a post.

Me in Italy.
The lifestyle afforded by lenient deadlines, full maid service, provided meals, and 4 days of no class a week is a leisurely one. It's a schedule that is designed to allow for ample time to create art, but at this point classes have yet to become demanding. Although, in order to actually get anything done it becomes necessary to make a deliberate effort and plan to do so for sometime before hand, as the stores are often closed for siesta or for the (sun)day (no siesta is not a myth. Every tuscan town is completely deserted from approximately 1-4, with the exception of the businesses which cater to american tourists). Such a leisurely lifestyle allows for a rather sociable environment for everyone here in the UGA-Cortona program (in some places wine is cheaper than water). I'm sure however that as the semester continues it will become necessary to hunker down and actually use my time wisely to produce some good work. After all the semester is a very quick 3 months short. As things stand now, after only a week of class, we are only just beginning to get our first assignments, and it feels good to have something to do. I spent a good 3 hours in the ceramics lab the other day making what turned out to look just like a vagina. It started out as a leaf, but then Madeline said it looked like a vagina. From that point on, I couldn't make a change without furthering the likeness. It turned out quite well, however, considering I've never made anything out of clay before. Hopefully it will be suitable to be finished in the kiln.

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Now that my stay here in Cortona is halfway over, I will make my first post. I have, in fact, been here in Cortona, Italy for the last 1.5 months (?). The preceding is the beginning of the first post that I started earlier in the program, but never finished. Things have changed. As deadlines loom, school work returns to the forefront of everyone's list of priorities. For the first few weeks here in Cortona, the atmosphere was decidedly celebratory as we would frequent the Lion's Well Pub, which is one of two social drinking destinations here in Cortona. The other is Route 66. Despite its competitor's name, I think Lion's Well actually draws more american patrons. It's less bump and grind and more uhhh....sit and drink. pub vs. club. With the exception of saturdays not many Italians go out at night-late night that is. The way we do in America. So the bars usually have some sort of draw for American students. The flyer for the last party included drink specials and featured a WWII pin up girl with some text added on her upper thigh which reads, "Free Entry". So enticing...

Despite all this talk of fun and debauchery, I have been hard at work. Living adjacent to all of my studio spaces allows me to produce work with the time I would otherwise would be wasting. There is no TV. The Internet is slow and spotty. There are no movies to watch. For the weak willed and media addicted, this is a refreshing and productive environment to find yourself in. Furthermore, being somewhat inclined towards solidarity brings me to the studios quite often. However it is impossible to be alone much given the close living quarters. I have, however, made a concerted effort to be outgoing and social. Luckily, most everyone is great to hang out with. I've never made so many friends so quickly.

The high altitude and extremely dry climate requires me to constantly carry and drink from my 1.5 liter bottle of water, of which I drink 2 daily. I now prefer the frizzante. This is to preempt the inevitable dry-mouth and irritated, red eyes which plague me here. Other hazards of living here in Cortona include faux hawks, steep hills, volatile weather patterns (though the weather is generally delightful), pigeons, motor bikes, and the chingale (wild boar/ all the more to make sausage from). These are all offset by the breathtaking views (see figures 2.a. and 2.b.-soon to be uploaded), delicious food, great new friends, and the virtue of being in ITALY. (ITALY, TIM. ITALY) lolllzz1!!!1