In search of shorts

So tomorrow afternoon I leave for Chianti. I thought I'd just give you one more update before the one-week hiaduous.

Today I went on a search for athletic shorts for our 4 hour hikes in Chianti (INTENSE!) because smart Jacqueline left her athletic clothing in the laundry room in California...oops So if you've been to the gym with me or seen me play basketball, you know I am very particular about shorts. I like soccer length shorts-not the long basketball ones. However, in Europe, first of all women's athletic gear is super hard to come by. If they have women's sporting gear it is usually capri pants or spandex shorts-hot I know. So finding a pair of running shorts took me two hours today. One lady asked me if I really wanted to try the men's shorts on and sort of laughed at me when I did. (which made me wonder how into equal rights they are, or on loosing the classical image of a woman's feminality (sorry I don't think that's a word)) I finally found a store that sold womens clothing and had the style I liked. They happened to be sea foam greeen, but hey, Im picking my battles here. If I close my eyes, they are perfect.

Sadly, my roommate Alyssa is sick with a stomach ache the last two days and personally Ive been feeling a bit faint and queesy too. Don't freak out Mom. I think it was the burgers we had for the fourth, I haven't had that much meat in two weeks. You can pick up your jaw Will, yes a burger is a lot of meat for me now....

There isn't much left to tell. Yesterday we did our first watercolor outdoors at Santa Croce (where Dante, Galilio, and Michealangelo have their tombs, although M and D's bodies are not there...wierd I know), but I hardly finished mine. Just like in reading, Im also a slow painter. I've done 4 still lifes and have 3 more to do for homework tomorrow. I did some flowers, sunglasses, a couple cups, and a bottle. During the critique of our first pieces of a monochromatic style life, Marcia really liked my piece (!) which suprised me since I've had the least formal artistic training. Im kinda seeing how everything is connected. I pull composition techneques from photography, color theory from scientific ideology, and perspective from math. In a way Im more free in my painting because I haven't had all the basic training the other girls in my classes have, so my paintings are different from theirs. Im in no means the best, but Im unique, which is much more than I had hoped for after our first work.

Ill post some pictures when I return from Chianti.

Is this the life I dreamed of? Or is this just the way it all went down? But damn right I sure am happy with this crazy piece of life I have found. -Pat Green "California"

Ciao!
Jacqueline

PS sorry no spell check...or well it has spell check but it is in Italian...I apologize for my errors