tuesday!

oh, hurrah, i got a phone. if anyone wants to call me my number is: 011-39-331-8969651. call me any time, day or night; it doesnt cost me a dime, only you.

have found a new object for my affections, a sweet little jude law look-alike who works at a cafe in campo de' fiori (*note: i have seen campo de'fiori spelled a variety of ways, and i really am note sure which is correct, maybe they all are, just circumstancial, i have no idea. anyway, variety is the spice of life). he is ridiculously good looking and quiet and has a sister who lives in chicago, which he told me in pretty much perfect english. upon meeting him i had a momentary vision of being 13, hiding behind a potted plant with lauren fierman giggling at my side, spending hours stalking the boys we were so terribly afraid to talk to. am not 13 anymore, but am no less afraid. also, too big to hide behind pots. so i had to be mature and leave the cafe after 3 cappucinnos instead of kidnapping him like i wanted to. at one point, however, i was biting my nails and out of the corner of my eye i saw him look over at me. i tried to move my hand away from my mouth quickly, but a long strand of drool came with it. dont know if he saw or not, but considering my luck he totally did. hes so pretty, i bet his mouth doesnt even have saliva, i bet his mouth is full of honey and limoncello. anyway,was embarrasing, but i am resilient and will not be discouraged.

another day of exploration, another day of wonder. went to the spanish steps and browsed in all of the stores where i cant afford anything and listened to corey's ipod and ate fresh pineapple from a fruit stand. i meant to go to the beach today, but until i talked to my momma a few minutes ago i wasnt sure how the bus system worked, so ill probobly go tomorrow.

im on a serious budget until friday, at which point ill move from code red back into orange. in the meantime, i have been eating all of my meals at home (budget mirage as costs a fortune to buy all groceries necessary for a gormet meal, but at least they last longer) and not buying pretty clothes or books in italian, and have instead been walking, reading, sipping 1.60 cappucinnos and 2euro wines at luminous sidewalk cafes, and smoking silkcuts to curb my appetite. just kidding.

god, its another beautiful day here. evening is setting in which means that i can go out for the next half of my day (have to take a break in the middle to come home and recooperate and blowdry my poor bangs). i am getting extremely comfortable here, and love the neighborhood that i am in. every day there is a market in the piazza where they sell all manner of fruits and vegetables and meats and oils. i see some of the same people walking the streets that i walk so often, and even nodded to a sweet old lady who lives in the apt across from me, as though we were really neighbors. the people at the breakfast cafes recognize me, and there is a kitten that hangs out on a stone wall all the time, who i pet in passing. ive named her tigger.

solitude has both its blessings and its pitfalls. at times i wish that i had a friend here, to go out with and talk to. but i also know that being entirely alone, in a vast city where no one knows me, where i can be whoever and do whatever i want, is an opportuity that i may never entirely get again. so i am enjoying myself immensly, and savoring each morning (and especially each evening, when it is cooler), and learning to be on my own in what i know for sure is the best way possible.