500 BCE

A distant view of Socrates' prison and where he died in 399 BC

View of the Temple of Zeus and the Olympic Stadium

View of the Areopagus (or Hill of Mars) where it is thought that St. Paul proselytized to the Athenians.

A view of a Roman Theater, built in 161 AD

A panoramic video of the Acropolis. Turn down your volume, the people in the background are a bit annoying...sorry about that!

After we got back on the ship, Paul got immediately ill. He has the shakes, is cold and feverish, and has been vomiting. It's a full blown flu. I'm nervous about one, being quarantined; two the fact that my husband is sick and there is nothing and can do about it; and three, that we will miss Cairo because if it. We are going to skip Turkey tomorrow in the hopes that two days will be enough to get him better before we dock in Alexandria.

Well, blerg! I have a great video but blogger refuses to publish it. It shows up in my draft, but not in the final product. Boo. Any suggestions on a fix? Apparently blogger requires you to whine about a video before it will work...

Next time- Sickness, Sunsets, and Pyramids.

Honeymoon Part 3- Rome

Tuesday January 4 2011

This morning we got an early breakfast- eggs, bacon, muffins, fruit, and bagels and lox. I love how free flowing the food is!  We met our bus and tour guide, Paula at about 9 this morning. Paula was incredible. Our tour of Italy started before we even left the port of Civetechevicca.  It is an ancient port and the fortress build there has an octagonal tower designed by Michaelangleo. Rome was fantastic. I spent most of the day amazed that I was actually there. 

Excited, and a little cold

 The day started in the Vatican. We drove by throngs of people in line to get in. Paula made us believe that we had to stand in line, and just when everyone was disappointed she said that we had reservations. Our line to get into the Vatican museum only took about five minutes. 

The line wrapped around the entirety of the Vatican, and this is the off season.

 The museum was nice, but we went through just a couple of halls and so quickly that I don’t feel like I really saw much at all. However, the quickness of that part of the tour allowed us to spend about 30 minutes in the Sistine Chapel (no cameras allowed in the Chapel). I know I use the word “awesome” quite loosely in my everyday speech. But the Sistine Chapel was truly awe inspiring. I don’t think I have ever seen anything so beautiful. It was a little crowded, but we were able to find a bench on the corner and just sat and stared at the beautiful artwork. 

Entrance to the museum

playing tour guide

I learned on this trip that I tend to like the creepier artwork

Beautiful artwork in the museum

The ceiling of the "map room"

 We got a bit of surprise from our Vatican tour guide (not Paula, it was a different woman)…she took us through St. Peter’s Basilica. We only were supposed to see the outside. It was beautiful, but at that point we were a bit overwhelmed by the whole experience, and that coupled with the claustrophobic crowds, means that I don’t think we got the full appreciation of the Basilica. But we did get to see St. Peter’s tomb, and the remains of Pope John Paul, which was very moving. 

Saint Peter's Tomb

The Dome

After leaving the Basilica we walked around the square. It was bitterly cold and windy so we were happy to get to go inside the little shops that are right outside the Vatican. Being there today made me dearly miss Grandma. She would have been so excited about me coming here. I thought about how much she would have loved a rosary from the little shops, and how she viewed going to Rome as a Pilgrimage. 

Required shot of the Swiss Guard

 After we got back on the bus, Paula told us that we were going for lunch. After being so cold, a little weary, and overwhelmed a nice lunch (with complementry Italian Wine, I might add) sounded wonderful. We sat with three other couples, two that happened to be from Florida and one from Australia.  I don’t know how “authentic” lunch was (regardless of how Paula sold it) be regardless it was very good.  The first course was pasta with marinara sauce, and then we had the thinnest slice of meat I’ve ever seen. But it was tasty. After that we were given a very yummy dessert and espresso. 

We were too busy having a good time to take photos of the meal, but here's a shot of dessert

Afterwards, we were given a bus tour of Rome. We saw the Tiber River, the temple of Hercules, and numerous other ruins before making our way to the Colosseum.  It is a beautiful site. I am in awe of how old every thing is here. American’s have such a short sense of time. Our Historic Preservation laws began protecting sites when they are 50 years old. I imagine that if Italy had a law of that type, nothing would ever be built!

Arch of Constantine

On our way out of town we drove through New Rome, where Mussolini built large apartments and is own, modern version of the Colosseum. I have fallen in love with Rome. I don’t know if I’ll ever make it back, but it is a beautiful city and I hope to see more of it someday.