Numero Cinquanta!

"I like to KICK, DANCE, and KICK! IIIIIII'M 50!"

50th Post say WHAT!?

That's right! We're officially over the hill (better than being under it, right?) There are only a few things older than The Ugly American at this point, and one of them may be my mother... wait! Who said that!? So rude!

So in honor of this epic day, I am currently attending Liturgy at St. Arbucks on my iTunes. You have to give thanks and offer something up to the Lord when you live past a certain benchmark. So I felt that for the 50 mark it was appropriate to listen to the playlist of hymns (in proper liturgical order. SLAVIC liturgical order. If it were Syro/Byzantine it'd only be 5 minutes long and your eardrums would bleed. Can you tell I'm disenchanted?) And seeing as how I'm not going to be able to take communion anytime that I'm in Europe, I figured it would be OK to start off my morning with espresso and whipped cream.

Speaking of food, we tried making scones again last night. We were about halfway through making them when we realized we didn't have butter... so we ended up making little bread plops. It's the only way I know how to describe them. Apparently shredded pear and honey doesn't work as an adequate substitute for butter. Point taken. And then as I was making coffee this morning and cleaning out the empty Illy can, I cut myself. Maybe that will count as atonement for missing Liturgy for 3 and a half months? Isn't that how you restore a covenant? Or atone for a broken covenant? Shedding blood? We're going to go with it.

One last story before I go: everyone went out last night (AGAIN! I can't handle three nights in a row, so I went for moral support, not for the party. I'm such an old man.) And while we were out I ran into a girl I met during orientation week. I ended up with her and her two friends in this Russian bar - random. But they did the most fantastic thing: vodka shots chased by a salted tomato! Who knew that people do that!? Not me! It was fantastic. I wasn't drinking last night, but I made an exception for that one shot. Think of it as a cultural experience. It's the only way I'm drinking vodka from here-on out. Though really I just want a whole bunch of salted tomatoes and I'd be just as happy...

Ciao Bella!

Matteo "50 and I've still got it!" Yazge