Some Things Never Change

When I go to the grocery store here in Genoa, I take a really long time. It's hard to know what to buy when I can't quite figure out all the labels. I can read about 25% of the language (that's a generous guesstimate), and of course pictures on the labels help, but I don't really know if I'm going to like what I'm buying. One time I was looking for some snacks to satisfy my sweet tooth, and I bought what looked like twinkies filled with chocolate. Sounds great, right? Well, the little cakes are really dry, and don't have that much chocolate in them - HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT.  There is one thing I can count on, though, and that's Coca-Cola. I prefer Dr. Pepper, but I have yet to see one in Italy, so it's Coke all the way, everyday! Plus, I like the tall cans here, we need these in the States.

Walk Off Home Run

I know most of you reading this don't know it, but Mississippi State baseball is currently in the post-season. We swept a series of games last weekend in the Atlanta Regional, which moved us into a Super-Regional this weekend against #2 Florida. The Gators are a great team. We played them four times this year, and only won once. The winner of this weekend's best of three series heads to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. We got killed Friday, losing 11-1. On Saturday, Florida was leading 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning (just three outs away from winning the series), when Nick Vickerson hit this amazing game winning home run off the first pitch he saw. I couldn't see it live, but watching the replay is a lot of fun. Just when it looked like our season was over, one swing of the bat kept us alive for one more day. The winner of today's game will head to the College World Series. Mississippi State is the underdog, but there's a good chance we could win today. Everyone who's a MS State fan should wear Maroon today for a special Maroon Sunday. I'll be following the score live tonight. GO DAWGS!

Lazy Saturday

Not much to report today, I didn't even leave the Villa. I decided to look through my photos to show one that I haven't posted yet. This strange building was in Milan, and the photo was taken from the top of the Cathedral. I love the unusual architecture, and how none of the other structures surrounding it are competing for attention. I hope you enjoy this photograph too (to see a larger version, simply click on the image below). Ciao!

Milan

Yesterday we traveled two hours by train to Milan. It is one of Italy's largest and most modern cities. We had a very limited amount of time, so the only thing we got to see, other than shops and restaurants, was the Cathedral. It is a beautiful example of Gothic architecture in Italy. Climbing to the roof was a lot of fun and offered great views of the city. Most of the students took the opportunity to draw while up there as well. I was also very impressed with the interior of the church, which contained beautiful stained glass windows. Seven of us returned on the train to Genoa for the weekend, while others decided to continue traveling to Venice, Padua, and Switzerland. Class resumes Tuesday. I took many pictures but will just show you a few, enjoy!

Too Tired

I spent the entire day traveling and I'm just too tired to do a post tonight. I did take a ton of pictures today on my first visit to Milan, though, so check back tomorrow for a full report. Goodnight!

Lettering

I started teaching a course on hand-drawn lettering while here in Italy, and it's only the second day of class, but I'm really enjoying it. My students are doing well, despite some of them being architects, landscape architects, and interior designers. I'm also drawing along with them, to show them how I approach lettering problems and to reveal my process. So far we're just working on scripts in pencil. Below, you'll find a couple of examples of the word "Quiet," and it's meant to evoke the meaning of the word "quiet". I chose a vertical script, because of it's stillness, and it is fairly light in color with a few extra flourishes. I'll be posting more from my sketchbook as the class progresses.

The Villa

This will be a short post tonight. I'm posting pictures from our Villa here in Genoa. The large house is owned by Clemson University. Their Architecture program sends students here each fall and spring to study. On the bottom floor are a kitchen and dining area. On the middle floor is the classroom space and library, and on the top are the bedrooms. I'm settling in nicely here, there are beautiful, large windows that let in a lot of sunlight. Plus, the view of the city and sea is amazing. Enjoy the photos.