Il mio calcolatore ammalato

So things were going great this weekend. However, I forgot to mention that my computer got a virus. I dunno how, but it has kept my spirits rather low. Most of you know how I feel about my computers and my car. They are like my children. Peter is going to take me to the computer repair place tomorrow, so we can figure out what the problem is.

It seems that things have gotten back to normal after a wild and busy week. Things are still settling down regarding the presentations that took place last week. I still don't understand how "in the clouds" some of the students can be. At times I think it is an act, but it was something I had not planned on having to worry about during the weekend. Lots of people are still raving about how nice it was. We distributed the grades for the these projects today. It amazes me how conditioned the typical college student can be. Even though you constantly tell the students that the mark they have received in not equivalent to a normal letter grade, they still want to know if the are getting an "A" or "B". I can only laugh at it. For some reason, the seem to think that we carry a bag of grades. Once we give a certain number of A's away, all that is left are B's. Silly students.

As a change of pace, I was able to persuade Peter to hold lecture outside. The weather seemed to be nice during most of the day. But, when it came time for lecture, it got windy and cool. It took all of us by surprise. After class, Peter called the computer doctor and they said my computer would be ready the next day. I still must go a night without my baby.

Fu Fluns, Teresa and Cortona

This weekend could not come fast enough. The last few days were pretty stressful and rather full, but I made it thorugh. A number of the students took a trip to Torino. I am taking this weekend to relax and wind down. Besides that, this weekend marks Teresa's 21st Birthday. I spent the day trying to arrange a cake. We wanted to surpise her at midnight such close friends to her.

We spent Saturday in Cortona. We ate lunch at a resturaunt called Fu Fluns. The service was wonderful and we had great meals. After dinner, the group seemed to have gotten split. I spent a lot of with Brandi and Haley in a modern cafe. We talked about art, religion and philosophy. It was cozy and relaxing.

After returning from Cortona (and after dinner) we managed to get Teresa to join us at the Velvet Underground. It was great to have everyone out at the same time. I was happy that we were able to her a great time when she was so far away from friends and family.

Rassegna finale

Ladies and gentleman, I present... The Final Review. The way these projects were presented was actually quite exciting. Instead of a bunch of straight crits in the same area, we put together a "museum exhibit". With proper timing, location and arrangment, the students were able to act as art directors for their projects. The experience was unique and quite stressful at times. Most of the projects turned out very well. A great number actually took me by surprise. Others actually took a really surprising turn for the worst. Overall, everyone did well (so why are the students so concerned about their grades).

After the presentations, Maria (our guest) gave her lecture to an audience of exhausted students. Of all things, I think this was the least well planned part of the day. The students struggled to stay awake during the the presentation, but I think Maria understood for the most part (in her own way). That evening, the students scattered throughout the building to wind down. Tomorrow, they will be in store for quite a city in Assisi.

The trip to Assisi was one of the easier of all of our trips. It consisted of a breif, yet in-depth tour of the St. Francis Cathedral, a brief look at some doors and off to lunch. Well, it was easy for some. Others, had to do an immediate "follow-up" for the presentations of the previous day. I felt an obligation to remain as Melissa re-performed the research part of her project on herself before Maria. After it was over, she said she better understood the crit she recieved and was more than happy to send the newly acquired data in a few days. I guess even the harshest situation can allow us to walk away with a lesson in life.

The remainder of Assisi was nice. I ran into Iris (from Calpoly) and we walked around the Cathedral of Santa Chiara for awhile. She shares the same interest in hoodies as I. We spent time trying to find some nice ones, but only ended up using up energy. I don't think it was a complete loss because she seems like a really nice person. We didn't exactly talk much, but I could see us becoming pretty good friends.

I suppose the excitment began when it was time to go. Each school gathered at seperate locations to walk their respective students to the bus. Upon leaving the location, everyone in each group was accounted for. Once we made it to the buses, no one could account for the wearabouts of Teresa. "She was right beside me". I stayed behind for the later bus to ensure that she was found and made it safely to the center. When she first told me what happened, I honestly thought she was trying to cover up what really happened. However, the more she told it to other (in the same way) I believed it. Basically, she said she got lost in thought and when she came back to reality, the group was gone. I know what everyone is thinking... it still boggles my mind.

Un altro giorno nell'occhio del pubblico

Monday was not very exciting. It was one of those "smile for the camera" days. The city always likes to re-establish their relationship with the center by presenting each University with a certificate of friendship. Before issuing the certificates, they hold a presentation completely in Italian.

After the ceremony, Peter had to head to Rome in order to pick up our lecturer for Wednesday. This, I was left in charge of the students. He left me in charge. If you know me, then you know my reasons for not wanting to be a teacher and you understand that this would be me facing up to one of my fears. However, things were not so bad. I held a brief 30min session and left them to finish up their projects. I was also able to take some time to work on my personal things as well.

I thought the stress of Monday was going to leave me broken. Instead, the stress of Tuesday ran me away from the building. Maybe I shouldn't put it in such a way. After seeing the things I had to accomplish in regards to organizing the students for tomorrow, I had to pull a disappearing act. I (with a few other students) escaped for about an hour after dinner to "calm down". I suppose if I really wanted calm, I should not have had a cappucino. I was relaxed upon return. I think I went to bed at about 4 or 5am (still leaving about two students awake and working alone). I think tomorrow will go rather well.