Thursday, February 26, 2009

I know, you're going to start expecting things.

But because I am a nerd who likes others to tell me what I already know about myself, I took the Myers-Briggs test. Needless to say, it was scarily accurate, for the most part. I've bolded the especially accurate parts. :) Because you care. :P (It's long--I understand if you want to skip through it.)

*Portrait of an ENFJ - Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging
(Extraverted Feeling with Introverted Intuition)

The Giver

As an ENFJ, you're primary mode of living is focused externally, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit into your personal value system. Your secondary mode is internal, where you take things in primarily via your intuition.

ENFJs are people-focused individuals. They live in the world of people possibilities. More so than any other type, they have excellent people skills. They understand and care about people, and have a special talent for bringing out the best in others. ENFJ's main interest in life is giving love, support, and a good time to other people. They are focused on understanding, supporting, and encouraging others. They make things happen for people, and get their best personal satisfaction from this.

Because ENFJ's people skills are so extraordinary, they have the ability to make people do exactly what they want them to do. They get under people's skins and get the reactions that they are seeking. ENFJ's motives are usually unselfish, but ENFJs who have developed less than ideally have been known to use their power over people to manipulate them.

ENFJ's are so externally focused that it's especially important for them to spend time alone. This can be difficult for some ENFJs, because they have the tendency to be hard on themselves and turn to dark thoughts when alone. Consequently, ENFJs might avoid being alone, and fill their lives with activities involving other people. ENFJs tend to define their life's direction and priorities according to other people's needs, and may not be aware of their own needs. It's natural to their personality type that they will tend to place other people's needs above their own, but they need to stay aware of their own needs so that they don't sacrifice themselves in their drive to help others.

ENFJ's tend to be more reserved about exposing themselves than other extraverted types. Although they may have strongly-felt beliefs, they're likely to refrain from expressing them if doing so would interfere with bringing out the best in others. Because their strongest interest lies in being a catalyst of change in other people, they're likely to interact with others on their own level, in a chameleon-like manner, rather than as individuals.

Which is not to say that the ENFJ does not have opinions. ENFJs have definite values and opinions which they're able to express clearly and succinctly. These beliefs will be expressed as long as they're not too personal. ENFJ is in many ways expressive and open, but is more focused on being responsive and supportive of others. When faced with a conflict between a strongly-held value and serving another person's need, they are highly likely to value the other person's needs. (A note from me: Well, NO. Not really.)

The ENFJ may feel quite lonely even when surrounded by people. This feeling of aloneness may be exacerbated by the tendency to not reveal their true selves.

People love ENFJs. They are fun to be with, and truly understand and love people. They are typically very straight-forward and honest. Usually ENFJs exude a lot of self-confidence, and have a great amount of ability to do many different things. They are generally bright, full of potential, energetic and fast-paced. They are usually good at anything which captures their interest.

ENFJs like for things to be well-organized, and will work hard at maintaining structure and resolving ambiguity. They have a tendency to be fussy, especially with their home environments.

In the work place, ENFJs do well in positions where they deal with people. They are naturals for the social committee. Their uncanny ability to understand people and say just what needs to be said to make them happy makes them naturals for counseling. They enjoy being the center of attention, and do very well in situations where they can inspire and lead others, such as teaching.

ENFJs do not like dealing with impersonal reasoning. They don't understand or appreciate its merit, and will be unhappy in situations where they're forced to deal with logic and facts without any connection to a human element. Living in the world of people possibilities, they enjoy their plans more than their achievements. They get excited about possibilities for the future, but may become easily bored and restless with the present. (No, I get terrified of the future based on the present. :D)

ENFJs have a special gift with people, and are basically happy people when they can use that gift to help others. They get their best satisfaction from serving others. Their genuine interest in Humankind and their exceptional intuitive awareness of people makes them able to draw out even the most reserved individuals.

ENFJs have a strong need for close, intimate relationships, and will put forth a lot of effort in creating and maintaining these relationships. They're very loyal and trustworthy once involved in a relationship.

An ENFJ who has not developed their Feeling side may have difficulty making good decisions, and may rely heavily on other people in decision-making processes. If they have not developed their Intuition, they may not be able to see possibilities, and will judge things too quickly based on established value systems or social rules, without really understanding the current situation. An ENFJ who has not found their place in the world is likely to be extremely sensitive to criticism, and to have the tendency to worry excessively and feel guilty. They are also likely to be very manipulative and controlling with others.

In general, ENFJs are charming, warm, gracious, creative and diverse individuals with richly developed insights into what makes other people tick. This special ability to see growth potential in others combined with a genuine drive to help people makes the ENFJ a truly valued individual. As giving and caring as the ENFJ is, they need to remember to value their own needs as well as the needs of others. *

BAM. I rule.

Haha, minus all the stuff about being an insecure, slightly manipulative worrywart. :P

In other news, the resident Idiotic-28-Year-Old-TA-That-I-Despise, Michelle, made out with a student while entirely blotto in Venice, and there are photos. AND video. I wonder how the administration would feel about seeing those...

Unrelated Sidenote: My own Facebook stalking skills scare me sometimes. :/

Love you guys!

-A.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Two days in a row?! Insanity!

I guess I'm just making up for the slacking I've done lately. Besides, I haven't said much about Florence/Italy ITSELF. So, I'm going to do what I call an "Emily Post", and observe what's going on AROUND me, as opposed to what is just going on WITH me.

Italians have a very interesting taste. They dress fabulously well, usually in black. They are trendy as all-get-out, to a fault, even. (Puffy coats with elastic belts? EEK!) Every female here wears boots--it was one of the first things I bought besides food, firstly because they were cheap (I may have mentioned the January sales before), and secondly because Florence seems to have every style of shoe I ADORE. They also like blondes. At least the men do. :P Ask Morgan about the encounter she had her first week here, where a guy blatantly felt her ass up in the street.

The Italians practice what they call "Bella Figura". Have I mentioned it here? I forget. Basically, the objective is to look as good as you can before you walk out the door. Why the eff hasn't America gotten on that?! As a result, I LIKE to think I look more cleaned up than usual--I actually put on makeup 90% of the time now, and I try and make the effort to look aloof and bitchy. Hey, it seems to work for the Italians! I've barely been cat-called!

They also have a few obsessions: Marilyn Monroe and A Clockwork Orange. I swear, you see that shit EVERYWHERE. They pay a few respects to my girl Audrey, as well, but not nearly as much as Marilyn (typical! :P). And kebab. There's a place on every corner! This is great for my mouth, but bad for my wallet. (That's what she said.)

As for dislikes, I think that can be summed up in one big one: Traffic laws. I swear to God, the only rule is "Don't hit anyone". And the unspoken one is, "Be as big of an impatient tool as possible, too." Graar.

So, yeah! So far, that's my observation. Limited, I know, but you're reading the blog of a girl who hasn't even been inside the Uffizi for longer than an hour. And I live across the street. :/ I'm a shameful human being.

In other news, my mushroom soup went over VERY well last night! It was a little too salty, but I can fix that! I'm definitely making it for all of us when I come home! What do you guys think? My mushroom soup, and Em can make those little molten cakes of DELICIOUSNESS. Bri? Drea? Ab-Fab? Any input? Tasty bread? Salad?

The rest of my day is going to be pretty boring and slacker-y. I got about 2/3 of the way into my first little figurine (I changed my mind about the paper cutouts for now, but I'm not forgetting about them) and then, I think I changed my mind AGAIN and might do cute, tiny watercolors with my chubby little character running around and getting overwhelmed and gossiping and basically doing everything I do. :P

Did I tell you guys about my latest critique with Kevin, the MICA students supervisor? I told him I was interested in injecting more humor into my work--I feel like so many art kids take themselves SO SERIOUSLY. At that, he got really weirdly smug and "oh-yes-I-know-all-about-you" and was like "Yes, you do have that crooked smile." Do I? Really? I think he's thinking of the face I make when I'm trying not to laugh at him. I think he says shit like that because I hit the nail on the head with him in our first meeting and pointed out his caffeine jitters and mismatched socks.

Directly after this, he told me a horrifying story about a boy he was in 4th grade with who slit his wrists (and survived), due to bullying. #1: FOURTH GRADE. #2: KEVIN, WTF? DISTURBING.

Sidenote: I love my Facebook 'Favorite Quotes' section. I have a fantastic sense of humor, you know that? :P

I'm going to call my mom in the next half hour, and she's going to be all cute and engaged, and I feel a little bad to have to bring the hammer down on that in any way, but I NEED to get some solid info on the finances so I won't get beaten by the SACI:NY lady! She's out for blood, I swear.

On a lighter note, apparently Betsy and Jen (you remember, my MICA roommates from last semester) were not shy in asking Robin how far we've gone! He told them the (modest, ungraphic) truth--which is fine by me, I'm just surprised they were so forward about asking! Jen maybe, but Betsy was apparently the one who asked! Funny, and it makes me miss them. :)

Okay, I'm out. Love you guys! I'll update soon.

-A.

ETA: Just got off the phone with Mom, and we settled on a game plan for the SACI housing bill. She's really, really excited about her and Robert (of course!), and she told me that KJ is constantly playing his guitar and drums, that his grades are great, and he's taking up track and tennis! His play opens this weekend--I wish I could be there to see it! Man, he's going to be 14 soon. It seems like he's taking forever to age, but I know he'll be a man before I know it!

Let me let you in on an excerpt from an e-mail he sent after I asked him to assist me with the SACI bill: "As you well know, money is tight all over for most folks and last minute surprises are more difficult to handle. Lisa and I have always been happy to do what we can and I hope you understand that. This is frustrating for me because you're my daughter, I love you and I don't want this to create a hardship for you. I wish I could just pay it but that's not possible."

Logical, realistic and completely understandable.

But wait, what's that I hear? DAD BOUGHT A 2-SEATER CONVERTIBLE. SRSLY.

Thank you, Daddy. Thank you for focusing on the important expenses. For real.

But you've all heard me complain about this a million times. :P

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Ciao, Venezia!

So, this weekend was a sometimes-fun, sometimes-obnoxious foray into Venice Carnevale!

Me, Mel, and three of the four members of #10 (Noel, Morgan, and Emma) caught the train out of Florence at 8:30 AM on Friday morning, and made it into Venice, and into the hotel by noon. Once good thing I can say about the cheap-but-should-have-been-cheaper hotel was that it was WARM. Venice was freezing! Naturally, being near all that water.

Friday was really amazing--we got the obvious gondola ride (but at 20 euro less than usual! Score!). We had the privilege of having a cute gondolier, Thomaso, who informed us that one needs over 6 YEARS of training to be a gondolier! Holy EFF.

After the ride, we hit the market at Piazza San Polo, where we saw the hot Catholic priest calendars that make me want to weep--the cover priest should not withhold his glorious genes from humanity! Interestingly enough, there was also a hot gondolier calendar, and we started joking around about Thomaso being in it, and lo and behold! He was Mr. August! That was pretty fantastic, to say the least. :)

That night, we got all gussied up in our masks, and hung out in one of the piazzas with live music, apparently cobbled together by three drummers, a sax player, a trumpeteer, and a tambourine. Fun, but all the shoving and bumping kind of made me want to smack a bitch. We poured ourselves into bed around three AM.

Saturday was okay--a lot more people in the city, that's for sure. The density must have tripled overnight! Mel and I went separately from Noel, Morgan and Emma, who decided that sleeping was more imporant than being in VENICE. WHATEVER. We met up with the missing member of #10, David, briefly, then with our other roommates and our building-mates (who came to Venice with SACI), and hung out at Piazza San Marco for the afternoon, tooling around in our masks and feeding the pigeons, who are not shy and WILL land on you if you prompt them.



BAM. (My new profile pic, naturalement.)

Melissa and I made it out of Venice after an HOUR of shoving through the crowd, but we made it to the bus, met up with our oversleeping travel buddies, and caught the train home. We. Were. EXHAUSTED. To say the very least. But that didn't stop Me, Mel, and Emma from staying up 'til 3 AM to watch Green Wing, which is the UK's solution to Scrubs, but BETTER.

Sidenote: I've been making a ton of allusions to how awesome "Hey Arnold!" was this week. Like, a TON.

Sunday was lazy--Mel and I just lounged around, made a big breakfast, then got a pancake dinner. :) I had a mini-freak out about money and my art and the future, and I was reminded of how lucky I am to be friends and roommates with Mel. Once again. :) As if I could forget!

Today was fine--went to Santa Maria Novella and sent my belated V-Day gift to Robin. I have to run, actually, I'm making dinner for my roomies tonight and I need to pick up a few things!

I love you guys, and I'll try and be less of a lame about updating! (Although I must say, I'm keeping up the best out of all of you! Save Ab-Fab, who seems to be on-par. Ab--how are you and G? Everything good?)

Have a great day!

-A.

P.S. Did I mention my mom is OFFICIALLY ENGAGED?! WOOOOOOOO!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Why is it that more than almost anything, money (or my lack of it) backs me up so completely? Everywhere I am, it follows me around like a storm cloud, and I hate it.

I found out about a week ago that I have an outstanding housing balance, and after I spoke to the SACI rep in NYC, I talked to my grandparents--who, as you all know, offered to cover the expenses of my semester so I could experience Italy. I assumed that they just hadn't received the SACI bill or something, but their e-mail response was basically like "Oh, we were only covering the tuition (which went through MICA). We don't have $4100 for housing." Which is perfectly fine--just a bad misunderstanding. I'm more than grateful that they got me this far.

But now, I'm put in that horrible crunch where I have to:

A.) Get (another) loan.
B.) Get a credit card and pay the balance on credit.
C.) (Worst case scenario, of course) Being forced to leave SACI mid-semester, which opens up a WHOLE other can of worms about me being behind on my degree plan, getting left behind, etc.
D.) Discover a rich relative, become their favorite niece and murder them for the inheritance. :P

I guess it's nothing to be too stressed about right this second, but I hate that shameful feeling that stems from everything involved with this situation--my failure in planning, admitting that failure, and the tension of trying to rectify it. I just feel crappy about how poorly I end up handling these situations! I know I should just stop whining and DO what I need to do. I just want to stop feeling so blocked by these problems.

ANYWAY, I'm doing well otherwise. I have a Skype date with Robin in 45 minutes, and I'm finally getting started on my independent pieces tonight! The sketching is complete, and now I'm starting the cutouts themselves! I'm really excited to get them going.

I love you guys, and I hope you're doing well!

-A.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Okay, I don't take this lying down.

I went to Suzanne and asked her if there's any chance we could do Godspell anyway! She seems totally up for it, so we're going to meet and discuss it this week--there might be a problem with getting the rights though, which is a bigger challenge than just replacing an overwhelmed director. Wish us luck!

I'm going to go into the ridiculous sermon I heard as well, but I don't have much time! I love you guys and I'll update soon!

In the meantime, watch Robin be hilarious: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECTffBfRwDA

Love!
-A.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day!

[The nurse] doesn't know that I'm strangely euphoric, sitting here thinking about how lucky I am to have so much to lose — my rock, my mystery, the love of my life — that I'm sitting here thinking 'in sickness and in health'. 'I will,' I think. 'I do.' But all I can say is yes. "Yes. That's my husband." (From this article.)

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! Can I start by saying Robin is cute and he designed me an adorable, thoughtful Valentine. :)

I'm actually having a fairly shit day. The Godspell production was canceled, and I didn't find out until I got to the church and heard about the canceled audition, then the canceled show entirely. They're moving it to September.

I'm really, really, incredibly disappointed. I was looking so forward to this, and it was so perfectly timed. Now I'm not sure why I heard about it in the first place--as far as a Plan is concerned. To teach me about disappointment? (I think I know all about that one, thanks.) Something bigger and better coming down the line (which I can hope for, but I can't know)?

I don't know if I ever indicated this to any of you, but you know how most people, when something bad happens, try to reward themselves? Buy Ben and Jerry's, go out, stay in and do something fun? I'm the opposite of that. When something good happens, I reward myself, but when something bad happens, I tend to want to punish myself, even if it wasn't my fault. And I don't mean self-harm or anything like that, I just mean I want to let myself wallow. I deny myself anything that might make me feel better--it's perfect timing that my roommates aren't here to try and cheer me up.

Maybe I'll try and break that bad habit and buy myself some shoes. And gelato. And stay in and work on art for the night.

Are you guys doing anything special? Going out? Staying in?

I love you all--you're all my Valentines! :D

-A.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

I know, I know... :P

We made it official.

(I can hear you smirking smugly from here, Brandon. :P)

I guess I just figure, if everyone was concerned about the chance of breaking up, no one would ever get together and truly and fully enjoy another person!

Also, I told my mom about us, and she was surprisingly okay with the whole thing, even encouraging!

My roommates are going to Rome this weekend, so I get the whole house to myself! :D However, this DOES mean I'm spending Valentine's Day mostly alone, but Emma will still be here, and both of our boys are in the States, so maybe we can just have a Chick Flick night. Or watch Lord of the Rings. :P

I'm also auditioning for Godspell on Saturday! Yay! I met two boys, Calvin and Tom, who are my age and doing the show! It's exciting to meet new people who I can talk with about faith and theater!--not that I don't LOVE talking to Mel, as she's really helped me to look deeper into the basics of faith: patience, prayer, LETTING GO OF CONTROL. As most of you know, this is very hard for me--I want all the info and all the access all the time. With God, it's like I hand Him a broken toy to fix, and I watch and micro-manage, and when I think I've figured out EXACTLY what He's doing and how, I take the toy back to finish fixing it myself, and more quickly. But obviously, I am not God, and I usually eff it up. :P But I'm working to be more peaceful and willing to give up control to the being that ACTUALLY has the knowledge and power.

What a novel idea. :P

But for today, I'm going to go home and have lunch, then etching at one--I'm working on a soft ground, copper plate etching of a halved and eaten grapefruit I sketched at the beginning of the semester. Then at 4:30, a painting conservation lecture with my teacher, Roberta Lapucci, AKA the Goddess of Conservation. I just found out that she helped conserve Botticelli's Primavera! And she took us to this amazing exhibition about the 10-year-long conservation of Raphael's Madonna del Cardellino. It was SO gorgeous--the painting was practically glowing and the reassemblage (it was shattered in an earthquake/rockslide in the 1400s) was practically invisible!

Then dinner and some reading/sketching. I just started this book called The Origin of Satan, which basically calls into question that Satan ever existed as the New Testament portrays him, and suggests (AKA, leans heavily) that "Satan" is actually a metaphor demonizing the Jews during the wars in 60-70 CE, when the gospels were written. So far it's interesting, but I'm not convinced. This woman spins her language so heavily, it's like being smacked with the Bias-Stick. But it's important to examine all sides of the "faith debate" (haha, what a paradox!). I want to be educated. :)

Okay, I love you guys and I'll update soon!

-A.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

:D

My weekend has been very full. I went to Siena and San Gimignano yesterday--it was gorgeous, if a little drizzly in the afternoon, but we had some sun in the morning.

Siena had these amazing altarpieces by Duccio on display--there was one that stuck out in particular to me. It was a depiction of Christ being tempted by Satan to jump off the temple and command the angels to catch Him. Satan was a winged silhouette, and it struck me as the most simple, brilliant, and sophisticated portrayal of the devil I've ever seen! The shadow of an angel! It was wonderful. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to take a photo! (Here it is, pre-restoration--sorry, it was all I could find!: http://www.abcgallery.com/D/duccio/duccio49.html

Here's another depiction by Duccio, a later work, but similar imagery: http://pro.corbis.com/images/MA09403A.jpg?size=67&uid=%7BD1DDFF78-D694-413A-AFF5-B0DC7BEE1DDC%7D)

San Gimignano is, and will always be, Oz to me now. There are this medieval towers we climbed up to see the rolling hills outside of the town walls--one was incredibly high up, and the wind was freezing and it started to rain, but I was so thrilled by the view and the overwhelming beauty of Creation that I couldn't stop laughing! I wish you could've seen it with me--we could keep each other warm. :) It was Oz because the roads are all bricklaid (red, but oh well) and David, Mel and I, and a few others got a little lost on the way to the wine/cheese tasting we had planned, and someone suggested we were on the Yellow Brick Road, and since I had braids in my hair yesterday, I was Dorothy, and lanky David was my Scarecrow, and curly-maned Mel was my Lion! (Emma joined as the Tin Man later. :P) It was really fun and rewarding! I love these trips. :)

I stopped by our Italian neighbors' last night--they invited us to a birthday party they hosted, so Mel and I went to be courteous, and we ended up talking to Lucio, who lives there, and we found out that he's a Christian, and not a Catholic, which is very rare. But he seemed excited to talk to us about faith, so that was awesome--there's a reason for everything. :) So we're all making dinner on Thursday night!

This morning I went to church at St. James. I got there a little late and went straight to my seat without getting a program--luckily, I arrived just in time for the sermon, which was no more satisfying than the one two weeks ago, unfortunately. It took from Matthew, when Christ healed Peter's mother-in-law, then a bunch of others, then went by himself to rest and pray. Okay, fair enough. But then she goes on to stress the importance of rest and how even God rested on the 7th day, blah blah. It was infuriating! How about "in the midst of your duties, take the time to recharge your SPIRIT with God. Pray--just talk to Him about your day and your struggles." SHEESH. But it's only my second service. I do intend to ask her about the sermon on Wednesday night before choir rehearsal, though.

Sigh. Being here has given me a lot to think about as far as my own faith and challenges, as well as the history of religion apart from my own. More Cathedrals here are dedicated to Mary than to Christ! So strange!

But the art is stunning and fulfilling to see, and to think that even 700 years ago, people came to worship, well, it's just so humbling. :)

ANYWAY, after the service, I grabbed a program to see what I missed, and I saw that they are putting on Godspell! And auditions are on the 14th! :D And the performance is during Holy Week (duh), so I'll be here! :DDDDD I wish you could see it!

I told Mom about Robin and I--she took it very well! It was a huge relief, and now I see that I am a drama queen. :P

ALSO, Paul is in some kind of open relationship, and I MUST KNOW WHO IT IS. Anyone with details (that means mostly you, Robin), report to me ASAP!

Robin went to Comicon in NYC this weekend and tried to get me a signed poster from Ed Westwick (CHUCK BASS! *swoon*), but the line cut off right before his turn. Thank you though, Robin! It means so much that you thought of me and looked like a dork for me by standing in the Ed Westwick line. :P

Love you guys! More soon,

-A.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Okay, everything is fine.

Despite yesterday's repetitive post, everything is fine. Just has a little moment of "Oh Hai Alyssa, btw, you're a little retarded sometimes." It's sorted for now, so don't worry! :)

I'm having group dinner with Mel and #10 tonight--I'm making lemon/garlic/caper pasta! Wish me luck, because I'm pretty sure I'm executing this without a recipe. It's not a hard recipe, but I get a little nervous! :P

We're going to Siena and San Gimingano tomorrow, so yay! Hopefully the rain isn't too bad.

I love you guys, and I'll try to update more soon. :)

-A.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Ouch.

Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Ouch.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Wow, February.

Already! That means I haven't exactly 2 months and 3 weeks left here!

I know, don't get too excited. :P

In other news, the Steelers are AWESOME. I admit, I got a little nervous in the end! But we pulled that shit out and reminded people who we are.

I'm supposed to meet with my teacher today for critique BUT I don't have anything. :D OH WELL. I'll just tell him I need a little more time and get cracking!

Hiked from Fiesole to Settignano on Saturday--the sun came out just for us, and it's been raining ever since. I wish I had more to report on!

I love you guys. Drea--I haven't heard from you in a while. Are you still reading?

Muah!

-A.