Dorm Colors

Rossella

Lean on me.

red and pink curtains

Certain habits, like red and pink, one never loses.

MomComm: A few years ago, Midlands, the girls’ dormitory, was rebuilt from the ground up, though in the same “footprint” it had always occupied, including the bizarre “bell tower” which has never contained a bell. Two floors were made into three, and the open roof of what used to be the senior floor was enclosed to keep out the rain and the monkeys. The thick, old stone and concrete walls gave way to thinner modern materials – no more deep, romantic window seats. And no more view of Witches’ Hill: the trees have grown up so high on that side of the building that you can’t see much out the windows even from the third floor.

The new rooms have color schemes: yellow, pink, green, blue, both on the walls and the plastic-laminated furniture which is attached to the walls and cannot be moved.

It’s new, modern, sparkling clean. And kind of sadly sterile. We liked being able to rearrange our furniture. Senior year, my roommate Lauri and I were considered kinky because we pushed our beds together in the middle of the room. Junior year, Ginny and I shared a small room that was usually a single. We put our dresser-and-wardrobe unit in front of the door so that Dham Singh, seeing it for the first time, remarked: “This looks like a railway ticket office.”

Indian feast

The Twitter Diaries: August, 2007

12 or earlier: http://www.fotolog.com/rossella/19953061 – Ross is back on fotolog, first pix from India

Ross LIKES SCHOOL. For the first time EVER.

Ross just called from school. Amazing. In my day we barely had phones and they didn’t work!

why does everything I eat in America give me gas?

back to another afternoon of videotaping Leadville training. with maybe a lab visit – whee! (I’m such a geek)

I feel good, I knew that I would yeah. No, really, I do! Productive day, about to go for happy hour with a bunch of geneticists

aiuto! cercasi linguisti italiani: http://tinyurl.com/23957c

cultural differences: Ross’ new English teacher thanked her for commenting in class. Her Italian lit teacher told her she thinks too much

Define, refine, redefine. My life has changed, is changing – radically. And that’s good. It was time.

@pippawilson – l’evaporated milk si trova all’Esselunga, credo si chiami latte evaporato (o condensato?). Cmq il lattino e’ uguale

only been away 2 weeks and my Italian is going to hell. It’s losing brain space to Solaris storage software.

bracing myself for two more hours of filming highly technical training. I think I must be learning something…

contemplating driving to New Mexico next weekend. 6 hours. Far more than I’ve driven in years. It’s an adventure, right?

2 million things to do, too brain-dead to do any of them. Waiting for my massage – yay!

had a very good massage, immediately followed by a piece of potentially very good news. Now dinner with an old friend. A good day all in all

per chi volesse seguire le avventure di Rossella in India, e’ tornata alla grande su fotolog: http://www.fotolog.com/rossella

when geeks do urban planning: https://www.beginningwithi.com/

@mafe anche mia flglia e’ leoncina, oggi 18enne! festeggiando in India.

coppia italo-americana cerca nome per un figlio in arrivo. Chi li puo’ aiutare? http://tinyurl.com/2c43po

13: hiked 7 miles in Rocky Mountain National park yesterday – much harder than we anticipated, joints sore today. The pines are dying. Very sad.

interesting times: http://tinyurl.com/29w9sm

14: winding down after a long, busy day. Saturday passed by a famous site: http://www.fotolog.com/deirdrestraughan/25304286

on today’s menu: video production planning, wiki work, meetings, metrics, and a movie… beh, almeno qui c’e’ l’aria condizionata!

15: good morning from not-sunny Broomfield, Colorado! I do not have enough caffeine in my system yet…

buon ferragosto agli Italiani, happy independence day to the Indians! (Ross wears a sari for the first time today, singing Jana Gana Mana)

16: Ross celebrates Independence Day: http://www.fotolog.com/rossella/20157674

my new playground: http://wikis.sun.com/display/StorageAdmin/Home

@kitykity Ah, but have you been one of those women? I’m not a screamer in any other situation, but when you haven’t seen a friend in 20 yrs

just had a filling replaced. Good thing I wasn’t in Italy – would not have found a dentist working this week! Cheaper here, too.

@blublog – non avevi mai sentito “Stuck in the Middle with You”?? Mi sento vecchia. Mi sa’ che l’originale era di Stealer’s Wheel.

17: trying to figure out my very complicated life. I don’t TRY to be the exception to every rule. I just am!

this is one happy kid: http://www.fotolog.com/rossella/20181328 We’re finally doing something right!

@abeggi – she’s at my school and wearing my jewelry! And if she’s learned a thing or two about communication from Mom – not surprising!

I give up. Taking antibiotics for what is probably a sinus infection tho it behaves very differently in this dry climate.

18: The Silent Screams of Dying Trees: https://www.beginningwithi.com/travel/070812a.html

just took a whole bunch of great photos at a flea market in New Mexico, but don’t have my cable with me to download them!

also bought some great t-shirts with the Virgen de Mexico

@louordorica we will all sneeze together when we sneeze? <grin>

@caseymckinnon – I suspect that you got quite a lot of the netosphere panting at the thought of a dream with you and Zadi in it!

20: welcome aboard @igorminar – now you’re in trouble! ; )

just back from a fantastic weekend in New Mexico – old friends in new places, what could be better? Photos and video soon!

@cristianconti Zecchino d’Oro omiodio – falle ascoltare della musica vera, altrimenti impazzerai con Cretina LaScema e bella compagnia…

turista americana chiede consigli sulla sicurezza a Firenze e Milano; potreste rispondere? http://tinyurl.com/2aa7n2

“everyone” says Mac is better than Windows for video editing. But has anyone actually USED both to really compare?

okay: tonight I miss Ross so badly I can hardly breathe. Why tonight in particular? Dunno. Maybe being at the home of friends who have kids

21: whuff, long day! I’ll be going to California (1st time since 2001) ~09/06-16. This will be interesting. @schlomo – time for that drink!

@lskrocki – You knew I was a troublemaker, right? ; )

Roasted Green Chiles at the Las Vegas Flea Market: https://www.beginningwithi.com/travel/070818a.html

22: spectacular monsoon shot: http://www.fotolog.com/rossella/20297274

23:

for those who’d like to follow Ross’ adventures in English, I’ve been translating (with her permission): https://www.beginningwithi.com/W …

plans set: in Calif Sept 5-17, of which 8th-13th in/around San Jose, rest in SFO. Who will be around?

translating Ross’ writing – too mind-shot to write anything original of my own

24:

my head is spinning – so much to do! I’ll be downloading and compressing video all weekend!

25:

quiet Saturday to myself, and that’s okay. Had my nails done. Movie this evening.

pre-ordering TV shows on DVD to bring home to Italy. When I go…

I’ll have a lot of Economists to catch up on when I get home. This is both good and bad.

did I mention that my life is going to be totally different when I get back to Italy (in Sept) from what it was before I left (in July)?

26:

a pleasant day mostly alone (except for phone calls). Downloaded hours of video. Ate sushi. Saw HP5 again (no subtitles, yay!), now to bed

ev’rybody knows I love my toes: https://www.beginningwithi.com/

a fast, winding drive into the mountains today left me limp. I wish someone else had been driving so I could have enjoyed the view!

27:

@michaelverdi Dylan in high school! Go Dylan! I bet she won’t take crap from anyone (and good for her).

time to have a shower, coffee, breakfast – and go to work. Which is very, very close now that I’m in a hotel.

@lskrocki taking your advice and going to Taos this wknd. Any advice on a B&B?

Ross called y’day to say she landed the role of “the maid mad to marry” in “The Taming of the Shrew”. Now can’t get that song out of my head

waiting for a video to finish compressing so I can go home. About to give up.

hmm. gonna be a lot cooler in SFO. Good thing I brought some warmies. Now what about Taos and San Jose?

@davidhowell I have seen American teenagers in AIRPORTS in what looked to me like flannel pajamas – at least the bottoms were. Seems rude.

28:

I keep waking up from nightmares. What’s up with that?

last night’s lack of sleep making itself felt

@nicolamattina bisogna far vedere a ‘sti giovani come si balla davvero (e con quale musica!)

29:

initiating life changes

c’mon, caffeine, I need you to start working!

avrei bisogno di qualcuno che mi possa mettere su in casa una rete vera – shared printer, storage, backups, ecc. Windows, purtroppo…

@abeggi Lecco. Bed & breakfast (& lunch & dinner) compreso!

30: wish I was in Mussoorie (India). For many reasons. But I’ll have to make do with Taos. Living the life that only I could live…

okay, ‘m definitely doing too much… SO glad I’m taking a long weekend break. I foresee many margaritas in my near future. Better be!

squeezing video, translating Ross’ fotolog (more), getting ready to go pick up my friend at the airport. Vacation! 4 days better than none.

Auditions, and a Part

jeans

auditions in Parker Hall
Auditions for Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.”

Bianca, the adorable sister of the shrew, loved and desired by all, will be played by –

the undersigned!

(The guy above is just one at random, but he’s stupendous.)
Midlands

MomComm: Shakespeare. I was the screaming bitch wife in “A Comedy of Errors”. That was fun.

Home, sweet home – mine, too, for four years. I still have dreams about the first days coming back at the beginning of a new semester, unpacking, finding out who my roommate would be…

Deirdré Straughan on Italy, India, the Internet, the world, and now Australia