Lookin' fly and skyin' high.

Captain's Log: 14 June 2010

Well, we got a late start today. We headed to the baths of Caracalla at 9:30 and arrived at 10:00 or so. We quickly saw a sign that said "strike - no entry" and were instantly dismayed. A wasted 30 minute walk to start the day! I had a feeling about today. Next on our agenda was a traipse on over to the Circus Maximus. I hoped our luck would improve.

When we arrived at the Circus Maximus it was actually cooler than I thought it would be. I knew it was a wide open field, but I didn’t realize that ongoing excavations were ongoing. Department of redundancy department.  We saw them excavating one of the turning posts on the spina. There wasn’t too much to see, but it made me happy to think that we still don’t know everything or even half of everything. Then as we walked above the field our professors gave us the idea to have a race in the 90+ degree weather. (In Celsius!!!) I sidestepped this idea and took to filming it. Three of my classmates decided to run this gauntlet. At the start Will Utterback took an early lead while Ryan Hall and Jason Lupo were close behind. After a 100 yards or so they all finished and began to trot to the group. We agreed that Ryan won the race and to the victor went the spoils. A free lunch… which we all got to partake in. A cruel joke by the professors reminded us of their true nature. They seem buddy-buddy with you and then in a flash they are making you out to be a fool. I’m on to them though. It will take more than that to trick me.

We moseyed on over to some older temples and then decided to take a break in the shade of some Cypress trees. There we found out that Will Utterback’s heart was about to explode and Jason Lupo had an electrolyte imbalance. So they looked like death on a stick. Ryan, the victor, was standing near the temple of Hercules the Victor. He was un-phased by the heat. He stood there, mocking those feeble fools who dared to challenge him. After electrolyte’s were restored and aderhol (sp?) heart attacks were over we made our way to lunch. It was a pretty good pizzeria. Had some good food considering the price.

We continued walking for an hour or so and I got a chance to talk to Dr. Witmore about the philosophy of archaeology. Rome is a town that is surrounded by the past and is in a way combating it. There is so much time in Rome that it seems that it can’t fit anymore in there. The future is dim because there is no room for it. Everywhere you look there is an excavated forum, temple, building or whatever occupying space and being semi neglected. It is being made grimy by the cars and general dirt in the air. It is decaying faster than it was underground. Dr. Witmore raised the question of “How do you go about preserving the past while interacting with the past? Why do we have to demarcate lines in time in the way we do?” These were all interesting questions and it is a hard subject to approach. I have been thinking about it most of the day actually.

We were done for the day. We made it back to St. John’s and Ryan and I decided to go on an adventure. A shopping adventure. We walked around Rome looking for the right store. I was after a jacket and some shoes to be honest. We passed place after place and nothing was clicking. Two miles down the road we crossed the last shop on the street and I decided I wanted to check it out. We walked down to the basement where the men’s clothes were and I saw them. The converse of my dreams! I told Ryan that no matter what I had to get those shoes. So while I was checking out these shoes we noticed that they had some pretty cheap clothes and really good looking ones. First up was getting Ryan squared away. He had never really owned a suit so I was helping him get the right sizes and the right cut. One of the employees came over and also started helping. We spent about 35 minutes getting Ryan bossified. Sylvia, the employee, was a great help. She was a pretty interesting person and when Ryan changed I chatted with her and found out she speak 4 different languages. She also thought that the states were different countries. She kept referring to Texas as a country. It was funny.

So after Ryan was bossed out he had with him slacks, shirt, belt and jacket. He looked good. Now it was my turn. I snagged some pants and a jacket that went well together and then I asked Sylvia what kind of shirt I should get. My jacket and slacks were blackish so she suggested something that would pop.  A purple button up. When she said that I knew it was fate, the converse I saw were some boss purple converse and matched perfectly. I pointed at the shoes and said I need those and she said “Oh that will look perfect!” Sure enough it was. I got bossed out.

So, Ryan and I now have some fly duds but nowhere to wear them. It looked like the bad luck from this morning was going to continue on, but wait! The 2010 Chamber Music Festival was in Rome and they were nearby. So Ryan and I hastily showered and dressed then went with Jenny and Jordin to the show. I really wasn’t too stoked to listen to Dvorak’s quartet, but at least I was able to look fly for a while.

We got to the Festival and sat down amongst fellow bosses. Then a cellist, violaist, violinist, and pianist came out and freaking blew my mind. That was one of the best things I had ever heard ever. It was sublime and that is all I can say to describe it. After the music stopped we went to a restaurant and had the best food we had eaten all trip. The waiter gave us free appetizers and a discount on dessert—a truly excellent ending to the evening. We walked home and slept a satisfied sleep.

Love you all.

End Transmission.