Grownup Homework

About 6 months ago I decided to enroll in a graphic design class. Among other things it has provided me with unlimited junk food, constantly occupied weekday evenings, new friends, a disrupted eating and sleeping schedule, body painting experiences, and most importantly, a little info about graphic design, which I really enjoy.

The photo below is a basic representation of what I do with my free time. It may look like hieroglyphics to you. It still feels that way to me, pretty much. Plus, there's the fact that I'm taking the class in Italian, while web code is in English, but my computer programs are in Italian because I got them here . . . um . . . help me.



However, there is an immense satisfaction that comes from actually creating my first web page after months of lessons. And my little Flash buttons actually scroll and enlarge the way they're supposed to. And (sometimes) I actually manage to fix my own problems. Pretty cool. The only problem is that now, when I look at a really fancy website, I almost faint from the realization of all the work/sweat/misery that it took to create it.

P.S. Advice/suggestions are more than welcome. However, the color scheme above was chosen after hours of obsessive-compulsive deliberation. Please do not comment on it unless you have a real problem with it. (For a closer look, click on the photo; it'll load much bigger in a different window.)

Blueberries for All

I went home for a few weeks at the end of August/early September, and it was (as always) a wonderful trip. Especially because I didn't have to get any teeth pulled. Plus, we went to Vermont during the best weather ever. Is it really necessary to state how beautiful Vermont is?



And blueberry picking is up there with the best activities of all time (along with strawberry and apple picking). We had a grand time and picked a bajillion berries. The only problem with these situations is that you pick so much (because picking is fun!) that you pick more than you can eat, and then spend the next week or so trying to give fruit to everyone you know. But berries picked in Vermont are so much better than supermarket berries, so they're a good gift.



Rosa and I worked on our photo posing skills. We may have perfected the art.



And again. We are explorers of a new land, or something. Either way we deserve a high score for duplicating our poses!



Blueberries aside, though, it's important to comment on one of the things that the US does better than Italy, and that's cake. Cake with frosting. How I miss it! However, I made a special trip get a slice of red velvet cake, excited to eat the whole thing, and I started to feel sick halfway through. Perhaps my time abroad has weakened my stomach - sad!



What else? Oh yeah. Smartest cat ever. Notice that he hangs out and watches TV just like a human?



Dinkie is the best.