Back to School, Back to School...

...to prove to Dad I'm not a fool. I've got my lunch packed up, my shoes tied tight, I hope I don't get in a  fight.

I don't know why I'm quoting Billy Madison. I don't even like Adam Sandler.

ANYWAY, here I am, back in Chicago, going to class again...though I guess I was taking classes over in Rome too, huh? Well, those classes were so much more fun.

There are so many times where I wish I didn't double major, where I wish I wasn't premed so I could stay at home with my family over the summer instead of taking classes...

...but then I realize how LUCKY I am to be able to receive an education like this. I have to remember that college isn't what it's like in the movies (at least, not in my program). It can get lonely, tedious, boring. You're not partying every night--you're studying, volunteering, doing research, anything you can to get ahead.

Like my dad says, life is a marathon, not a race.

And look at the views from my dorm room!

Our campus with Lake Michigan in the background.

Skyscrapers of the North Side of Chicago

The Information Commons (i.e. our library)/Cudahy Hall

The newest building, Cuneo Hall, and Mundelein Hall

My good ol' friend Mr. "El" Train

Once I get into the swing of it again, school won't be that bad at all. Besides, this lake view will keep me distracted focused on my studies, right?

--Becky

My Puppy's 10th Birthday

I told my dog that, as her 10th birthday present, I would make her famous. As in, I'd write a blog post about her. Because sorry, Maggie, but you're never going to get as famous as Lassie or Air Bud. Getting known by the blogosphere is about as good as it's going to get.

Even though she's now 10, can I still call her my little puppy?

For her birthday gift (you know, besides making her famous), I wanted to get her a personalized dog tag with her name on it. My family thinks she doesn't need it, because there is no way in hell she's ever going to run away from us--she knows she's got it good here, since this is where the food is at. Still, here's some cute designs I found on Etsy.

The ORIGINAL Mustache Pet ID Tag at Sofa City Sweethearts

Ok, I know, Maggie's not a boy dog, so therefore she can't grow a mustache (and the fact that's she a dog...that might be a problem too). But she's a mischievous little thing. If we leave a pizza out on our living room table, it'll disappear in a second. We don't know how she does it. 

Sofa City Sweethearts has a billion other designs too you can pick for your pet ID tag...the problem is choosing one!

Copper Heart on Nickel Pet ID Tag at Dogleg Left Designs

This one is more classic than the previous tag. I love the little heart in the middle and, like any prep, I'm a sucker for initials. 

BIG DOG Tag at Pups and Parrots

The carved paw prints are adorable! As the title says, this dog tag is huge...and Maggie is huge. Therefore the thing will look average-sized on her. Seriously, when winter comes around and she goes into hibernation mode, she looks like a sausage.

Which pet ID tag is your favorite? And do you all have any pets? 

Weekend Update: Rhythm and BOOMS!

Linking up with Sam at Sam's Shenanigans for her Weekend Update Blog Hop!

Everyone has a 4th of July tradition. For us, we spend the Saturday before the 4th going to a local baseball game and then to Madison's fireworks spectacle: Rhythm and Booms. We've been doing this for years. Only difference between this year and the past years? It was freakin' HOT outside. The temperature was around 96 degrees when we started watching the game.

"Tailgating" with Garret's popcorn...in the sanctuary of our air-conditioned car.

Katie and I at the game.

Every year around the 5th inning a bunch of people randomly jog through the stadium...in drag. Obviously there's a reason that these men are clad in red dresses, but despite 6 years of attending the game we haven't figured that out yet.

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Towards the end Katie got really dizzy and had stomach pains (we think it was heat exhaustion), so we skipped the fireworks and headed home to watch the new Arthur movie. Surprisingly, Russell Brand can be really funny.

Sunday we all packed up the car because I start my summer class and research at Loyola on Tuesday. It seems like all I do these days is pack, unpack, pack, unpack. Honestly, I'm not looking forward to going back to Chicago--I just want to spend some more time with my family here in Wisconsin. But whatever--we all gotta do what we gotta do.

This truck is my GRANDPA's, meaning it's old. Very old. My dad drives it down to Chicago for his work all the time, so I trust him that it won't break down once we hit the highways.

The table for my dorm that my dad made me in his garage workshop! I can't believe he just whipped this up without using a pattern or anything. So cool!

Hope you all had good weekends! 

Rome's Best Gelaterias

One of my professors in Rome was a bit of a gelato connoisseur. He doesn't eat sweets all throughout the year--he only eats sweets (i.e. GELATO) during the 6 weeks that he teaches the summer session in Rome. I'm serious here.

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So...we went to a LOT of gelato places. He ranked for us the Top 7 gelato places in Rome. See, gelato isn't just ice cream (beginner's mistake, I'm afraid). It's like ice cream on steroids. Instead of being made with cream, it's made mostly with milk, making it be healthier for you...according to my teacher, at least.

Here were some of my favorite gelato treats, and the gelaterias I'd recommend visiting in Rome.

FRIGIDARIUM

This is their signature "Frigidarium" flavor (some sort of butterscotch) hand dipped in dark chocolate with a cookie placed on top. The chocolate-dipping is what they're known for.

OLD BRIDGE

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Old Bridge is known for their generous portions. See this cone here? It was already half done by the time I took this picture. This is their pistachio and cookie flavor. When in Rome, you must try a pistachio gelato. I had never tried anything pistachio before, and by the end of the trip it's the only flavor I wanted to eat!

GELATERIA CREPERIE

My last gelato in Rome! This gelateria was close to our campus. It won't make any "best gelateria" lists (except mine), but it was conveniently located near our campus and was well-priced. This is pistachio and muffin--yes, muffin!

GELATERIA DEL TEATRO

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According to my teacher, this is the best gelateria. Hands down. It's located in this tiny alleyway, so it's a little hard to find. I tried the dark chocolate (made with a red wine), and the rosemary. It was delicious.

--Becky

When in Rome...

Before I went to Rome, our advisers told us that there are four stages of cultural adjustment: 1) predeparture stage, 2) honeymoon stage, 3)culture shock, and 4)acceptance

Everyone, I am definitely experiencing the honeymoon stage.
There are so many things I love about this country that I don't even know where to begin. As the cliche goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, so here is just a round-up of pictures from the last few days.

The view outside of my window

  Picture from the surrounding neighborhood of Monte Mario

Bus ticket

 

 Trevi Fountain

 Victor Emmanuel II monument

The Colosseum

Orientation at Marcuse beach

 

 Dinner and a walk along the Tiber

Five weeks doesn't seem like it'll be long enough. I'm loving my time here and don't want to leave. I wish I could write more, but I need to go to class soon...ciao!

Going Retro: Polaroids

Today I'm guest posting on Sarah's blog, Shorelines and Sunshine! Check it out! Shorelines and Sunshine has a monthly feature called "Shoreline of the Month" and today I'm talking about the shoreline of Lake Michigan. Go and visit Sarah's blog!

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The children's hospital I volunteer at is moving to a new location in June, which means that there's a lot of cleaning out to do. I work in the teen "playroom", so we've been slowly cleaning and discovering things in our closets we never thought existed.

One treasure we found: a legit Polaroid camera that looked like it was from the 80s.

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Imagine four college girls trying to get this contraption to work. By the time we were all in elementary school, digital cameras had already been invented and film was becoming a thing of the past.  Luckily, a mom of a patient came to our rescue. Having majored in photography, she knew the ins and outs of the camera and taught us all how to load the film. It's so weird: I never remember having to load film into a camera, even when I was a little kid. It's been digital cameras all the way.

Long story short, we had a fun day volunteering and took pictures of everyone we could find. Here's a picture of myself on a retro Polaroid. Sorry for the blurriness!

And now I really want a Polaroid camera. I went to Urban Outfitters' website because I knew they always had retro-looking cameras whenever I visited them.

Alas, no Polaroid cameras. They do carry this cute little hipster camera, which actually uses film. When was the last time you saw a camera that used film?

I don't even think Polaroid is making those cameras anymore. This is the closest camera I could find to the original one (it's the Polaroid Instant Camera 300), but it just doesn't seem the same.

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Also,I just learned that Polaroid made these cameras back when I was a kid. I always thought they were just toys. Does anyone remember these? They took tiny instant pictures that were stickers. I remember sticking those things all over my the house, much to my mom's dismay.

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Guess I'll just stick to my digital camera for now. Does anyone else miss the days of old-fashioned cameras and film?