DAY 57: Mystical magic

If I could send a fruit basket to the inventor of sweatpants, I would... unfortunately, there is no one person to thank for this anomaly. The chief characteristic distinguishing cotton sweatpants from other athletic pants is the elastic band located around the cankles (An aesthetically unfortunate physiological condition which leaves its victims with no discernible narrowing of the ankle between the calf and the foot- don't hide those pretty little thangs...). They are usually quite "baggy" and loose which makes them easy to slip into (and out of) and allows a great deal of flexibility and comfort, especially key for stomach expansion due to exorbitant amounts of consumption. In addition, this design traps less heat than most conventional trousers, which may be a disadvantage in some contexts (when you're visiting Antarctica) and an advantage in others (such as body heat caused by aerobic activities or thinking too hard). If I wasn't obsessed with my wardrobe and the art of fashion, I would live in sweatpants. I have slept in, eaten in, gone to class in and gotten down with the funky bunch in my mystic blue sweatpants for the last THREE days. (Dating sign-ups will be available at the end of this lecture... midgets save your pencil lead. Unless you invented sweatpants...)


After an early run looping up to and through Corciano and down along the highway, day 1 of "actual" class started today at the villa.... Advanced Drawing with Mr. Jeffery Conger. Yes I was wearing my mystic blue sweatpants.... maybe they need a name too... He critiqued our travel journals thus far ("Great on the writing part... need to see more drawings"- knew that was coming) We started with cups... still life's ain't my gig, but I trucked through and drew 3 horribly deformed cups. Once again, I was waiting for Celine to float into the room, singing "It's  all comin' back, it's all comin' back to me now..." after about 3 hours of cuppage, we put our graphite down and headed to lunch... Salad! Yessss... With cheesy pasta casserole! Nooooo... and of course an orange. *SIDENOTE* If there was a timed event for orange peeling, I'd take the silver... style points would be lacking, as I need to work on the "initial break-through"... I've mastered the "single peel" (removing the peel in one clean spiral) and the "equal halves" (removing the peel in two equal pieces). I have 3 more months to prepare for a gold-worthy performance. *END OF SIDENOTE* Back to the drawing board this afternoon where Rosella surprised us with one of her "special" cakes... layered yellow and red cake with chocolate pudding on top, all in a big bowl (?). One bite was enough for me! An art history discussion followed an afternoon of etch-a-sketch... the rise of Rome, the fall of Rome, Humanism, Religion, Iconography, Reformation, Counter Reformation, Winkin, Blinkin and Nod-off... JESUS! All very interesting to those interested, therefore much too political and dull for all of you (dumbies). Dinner was served in our family style dining room with a barrel vaulted ceiling... veggie soup (yes with pasta), baby snausages and mashers. SO much food... just look at all the food included in one paragraph, Ugh! So good, yet so much...


It snowed all day today... complete white out for a few hours. Luckily it doesn't stick... if I am surrounded by this much snow, I want to be strapped to my Salomons scoping my next line... I'm in Italy! I want to frolic barefoot through olive trees in a sundress with nymphs while satyrs serenade us with music pipes... C'mon! (I joke, I joke) More from Pieve della Vescovo tomorrow, ciao my dear friends...