oops.

On this depressingly rainy night in Florence, I would like to apologize for being the world's worst blogger. I had every intention of keeping my dear amici e famiglia informed on a beyond-regular basis. Seriously. Additionally, rather than giving you a weekly Zoo Tour style update of my activities, I'd planned on delivering pithy posts filled with zingers and quips to rival Blair Waldorf and Seth Cohen, respectively.

But, obviously, that hasn't happened, and I'm just as disappointed as you are. Those of you that still periodically check this, that is. (Hi Mama!) I've been lacking in the motivation department, at least in terms of blogging. I've kept a semi-decent journal that will be good for helping me recount stories when the semester ends. And I've taken tons of pictures. But when I've written in my free time over here, it's mostly been in the form of journaling. And, honestly, to motivate myself to write regularly, I had to purchase a molto bella creamy purple (yep, I said creamy) Moleskine (see: StuffWhitePeopleLike.com. I'm exactly the J. Crew-clad perpetrator they're talking about). It's much more inspiring than a Steno Pad, anyway. My "need" to buy a Moleskine for basically all the reasons that SWPL cites reminded me of those ridiculous old-ish commercials for Chinet paper plates. The ones that were like, "What are you saying with your Chinet plates?" And then there'd be a montage of WASPy looking individuals holding up plates that said words like "Tradition. Family. Love. Timelessness." Riiight. Because I'd never dream of talking with my fam about our history if they dared to use Dixie plates at the Thanksgiving buffet. The audacity. And at the end of the commercials there was that melodramatic voice claiming, "Nothing says 'you're special' stronger than Chinet." Duh. Even the speaker sounded like she needed further convincing. Side note, even a Chinet plate runs the risk of snapping in half under one of MY heaps of dressing.

Anyway.

I have not documented my semester well at all on this blog, but I have used that time that I haven't spent typing up thoughts exploring the city. And other cities. So rest assured that there will be plenty of storytelling that will unfold over the weeks, months, years when I get back. It's also worth noting that when I had free time to communicate with friends/family, I wanted to spend it actually talking to them (well, "talking" is not the right word, but, you know, communicating... via FB chat, Skype, email and whatnot) rather than blogging to them. Also, for those of you who've expressed interest in my writing before, one of the realizations I've made this semester is that I DO want to write. Maybe not as a permanent career, but definitely as a permanent...something. (Eloquent, I know).

I'll try to at least get in one more post before my semester ends. I've written so little about my actual daily life in Florence, so for the last post I think I'll write about tips and tricks for living here. AKA things that would have been convenient to know from the get-go. And maybe when I'm back stateside, this blog will continue in some capacity. I have a little under a month left here, which is SO bittersweet. I'm pretty sad about it, but I'm excited to spend Christmas with family and friends and to head back to Sewanee in the spring. I know I'll be back in Florence sooner rather than later. :D