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Observations, Social Anthropology, Mirth, Mayhem, & Much More
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Wednesday 10-3
Back in Chicago. It's great to see Flan (the love pup) and be back in the homestead. However, I couldn't help but think as I looked out the cab windows on the ride from O'Hare, "What the fuck are we doing here?" and how insane it was to return. The environment was so utterly lacking -- no magic, no spleandor, no grandeur - only a numbing familiarity. Passionless to say the least, and it translates into the psyche. It's got to. Who could take pride in this manmade environment when the environment doesn't have pride in itself. Littering seems almost a form of euthenasia (sp?) on a very obese, pustule covered, brain dead patient. A hideous blight! It's a celebration of functional - and who wants to be part of that non-party? So banal. How can there be a passion for life when everywhere it lacks blood and the message screams...or whimpers "Eh, it will do." Passion needs glory, it means a constant influx of things bigger than oneself, be it art or architecture or landscape. Here the ego can so easily run amok because there is no barometer. You are bigger than the environment! You are the master of the universe! ...a very tiny victory indeed, for what its worth. The priority is you, because you've gotta be greater than THIS because frankly your surroundings make no impression. NONE! If anything the aesthetic is geared to the future which offers no connection only a hope, a "maybe then, maybe one day" yearning. It fosters mass insanity. No question in my mind. Everything is so convenient -- that's not a bad thing, but it's a very sad goal - and as a priority its deadly. How can you give a fuck about what's convenient because it will be replaced tomorrow by something even more utilitarian and blandly convenient, like a drive-through life. I am not sure if this is an ex-pat rant or jet lag or life without blinders or what.
10-1
Back in Rome for a final day...we fly out tomorrow and back to Chicago and to _________. What? The thought poses so many questions and the blank allows for possibilites... Why are we there? Does this seem ideal because its a vacation or because it is in fact ideal? Can this feeling be transplanted? Can I make the necessary changes in my life to bring the magic home? Has this meant anything other than a reprieve? Life is not bad in Chicago, but it is lacking.
Went through the ancient center of Rome once more after we got in on the train. So gorgeous, so laden with significance, such a reminder of the passage of time. It all passes so quickly. Ciao Roma, Ciao Italia. So anxious to see Flannery.
Sunday 9-30.
Earlier today we hiked across Florence to the amazing Piazzale Michaelangelo. Amazing views and then we climbed even higher and higher and higher. Atop this greenery covered hill overlooking Florence was a great church San Miniato at Monte and my favorite, the cemetery. We walked around there for a longggg time. It wąs a huge graveyard with spectaular views -- an amazing final resting place with pictures of the dead on most graves, ornate and decaying crypts and tombstones, and a strange air. Chancing upon it all was odd because I wanted to find a memento mori from this trip, something to make me remember that time on earth is limited so its best to make it count. Coincidence or not? The surrounding gardens were jaw droppingly beautiful as well. Yesterday we overcame our Florencentroism and ventured via train to Siena. What an incredible ride through Tuscany! (I need to put a moratorium on the words amazing and incredible and similar adjectives but this trip leaves me at a loss because so many sights and experiences have been just that.) Anyway, that said Siena was amazing - deliciously untouched & medieval. a real fortress citadel nestled high in the mountains. There is an amazing Public Palazza from the 1300s and a beyond gorgeous Duomo fashioned once more out of the plentiful green and white marble so frequently seen in Tuscan cathedrals. Every damn street in that place was a gasp and a small miracle. St. Catherine from Siena was from there (hence her name - LOL) - shes the one who fasted and fasted and gained sainthood for her disorder. Also at my prompting we went to the Museo Della Tortura (www.museodellatortura.com) in Siena. This one was much more torture oriented with seemingly no end to the depictions of the pain and suffering doled out to the poor victims. Its hard to choose a favorite since so many made my skin crawl -- best hit the website for more details. (I misut say, this trip has really nourished my darkside!). Jealous -- The day we broke apart and went our separate ways Carl had a celebrity sighting...Tara Reid, so beyond the D list its delicious. He kept a polite distance and of course took her picture. Another day of great satisfaction and deep joy.
Friday 9-28 Midday
This morning we were awakened by the sound of bells - lots and lots of them after a night of storms. The weather is similar to yesterday, rainy - but since Florence is in a valley surrounded by the Tuscan Mountains the storms pass back and forth and back and forth and that means a changing sky of sun, clouds,rain, and rainbows. All very unique and part of the Florentine experience. I am currently sitting at an Internet place with my HUGE Coke Light (no Diet Coke here). I just left the Interactive Museum of Medieval Florence which is subtitled Tortures, Death Penalty, Diseases and Misery Within The Medieval City Walls - it sounds sensationalized (which it was and which of course drew me in). It was amazing glimpse into the life of the everyday people and not the nobles and clergy who you see represented in the art and architecture everywhere. The common folk had a VERY different go of it. From punishments like hanging - which meant having your arms tied behind your back before being lifted on a pulley and dropped repeatedly which often dislocated shoulders, to chopping body parts, to having hunks of skin removed from the body with what looked like a pair of rusty pliers!! That even got a gasp out of me. There was the diet - a horrid concoction of grain since dairy, meat, wine, and fruit and vegetables were all reserved solely for the wealthy and the clergy. So teeth were usually rotted and extracted by the same pair of rusty pliers. There was the horrid filth and stench and everyday hovel living...often without an oven so a fire was built in a large common room. Babies slept in a hammock to protect them from rats. Then theres the disease - the black death, leperosy, and typhus. It was an amazing journey into these lives...and gruesome. It shames me that I sometimes have the audacity to bitch about some minor inconvenience in my life. I am so fortunate! There is even a website or somesuch for the place - www.oscuromedioevo.com - Faint of heart Carl opted to go his own way rather than enter so today is our day to do our own thing. This morning we went to the Dell Accademia and saw Michaelangelos David which was amazing in its stature and grace and beauty. God - I had no idea of the scale of it even after seeing a copy of it in Signora Piazza. HUGE! Also at Dell Academia were a series of gorgeous icons and religious paintings by Lippi, Boticelli, and all the medieval gang. Yesterday we toured the Vecchio Palace which was amazing. I think the decoration of the ceilings in all these places has been what has impressed me most. Afterwards, we walked about the markets and shoppes in the rain and during a huge outburst ducked into a medieval underpass and happened upon a very authentic Floretine diner - great food, 3 courses and CHEAP. It was so loud and colorful that Carl remarked that the food and atmosphere reminded him of the church basement doings after any Blando function such as a baptism or confirmation. Gotta love that great food, those big personalities, and the flat acoustics. Ciao, off for more adventures.
Thursday 9-27 AM.
c
This morning we awoke to a rainbow out our window. It had rained much of the night and the sound of the rain on the myriad of clay roofs in our courtyard was a lullaby. Yesterday Florence won our hearts - we started with climbing the 400+ steps (narrow, winding, and stone with no up or down path or pattern) of the dome of the Duomo. What medieval spleandor - Bruneschellis engineering masterpiece and such phenomenal views. However, the joy of reaching the top was partially the joy of no more steps or enclosed spaces. The views there were only rivalled by those of the Boboli Gardens at Pitti Palazzo. The sprawl and grandeur of these were absolutely amazing, the views overlooking Florence and the countryside were breathtaking - mix it in with crumblings walls, fountains, statuary, amazing topiary, various gardeners buildings and just the right amount of decay over a couple acres and you have a miracle. The Medicis certainly knew how to live, their influence is felt all over this burg from the era of the all powerful noble families of those city-states. We also went to see the rooms (layout) of the Pitti Palace court which also contained a costume gallery which showed the evolution of court dress amongst the nobles from 1700 to the 1920s. As chance would have it we got lost and happened upon Dantes house (I love that Florence makes something like that possible) as well as meandering about the winding streets in shops and flea markets and pizza lunch in a shady secluded park. We also hit the national museum of Florence which boasted an amazing amount of statuary - gorgeous courtyard - and the weird tradition of saying no flashes or pictures and then the tourist drive to do it anyway...that was intruging to watch, the guilty first shot, the sneaky second or third, and then just the blatant disregard for the rule. Weird. Then on to Santa Croce - an impressive catherdral (and we have become a bit jaded in that regard). The Giotto frescoes here were amazing as was much of the religious art in general. This church is also the final resting place of Michaelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Marconi, Rossini, etc. Thats the most amazing thing about this town - just to walk and see so much of it largely unchanged since the middle ages and imagine these streets and sights were probably very similar to the everyday ones seen by these great men makes it all the more exhilarating. Then we did laundry (like buying a whole new wardrobe) and relaxed which was so needed. Alas, our resting place was not final...
Stateside - I got an email from someone who has seen the preview to The Chubby Killer and mentioned how prominently my death scene is in it. Chris did such an amazing job filming that. I was also told that this scene would probably find great popularity amongst the asphixiation fans-freaks-afficionados. Especially since I am smothered in a cake - very rare. (Oh, which reminds me - I did buy the serial killer museum t-shirt). I am also going to be doing another movie, The Zookeeper, for James Fotopoulos. Thats exciting. Ive sort of lost the thread of all that, but now I am starting to get excited about diong it again.
This has been a real rut cure in so many ways and worth years of therapy, now to just maintain that flow and drive.
Today, we plan to hit the Uffizi. Museums are great, but I so prefer the real world and Florence in itself is a museum.
Tuesday 9-25
This morning we took the train from our beloved Rome to Florence. More gorgeousness on the EuroStar across the Tuscan countryside. Views - just awe inspiring. Its hard to imagine the pace and relaxing quality the everyday must have there. Boring or heavenly? Peace becomes more like heaven the older I get. The train arrived around noon in Fiorenz and we walked around quite a bit seeming some truly amazing things here. The feel of Florence is different. Its more hip-art-student kind of thing. Very medieval in architecture and especially the chasms of the streets and all the Medici castles and whatnot. Its almost palpable. Gorgeous river views...and again art and history everywhere...however, the abundance of students can make one feel a bit old and it is more pricey than Rome. This evening I went alone to the Serial Killer Museum - which is a creepy thing to do solo - but Carl wasnt interested. (I believe you can visit the museum at www.serialkillermuseum.com or something simple like that). It gave me some great ideas for Mel. It consisted of cool wax figurines with a headeset and tape playing the life stories and motivating forces of 12 serial killers as well as various means of killing and execution formats. Bundy, Gein, Bathory, Fish, Gacey, Manson, Gilles, Jack the Ripper, all the greats. Interesting - 60% of the serial killers are from the US, next is Italy and Great Britain with 5%. Gotta get the t-shirt from there. Perversely thats high on my agenda. The writing spark has been ignited here and it was fun to get some new ideas on the horror opus Mel. Actually writing has been going well on all fronts. Lots of clarity when it comes to going back over the memoir. More Florence tomorrow.
Monday 9-24
Life is great. Carl and I are in Rome. And it doesnąt get any better than this. Its so amazing. (The punctuation could be a bit off in this email since the keyboard is deceptively different and I am too excited to share my trip to decipher it all.) Around every corner and down every street there is some incredibly gorgeous scene, charming piazza, something enchanting. The people and life are so at one with the art and architecture and history, the ancient heart of the city was just a once in a lifetime event. I was agape for abut 5 hours, though that could have been the jet lag. Everything, the scale, the celebration of the past and the present. Lovely. The flowers and trees! I am conniving to move here. The incorportation of all these treasures into everyday life is what I love most. I think thats why tHE Vatican has impressed me least of everything, dont get me started on that celebration of the material...shameless! Their treasures are so hoarded and not at all integrated into life and the Popes images of themselves in statues etc are on the same scale of God, Jesus and the gang...VERY telling. We have covered almost every sqaure foot of Rome (it seems) with fur days of marathon 6 hours (minimal) of walking. I am soooo in need of a massage...climbing these hills is a killer...but what a way to go. I am so enchanted by the pace here, sure Im on vacation, but the pace of the everyday, the small charms of living which seem more celebrated and special than in Chicago or the US. Just the joy of not hearing a car alarm or seeing any incidents of road rage thats amazing in itself! The chldren seem much better as well, I think its the food...lack of preservatives, lack of TV addiction,fresh air, and parental attention...NO SUVS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Soccer Moms are an extinct species and yet the children thrive and survive. I am in heaven, paradise, whatever you want to call it. Ahhhh. Tomorrow we head to Florence for 5 days. This is such a wonderful revitalization of what is important in life, whats bullshit marketed to us as life essentials, and what I want my life to be. Now the trick is to transplant this back to Chicago. Its so easy to be renewed in vacationland and sometimes so hard to keep that fresh and alive. I miss and love you all. The dollar sucks against the Euro but this trip has been priceless...a real life saver on so many levels.
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