Half-Term

Finally, we're wrapping up to half-term and a glorious break. Sure, I've got a chemistry exam before that can happen, but it'll be fine.

For starters, I now know how to properly bind a book in the Medieval fashion, as well as modern, Roman, Japanese, and American bookbinding techniques.

To the left is a modern bookbinding in-progress, modelled after the medieval style.

It's much further along now though, I've actually got the cover near finished and the paper has been glued into the cover. Hurrah!

Bookbinding is actually quite a bit of fun, despite having jabbed myself pretty well with the needle and bleeding on the book--which I'd been trying to avoid--and a few other errors along the way. But hey, it's a learning process. This is my first time doing this type of binding, obviously I'm going to screw up a few times along the way.

As for half-term, I'm headed to Dublin with Sophia. Hoping to see some movies, buy some books, maybe meet a favorite author of mine and of course, attempt to do some research. At the moment, my thesis paper is on the back-burner do to a difference of opinion as to what my thesis paper is actually about. That's fine though, I'll get it done. Besides, I've got schools to apply to.

Buon Natale

Merry Christmas! Well, almost Christmas. And that means it's finals week for me. Almost done now with everything, and the city of Florence is gussing up with lights and tinsel and .... lemons. Yeah, lemons. It looks nice though.

The tree in the courtyard of building is full of persimmons--as it is a persimmon tree and all--and the skies are blue. When it's not raining. It hasn't gotten very cold, though it has been raining quite a bit.

A single exam left now, and two days of classes and then it's the weekend before my flight to NY and then off to see my parents. I've got loads to do over break though, people to meet and research to be done. That thesis won't write itself after all.

My favourite thing in this kind of weather, is to settle in with a good book, a nice cup of tea and a canoli from this great snack bar on Via Nazionale.

I was a little hesitant about canoli at first, but oh my are they good! It's a bit like cheesecake, but with all of these wonderful flavours in addition. There's the orange peel--which is amazing, the dark chocolate and the crunchy outside wafer thing with crunchy sugar crystals.

And they're enormous for the pittance of two euro fifty! Plus, the guy that works there is very nice.

I'll miss canoli, that's for sure. Anywho, it's been an interesting semester, I've learned a lot, I've accomplished things I never imagined and in the end it has been worth it. I know that when I come through this, I'm going to know even more weird things and have a whole bunch of great stories to tell.

Ciao and buon feste.