Karenism Deliciously geeky

Every third Sunday of the month, entrance is free to the Vatican
Museum.  I intended to arrive at 6 to stand in line, but I ended
up there at 8.  In any case, Sarah and Julie and I got into the
museum around 9.  The Vatican Museum is amazing.  There is so
much stuff there—beautiful
and famous paintings, astounding amounts of Greek and Egyptian
artifacts–items from cities that they have pillaged and burned. 
I suppose, though, that many of pieces were legitimately bought or
gifted.  There were huge crowds of people, especially in the
Egyptian and Greek section.  I almost wanted to strangle a woman
who pointed to a statue of Anubis and said in a loud voice, “Oh! 
I know this one.  This is, um, that guy that takes people to the
Underworld.”  Her response to her daughter’s asking the meaning of
the Underworld, “It’s hell.  The place where the bad people
go.”  She made me so angry, and then disheartened to think that a
huge chunk of America has probably had the same lack of
cultural/historical education.  I can only hope that she know a
lot more about some other field.  Looking back on it, though, I
wonder if I am too much of an academic elitist, as my sister once said.
However, inside the Pinacoteca in front of The Transfiguration made me
aware of how little I know about art and has stirred up a strong need
to learn.

Last week we went to see Aida at an outdoor opera house, and it was a
lot of fun.  The venue itself was a bit of a disappointment. 
The acoustics were (predictably) bad, and the set was very minimalist
and yet, too busy. There was a random naked scene in the middle of the
second act, where a slender woman rises out of a bath to be dressed by
her attendants.  I didn’t understand it’s significance, but after
some short discussion with fellow students, we concluded that the scene
was merely there to hold people’s attention.  It’s just exciting
to be able to catch a word here or there and understand it.  All
the students were all dolled up, and everyone looked so good.  I
really love it when people dress up because they all just look so
shiny.  The amusing style of choice for the night was coordinating
ties and forehead bandanas worn by 3 Santa Barbara boys.  

This morning the sky was crying (I often get rain and cry mixed up in
Italian–piangere and piovere), and it was the most comforting event I
have experienced thus far.  There was lightning and thunder and it
rained pretty hard for a while.  The air was cool and fresh and it
reminded me of home.  This time, it rained before we started
walking to school (which happened a few weeks ago, when the clouds
drained buckets on us as we ran barefoot the rest of the way to
school), but it was so serene, that I couldn’t bring myself to go to
class.

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