Did You Know that Roofies Equal Fun?

Wrapped in a blanket with the sniffles is not how I pictured my Friday night. I had plans to go out every night-hitting bar after bar. But after staying out for two nights, my immune system turned on me. And I suppose the margharita I had earlier isn't helping. But instead of powering through, I'll stay in for a night of recuperation and (fingers crossed) be back in action tomorrow night. And if not, the night after that. Even if I'm still feeling lousy, I have to go to a sports bar to watch the Superbowl. I mean, it is the Superbowl. There are no excuses.

The other night me and Kelly ventured out at 1:30 a.m. to fashion designer Roberto Cavalli's club. Sounds classy, right? That's what we thought..until we stepped inside. We were met with an overwhelming heat wave and malodorous stench of sweat entwined with alcohol. It seemed like more of a frat house than a club a famous designer would own. I even wore one of my "special occasion" dresses. Regrettable decision. I must have used my entire bottle of perfume to mask the smell. But after scoping the scene a little bit, we met a very friendly older Italian man. He was nicely dressed and smiled like a fox. Sly guy.

Sly guy chatted with us for a while and bought us some shots of something. He was clearly older than Kelly and I combined but it was entertaining nonetheless. Well, until he told me that his clothes were too tight and I needed to help get them off (reaching to put my hand on his pants). I heard Italian men were forward, but this was pushing it. After we ditched him for the VIP room, we were able to breathe a little. It wasn't as crowded and there was another bar and small dance floor. The music that the DJ was playing was really great. I just wished I was able to enjoy it. I asked a random guy to take a picture of me and Kelly, which he gladly did, but then he made Kelly take one of me and him. And then wouldn't leave me alone for the rest of the night. I love meeting and talking to new people, but what he was saying weren't things I wanted to hear. Fast forward to leaving the club when a few guys called out to us, "Hey! You girls wanna have fun? We're gunna take some roofies!" Oh yeah, that's my idea of a party. I really don't know how I meet these guys. Just lucky I guess!

Last night was a much needed girls night. Paula, Kelly and I went to a place called Art Bar where the drinks are made by two old Italian men, who see every concoction as a masterful work of art. And they are! We got the fruit cocktail which was almost too perfect to eat. The pineapple, strawberry, apples, lemon, and kiwi were cut so intricately, it was a shame to eat it. (But, of course, I did.) We were there for almost three hours without realizing it. No one was rushing us, so we simply ate, drank, and enjoyed. Walking back along the river was relaxing, too. It's so beautiful at night, and I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can linger there for hours. Along the way back we did some bar-hopping, checking out places we want to go back to. Florence has an insane nightlife. It seems contradictory to its historic exterior. Florence is a city that is famous for its past, but the bars and popular clubs say otherwise.

I talked to my parents on Skype when I came home, who were happy to hear that it only costs 3 bucks a month to talk to them as much as I want. For a few extra dollars I can call cell phones too, which my friends back home were happy to hear about. I feel like so much has been going on with me this past week, that the same would be true for everyone back home. But, not so much. The first time I studied abroad, I had this feeling of resentment towards my friends when I came home because I felt so different and they were all the same. I have this weird need for change all the time. It can be mild, like something ethnic for lunch, or really intense, like studying abroad. But I am a Gemini, so I guess that explains it.

Oh man, I feel like I have so much time on my hands right now but I can't do anything because I'm sick. Well, I do need to take more medicine soon, so that constitutes as something :-/ Anyways, at least one thing went right today: I switched into a closed class. It wasn't easy though. I had to hone all of my persuasive abilities and charm..and when that didn't work, I demanded a meeting with the Dean. Easy enough. Now, instead of my cooking class (which I was really excited for but the teacher is absolutely horrid), I'm taking social media, where we use social interfaces like Facebook, Twitter, and blogs to discuss the inner-workings of online communities. My roommate Megan is in it and said it's great and easy. Hello easy A! I don't mind challenging courses, but it's hard to devote a lot of time to studying when you're abroad. Food, culture, language, places to go, things to see, people to meet; talk about distractions. But I don't want to start off behind so I think I should get started on my homework. I'll begin with Italian. Ciao!