Il Stanco Pepperoni: December 2011

It has been too long since my previous post, much has happened to il stanco pepperoni. My Italian vocabulary has increased by 5 words. I am now approximately one month behind starting the study I came here to do. Vending machine sandwiches are a staple of my diet. But I am surviving.

Of course, surviving was meant in a literal and very concrete way.

I turned 28. I can’t recall the last time I received a gift on my birthday. I have become accustomed to receiving facebook messages from friends, which is fine. Who doesn’t love facebook messages? This year a co-worker, Anna, made me a homemade cheesecake. It honestly rivaled The Cheesecake Factory in terms of taste. Amazing. I know what you are asking; what is this girl’s ulterior motive? The answer is simple. It is Anna. If you visited the hospital you would recognize Anna immediately. She’s the pretty girl that talks to you with her eyes closed and a huge smile. Charming is an understatement.

Speaking of cake, I am now able to order food on my own which has been convenient. Except on Sunday…. Sunday is my on-the-brink of starvation day. Everything here closes. You would think I would learn and plan ahead. Nope. No worries, I am like 1/50th Native American so I have uncanny primal instincts. I am not a great hunter, but I usually am able to find some random vending machines throughout the city which keep my energy levels high. As much as I hate to admit it, sometimes I miss fast food.

This is a nice Segway to things I miss.

Taco Bell or Roast beef sandwich from Arbys

Watching television

American Coffee

NOT MY FRIENDS!

Calling Clayton fat (both Clayton Goos and my dad)

My three week old coat not permanently smelling like a fish fart

I do miss owning a television. It would be useless to tell you how empty my heart feels when I wake up and my Playstation 3 lays dormant on my floor like a Durex in BAs nightstand. Similarly, my limited edition Battlefield 3 that I purchased the very day I left the United States is sitting under a pile of papers, pretending to be a good use of $60.

Who are we kidding BA doesn’t have condoms in his nightstand. The guy is immune to disease.

Since my last post I have visited two new cities, Genoa and Turin. I can’t say enough amazing things about Genoa. From the sleazy prostitutes to the luxury yachts that line its harbor, it is a city filled with diversity. Their food was absolutely amazing. If anyone here ever visits Italy, it is a must see. Similarly, Turin is a large city in the west part of the country. It is bordered by the Alps and blanketed by fog in the winter. It has a significant film culture and charm but it is a very large city and difficult to take in all of its sights in a short period of time.

If you are wondering to yourself why I talked about BA and condoms, I am wondering the same thing. Gutter thoughts.

Also, I lied about being part native American. However, my cousin Tina will probably let me know if she reads this.

I would like to thank my friend Cidney for visiting me over Thanksgiving, like he said he would. He said he plans to make another trip in May. Hopefully that time we actually see each other. I can’t imagine how bad Thanksgiving would have been if I were completely alone. Fortunately no worries because Cid said he was coming, so I know he definitely was in Italy. Who would ever say they are visiting and then not? So technically I wasn't "alone" on Thanksgiving.

In Turin I saw a concert for a band from Morgantown, West Virginia. They were totes West Virginians in every way. Got hammered. Good night for me. Probably annoying for my hosts.

I apologize for using the word, totes.

I would like to give a huge shout out to The Informer for not posting a link from his blog to mine like he said he would. I thought daddy stopped drinking? By the way, you can’t exclusively devote your blog to weekly picks. What the hell are you going to talk about when the NFL season is over? Write about your adolescent “relationships” at St. Peters (laughs). Or take pictures of fat people and post them. Or talk about getting de-panted in elementary constantly. I don’t care. Throw me a bone, a te-bowne. Get it? Tim Tebow is the man.

Last, I want to address my buddy Jennifer who became a follower of the blog. I appreciate it, but I think you are the only person who actually follows a blog. Let’s Skype soon JennyFromTheBlock.

The courtyard of a building in Turin which was the country of Italy's first parliament.

A view from the Mole (Maw-lay) building in Turin overlooking what my hosts called hills. They look mountainous to me. OK

Another view from the Mole with the Parlaiment building in the center.

A view of the Mole Tower from the ground.

Overlooking Genova from one of the few city skyscrapers. The dual turrets in the center of the picture are actually part of an ancient wall that surrounded the old city. In front of that and to your right is a small dingy looking building. It is believed that Christopher Columbus was born there.