now with 87% MORE nerditude!

I'm almost too old to work in this beauty shop.

The tragedy.

It was about time, I guess. Dad and I had brainstormed around buying new cables to exploit my digital video camera, but I wanted the same manual options as with my sweet sweet Canon Kiss, yet also craved something handy that could fit in my purse (unlike the s. s. C. K.). So the night before we left for the Palio (see a few pics here) after much hummmming, haaaaaaahing and counting of pennies, I took advantage of a decent "last model in store" deal and got meself a Canon Powershot A610. Am very satisfied so far --not least by the macro function, which will allow me to record and transmit some of the quirky minutiae that my eyeballs seem to find themselves resting on more often than I'd like to admit. Flickr is an inspirational artsy community to participate in, but for more practical purposes (blogging and Poor Person's Photoshop...) I've returned to trusty old Picasa. Though I will loudly deny ever having said so, it seems I am becoming a disciple of digital.

I'll bet you thought this post would be all World Cup-flavoured, didn't you? (smile, gentle head shake) Well, you should've known that I'm far too narcissistic. Ok, ok, it was a great party, so I'll paste some pictures below in chronological order: before match - during - We Won! - Let's Hit It! All people featured are Filippo's cousins (plus one girlfriend) --my best friends in Bergamo.

A Week In The Life

Totally like whatever, you know?
by Taylor Mali

In case you hadn't noticed,
it has somehow become uncool
to sound like you know what you're talking about?
Or believe strongly in what you're saying?
Invisible question marks and parenthetical (you know?)'s
have been attaching themselves to the ends of our sentences?
Even when those sentences aren't, like, questions? You know?

Declarative sentences -- so-called
because they used to, like, DECLARE things to be true
as opposed to other things which were, like, not -
have been infected by a totally hip
and tragically cool interrogative tone?
Like, don't think I'm uncool just because I've noticed this;
this is just like the word on the street, you know?
It's like what I've heard?
I have nothing personally invested in my own opinions, okay?
I'm just inviting you to join me in my uncertainty?

What has happened to our conviction?
Where are the limbs out on which we once walked?
Have they been, like, chopped down
with the rest of the rain forest?
Or do we have, like, nothing to say?
Has society become so, like, totally...
I mean absolutely... You know?
That we've just gotten to the point where it's just, like...
whatever!

And so actually our disarticulation... ness
is just a clever sort of... thing
to disguise the fact that we've become
the most aggressively inarticulate generation
to come along since...you know, a long, long time ago!

I entreat you, I implore you, I exhort you,
I challenge you: To speak with conviction.
To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks
the determination with which you believe it.
Because contrary to the wisdom of the bumper sticker,
it is not enough these days to simply QUESTION AUTHORITY.
You have to speak with it, too.