: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.