I was thrilled to see two comments on my last post. Thanks, guys! It can be lonely in the blogosphere, especially when you abandon it for long stretches of time. Today I saw a group of graduate students in Italian Studies that I met during my first year in graduate school. We're all still chipping away at our dissertations. I told them I feel like Rodin but without the talent or vision, just chipping away at this big boulder and hoping something that looks vaguely like an elbow or a nostril appears. My dissertation project is no longer about Naples but it is still about gesture so there is some continuity there.

Speaking of Naples, we bought our tickets! I'm actually more excited than worried, which is quite unexpected and pleasing. Already there is stress around who to say with, when to go to Procida, when to go to Calabria, but really, rompipalle, this is the stress of privilege, so be grateful! We'll be in SoIt (doesn't quite have the ring of SoCal, but I like it) for just under three weeks. It will fly by. I look forward to a change of air, fetid air as it may be.

What should I eat, I mean, do first?

That's not a rhetorical question.

Also, quick non-sequitur: after posting legions of photos of La Bimba on this blog, it's time to post one of La Giaconda. Check out that punim/faccia!