Yes dear reader, this is what I have to put up with here. All of these lovely things and no money to buy them. But I can still look. I keep having these fantasies that I try on loads of designer things and there's an earthquake or something and I walk blithely out of the shop with a year's salary of clothes on while everyone is running for cover. Even if I were killed I'd look great. A win win situation.
Today was the last lecture by Winterbottom. It was very good. A real slap to some of the barons here. Humble, generous, open, and utterly utterly competent. He was interested in what the students were doing, and made no attempt to hide behind his reputation. His lecture talked about some of his own emendations and errors and how we might avoid them. It was about him teaching us something, about passing the baton on, as it were. I laughed, wondering whether you'd see some of the princes here do such a thing. I don't think so.
What should I tell you about some of the student on my course? I suppose I should talk about them a bit. Claudia is probably closest in research interest. She's a hoot. One of Mazzoni's students here, scarily good at what she does, has published a book, and is ready to publish another (in addition to a wheel-barrow of articles). These people really do know how to make you feel unaccomplished. We're off shopping for books now, so I have to dash.
I do have to tell you about Siliva, who is completely nuts. She has a crazy head of curly hair which looks like it has a life of its own, which nobody can tame. She smokes a pipe (I swear) and is probably the typical Italian: she looks like Giorgio Armani himself dresses her in the mornings before she goes out. And then she's great fun. Oh and she's beautiful, did I mention that? (Bitch!). So in addition to feeling stupid, I feel ugly. (And what with the leprosy....).
By the way, I appear to be well recovered from my mosquito problem. Tomorrow is the festival of San Giovanni Battista, so obviously the entire city is shutting down. Perché no!
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