GL Week last

     Uhm well its the last week and the only thing I'm glad thats over is the blogging, reading, and paper writing. This place is aw inspiring in every way and I am not happy that our time is coming to an end. This week talking about Mr. Ripley was interesting. He was a very interesting character dynamic in every way. I liked how he finally accepted himself at the end of the book. He didn't like the change back from Dicky to Tom but the amount of character growth he showed by the end of the book was very interesting. It apply's slightly to us in Italy. At first we were not happy with how different the city made us feel and now after 2 months we are much happier.
      Then managing to see the pope twice was very cool. The papal audience was being so close to him was like being close to a celebrity. I asked my cousin who was more important in italy the Pope, Republic President, or the Prime minister he was fast to voice his opinion and say the pope. Anyways it was funny that his German accent was so thick that we could not understand his English. I remember thinking that he was still speaking in Italian when he was supposed to be speaking English. Anyways it was inspiring to see such an important figure who could speak 7 different languages. Then when the pope was changing the crown on Mary by the Spanish Steps riding in the Pope Mobile was so fun to watch.
     On to the American Cemetery which was one of the highlights of the trip for me. 23 sets of brothers lost at war where laid to rest in this cemetery. For me the monument to these brothers was very inspiring. Arm in arm those men in the statue stand in honor of there country. While walking I realized that it is even possible that there could be three or more people from the same family resting there. It made me realize how lucky I am to be so close to my brothers. Even though we are living in different parts of the United States we take time to send funny emails to each other and other none sense. I could not imagine loosing a brother let alone two. I don't know what I would do.
     Speaking on family this weekend was very interesting for me and my family. We made family trees and ate... and ate... and ate some more... and then ate again... then drank some wine. By the end of the day you could have swore that we had all know each other for years. Giulio and I had so much in common from the TV shows we watch to sport interests. The craziest part was how much a like he was to my whole entire family. We all are the exact same people leading different lives in different worlds. Even my cousin Rosemaria was just like us, she is a pilot. We all love flying and my brother Joe is a aerospace engineer. The whole weekend was amazing partly because the fact that even though we were complete strangers we had so much fun together. I really cant explain it because there are no words to use.

Soc W6

     I think your outlook on health can decide whether you get sick or not. I’m not saying with cancer but things like that but the common cold and the flu can be avoided by just believing you aren’t going to get sick. In Pompeii we faced some extreme conditions with the rain and the wind. We almost saw more flooding there than we did in Venice. I of course only had on jeans and a light shirt. After our miserable trip around the town a few people said that I was going to get a cold. I have yet to show any signs of a cold I believe this is because I refuse to be sick.

     As much as a mental part that your health can be there is a spiritual part. Many catholics believe that God does not give you something that you cannot handle. This belief can drive people to beat even the toughest diseases. Even if they don’t beat the disease some people are so driven by their faith that they live a full life just because they know whatever is in God’s will is what will happen. Believing that you always get sick a a certain point in the year can make you sick at that point your whole life.

     Can prayer cure diseases? I do not think it can; however I think that prayer mixed with good faith a medicine can heal a man. For some people prayer can be a very healing event. Some people learn to reach into themselves deep and believe that everything will work out. Then when you believe in prayer and combine some good medicine there are unlimited possibilities of what can happen to you. 

     This is all like the power of laughter. We have a man who comes through McDonalds almost every day. We nicknamed him Grumpy Old Man. If you ask me he has probably never laughed in his life. In my opinion he could watch Dan Cook, Tosh.O, or any other comedian and Grumpy Old Man would be stone-faced. Medicine can heal you just as much as laughing and just saying I wont be sick. Life can be as much as what we make it. Our health is what we want it to be. Whether we choose to eat healthy or we choose to believe we are healthy or we just laugh it out and pray you can be as healthy as you set your mind to.

GL W6

      So the Sistine Chapel was not what I thought it was going to be. I was expecting some small church looking building with paints all centered around the creation and judgement. What we got was a huge building with beautiful paintings that had no certain organization. The creation was so small. The lifeless looking Adam was holding out his hand with what looks to be the last of his energy as God stretches with all his might to give Adam life back. I though it was going to be that scene but in the garden with all the animals and plant life.

     The judgment however was quite the painting however. The blue that was used to paint the sky was so very vibrant. when the light shinned into the building it was almost hypnotizing. It was amazing how  Michael was able to make everything so life- like on a flat surface. The other thing about the chapel I loved was the painting of David and Goliath. Everyone here knows how much I love anything that is David so I wont explain so much. All I'll say is he was getting ready to kill Goliath and it made me happy.

     Sorrento was beautiful however it was quite small. So out of all the places we have visited I would say my favorite is Florence; however Sorrento was definitely enjoyable. Danilo was right when he said the further south you go the better the food gets. I really think that this weekend we had some of the best food that we have had this entire trip. Even though we sat down to eat for somewhere about 3 hours the food was way beyond delicious. The pasta and mixed grilled sea food I had was some of the best I've ever had in my life, I have eaten a lot of sea food as you can imagine.

      Well I guess I need to address the fact that we start our last full week. In no way shape or form am I ready to go back or think about going back to America. Italy is fatally attractive to me. I could probably spend a life time here. I don't even think the fact that I'm really in Italy has hit me yet. I mean we walked in Pompeii and it just all seems to surreal at this point. I guess it would hit me if I spent more then 6 months here. But I had yet to loose that aw and wonder hypnotic feeling that I had first time I stepped into the country.
     Mr. Ripley, I have this theory about scam artistes if you put your mind to something useful then maybe you'd be ten times richer then what you are. Instead of taking over Dickie's and scamming Mr. Greenleaf to think you are someone your not or doing something your not. Why don't you get some sort of education instead of random jobs. However I will give it to you, you are a very clever man.

     P.S. I meet my family this weekend... So nervous 

soc

     How can our health be out of our control? We have seen the numbers. There is no reason that just leaving in the United States should mean your going to die early. We have some of the most advance health care in the world. What I believe it is is the fact that no one is held accountable for their choices. In America we always have a way out and we always have an excuse. In class I brought up the fact that in Europe McDonalds is a special eating out event. After talking to Aimee she said that her friend in from Spain have no McDonalds in Spain. We see fast food on every corner. Not only just McDonalds but Taco Bell, Burger King, KFC, Long John Silvers, and Wendy's.
     The way you eat can change your life. We have all seen Super Size Me and how the fast food affects the man who is in it he not only looses his healthy blood pressure but he starts be depressed when he isnt eating fast food. Yet Americans have the tenacity to eat it more then once a month. There is obviously more of demand for fast food in the States and it is proven easily when you walk around another country. We Americans are to busy suing these companies to realize that its our choice to eat the food. You choose what you put in your body.
     Class discussion was very interesting cause for once I didn't feel like the opposing argument wasn't completely invalid. We do not have full control of our health. Accidents and true natural causes do happen. Old age does tend to catch up with you. Over all this class left me a little stumped. I did not have answers for all of Professor's questions like I normally do.
     I guess over all I have to see what Universal really includes. I know we need some sort of reform but what Obama is giving us is not what America is about. We are giving the American people an even easier way to get out of things. Make universal gyms that'd be useful to so many people. Tax the companies that make us unhealthy and put that toward making things more affordable. The people who pollute the air. This is not what America needs.
   
   

GL

      Alright so we finally got to see Rome at night which I will say was well worth it.  Rome was a different city when it was night. Full of bazaar talents ranging from painting to dancing. It was super enjoyable and full of endless wonders. Night was a real testament to Luigi's saying that you never know what is around the corner. Just to agree with Smiles to "Rome as a great City" is a very true statement.This city has been here for thousands of years its no wonder that there are so many hidden secrets here.
     As for Luigi this week I don't think I really agreed with him. I think it may have been the way he worded his sentences but I do not find the Italians to be as cold as Luigi says. I do not find myself constantly looking over my shoulder I'm just as aware of my surroundings as I am at home... Or is this because I'm Italian... The other thing I disagreed with Luigi on is the fact that I don't think that Italians are easy mind changers. I watched Danilo fight with the electric door lock for such a long time.  He never changed his mind. Maybe the Italians just know what to do to survive.
     Italians just are the fittest just look at them. They walk forever and they eat healthy. Fit people live in Italy. Over all though I think that Luigi was a little to harsh on his countrymen. There will always be stupid people in the world. The gypsies aren't even from Rome they are from Romania and they are the people that we are constantly concern about.
     I like the italians its the other people that I don't like. In the world we live in you have to watch out for yourself no matter where you are. If you don't you'll probably end  up dead. I just didn't agree with Luigi as much as I normally do. But thats what happens in the world. Over all I'm not sure whether to think the Italians are smart for their indecisiveness or if they are just afraid of nothing.

Soc

     One of the biggest arguments that are in our health care book is that in the United States our infant mortality rate is very high, and that life expectancy is way down for a country that is so advanced in medicine. First off with the infant mortality rate there is an author in the book who explains his reasoning for why its so high here. He says that with our cultural diversity and poor eating habits have a lot to do with it. Some societies in the US do not use the technology that we use. There people are trained to help with child birth however; they can not control some of the more advanced things that can happen during child birth.
      I'll always say it, what you eat can change your life. Over in the States we eat crap constantly. Fast food is on ever corner and exercise is a thing of the past. Most of us have watch Super Size Me at some point in our life and saw how powerful the food can be. Not only is it addicting but it has the power to give you mood swings. When I'm at work I see people constantly day to day. Talking to some of my managers they have noticed people getting bigger and bigger month by month. And we wonder why people are dying so young.
     Okay so some people probably wonder what I think of the food here. Yes I do taste my food. The quality of food is leaps and bounds higher then our food. I don't think taco bell even exists here for one,  two the amount of Mcdonlads is like the amount Long John Silvers, third the food tastes more natural. The Italians idea of fast food is a sit down restaurant in the States. Instead of taxing all the people of America why don't they tax the things that we know for a fact that make us unhealthy. The companies who pollute the air and water and who do not make healthy food.
      We are giving the government one more thing to control. They have destroyed Social Security for our generation and yet we are so willing to give them more to control. If someone keeps breaking your car are you going to keep letting them drive it? I wouldn't until they prove themselves responsible. So how could our government prove to me that they are out for the good of America and not the parties. Make sure I can retire and not 80 years from now, I'll probably be dead by then. Make people work, I have a huge problem with Obama phone (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpAOwJvTOio). My parents work hard to give me a phone so why not reward them a contributing member of society? Why is it the people who get free money who live easy lives? Will I work till I die? Most importantly is there still an American Dream?

GL W4 David meets David

      "The memories I retain of that first year have imprinted themselves on all subsequent experiences" This is an epic quote. I just want to say that posed with myself. The real statue of David was so amazing. Every inch was thought out and perfected perfectly. Michelangelo had a feat of man when he created a perfectly proportional  17 Ft. statue of me... I mean David. Very easily could the statue have been a person covered in marble. And by this I mean that every vein and every muscle that was in David was where it was supposed to be. The hands had veins the biceps had veins, if it started to move I don't think I would have been surprised.
       Ever since I was a kid who understood what the statue was I have wanted to see it. I personally have overcame my Goliath and now I see some strange parallel between my name and experiences of the previous owner of my name. Bizarrely enough I will probably dream about seeing the statue for the first time. I'll just justify it because we have the same name and something on my bucket list can be checked off. I still cant believe the amazing artistry that went into the statue. REMEMBER there are NO erasers in marble carving... or glue if you happen to chop off a finger you get to start the 2 year project all over.
      Alright so enough about my man-crush on a statue (I'll mention it at the end of my blog.) The two readings were very contrasting and I liked it. My opening quote from Muriel Spark says something very powerful to me. To me it says that no mater what, whether or not I loose my mind or I remain completely the same throughout my life I will remember I saw Italy. We will be able to say We say Venice if it gets destroyed by water in our life time. I'll even get to say that I saw myself in statue form! One event never dictates your life like the second author let it do.

     Well would you look at those two handsome devils. I managed to work David into this blog two more times. Even though I couldn't take my picture with the real David, because some jerk spray painted him, I did take it with the fake David. But believe me I got pictures of the real one. This is the time we will never forget. Things may become more faded but will never be lost. The quote that I started this blog off with is a quote that I wont forget about.