Always Changing, Always the Same

This morning was the best and worst I have had for awhile. Over the course of yesterday evening I had a bit more to drink than I should have and so I managed to feel a little groggy this morning along with drinking about a liter of water over the course of the night and while wandering quietly through the house as the first to awaken. Once I got through my morning workout though, I was definitely feeling better, and it is always kind of a cool thing to watch the morning start, with people busy setting up their spots in the market while the sun slowly illuminates the piazza. The reason this was a good day though was that finally there is a slight bite to the air, that crisp feeling that just makes you realize that the hottest days are behind you. I think that it is weird that I should crave the coming chill, and even as I type this I question why. I think maybe it just reminds me of home, although the air here is never quite the same; probably since there is so much less foliage. I miss the taste and smell of pine, the sweetness of crisp, clean air.

I realized today is the start of my 4th week in Italy. Seriously, nearly a month and yet it feels like so much less. I guess that being busy with all these artist lectures and movies and trips around town have really made the passage of time move in a odd path. There is so much that I have planned to do that just hasn't yet had time. Cliff was talking today about how he wants to travel yet he feels like he barely has time for it amongst the work and when he has to be around for his father's visit. Crazy to think that one of the first things I wanted to do was buy a pocket knife, and here I am with two weekends in Rome and I haven't done that or made it to the large Sunday market over by the girls' place. I have to really get focussed on doing some of this stuff before the trip runs out, which I am sure will happen before I know it...
One last thing for today. During our week-foresight meeting we had a short introduction to the world of camera obscura. I gather that this art of pin-hole cameras has a long tradition in the world of photography, and to my always intrigued artsy brain it seems like something that I could have a lot of fun with. David and Ben Wong seem to be sort of goofy camera nuts and so I think I will pick their brains about what to mess around with, and maybe this will be something for me to play out. It is interesting to learn about new media for art, and I am always interested in how to make things work for me. If all else fails, it could be a good way to make something to potentially remember this trip.