staying places.

here is a picture of rain coming through the occulus in the pantheon! 

this is the view from my bedroom window
this is where i bought my neon bicycle

I think all major cities can feel the same. Similar routines can be established anywhere. The Vatican has replaced Rittenhouse square as the meeting place for friends. Young people line up outside the only 24 hour bakery in Rome rather than the Pretzel factory at 4am. Public transit still leaves residents stranded after midnight.

I only notice how spectacular my surroundings are when I look at pictures. I keep having to remind myself where I am.

My friend Matt, who I met on couchsurfing in May, is here visiting this week. We have lots of adventures planned, including attending a Roman hardcore show tomorrow!

The other night I saw a bunch of contemporary art exhibits. Some were really boring and some were fun and one was really great. I got to meet Franko B. who is this crazy performance artist who uses his own body and his own blood to make art. This specific show was toned down and was a blood-free installation. Above is a picture of Franko B. in his performing days but now he has an underbite and a grill on his lower teeth. He is great. 

I saw a Baselitz show at Gagosian that was a little disappointing.

I also saw this show by Pierre Louis (I think thats his name) that was really great also but not worth explaining. It was kind of like first friday but it was the 3rd thursday of the month.

all my clothes smell bad because our washer doesn't work. I'm going to go buy some pants now!

We have discovered this lady at the market that has about ten huge vats of wine that she sells for 1.50 euro or less per liter and it tastes really good! We go there most mornings.