two things.

here is the duomo of florence from the ballatoia of the palazzo vecchio. pretty awesome, no?


something else that's awesome is this cat at the boboli gardens. please note the amazing way the kitty tummy balloons out around him. can i take you home, little kitty?

some thoughts on animals, bruises, and siena.

hello all. and by all i mean one, since i post so rarely that i am sure i have no readers left. i'm here in florence, wrapping up week one. the weather has been frigid and rainy, and i've already fallen down twice. this morning it was down stairs, and i have a black (yes, black) and red bruise about 4" x 3" in a rather unfortunate place. it may be the worst bruise i've ever had, trumping the black eye i got when my sister jumped off the metal seesaw and the shin bruise i sported for weeks after pitching face first into a pile of monkey grass and concrete. here's a tip: don't fall down stone stairs. other than that, a few things:


first, what on earth is this poor creature doing stranded in the arno? more importantly, WHAT is this animal? no tail was evident, and it was certainly unable to swim in the currently choppy waters. while i was investigating the matter an italian tv crew came to film it. i really hope he made it out okay.


do you want to know what awesome is? it's cat-dog showdowns in painting, like this example from siena that i saw today, after i fell down the stairs and before i went to furla. someone should hire me to choose details from paintings for postcards.

lastly, i just purchased a book called 'scandal in tuscany' that uses the pig painted in the lorenzetti brothers' 'good government' as the main character in a story of mischief and mayhem. the pig's name is cinta, and she is one feisty sow. witty borrowing from important painting or bastardization of art historical touchstone? i'll go with the former.

xoxo.

breaking news...i was wrong.

apparently i misled you about the provenance of the necklace a la nessie. my dad gave it to my mom, not my grandfather. oops. this may not be a big deal to you, but i am now left to question the accuracy of all my childhood memories.

i and love and you.

it's been too long, friends. this morning when i was driving to work i was listening to the radio, and one of my favorite new songs came on. here it is, courtesy of youtube:



as i was thinking about it, i realized one of the reasons i like this so much is maybe, er..probably, because the brothers' voices sound so much like a certain adam duritz, who once claimed all of my affections. as in, i had enough counting crows tshirts to wear a different one every day of the week and DID. and i spent copious amounts of hard-earned baby-sitting cash on back issues of rolling stone magazine even if it was only for a mere mention of my beloved dreadlocked lead singer. and i once got the donuts on my braces in red, blue, black, and gray because adam duritz sang "i will paint my picture, paint myself in blue and red and black and gray." well, i think that'll do it.

inherited no. 7

i've been feeling really guilty about my lack of posting on this bloggie. i realize i only have approximately five readers, but i still wish i could maintain a more consistent schedule. i mean, there's only so many ridiculous photos of animals people want to see. today won't be much of a break in terms of the animals, except for that this one is possibly an imaginary animal. yes, i'm talking about you, nessie. here she is memorialized in egg press's 'you're unbelievable' card. do i own it? yes, yes, i do, and so should you.
the loch ness monster has long been a source of fascination to the easily captivated stewart family. my grandfather on the stewart side was an ardent genealogist and traveled extensively in scotland researching the family name and bringing back various kinds of memorabilia. among the more notable items was this ensemble that i once donned for halloween. please note the hat to head ratio and the pervasiveness of plaid in this photo.


but, beyond extremely scratchy wool blend kilts and scarves, he also brought back this super snazzy nessie necklace for my mom. at some point in recent years, i may have hijacked this necklace from my mother's jewelry collection. i don't feel too badly about it because i have seen m.d. wear a necklace maybe three times ever. no, i am not exaggerating.


isn't she so cute? i love that the metal is worn and smooth and dulled down. just look at her little nose! she makes me so happy.

mystery fruit

bonjour, friends. i've been meaning to post this bizarro fruit/berry/mystery flora for like ever. so there are these petite little trees around my apartment, and they bear these strange pinky red prickle ball fruits. i think they're kind of amazing, and weird. (this may go on record as the most pointless post ever.)

an ode to flat-faced dogs, part quatre.

more soon, i promise. for now, this photo of bentley, courtesy of m.d.

you can read more about this surfing pug here. i do question the fact that he qualified in the 20 pounds and under category. hmm.