Disaster in Italy

Three months ago I had the life-altering chance to work and live in Florence, Italy. While there I fell in love with the land, the people and the culture. However, that's not to say there is never a downside to traveling in a foreign country. The travel guides don't exactly highlight the less-than-glamourous side of travel which can include having to pay to use every public restroom, hostels that haven't changed the dirty sheets and "bathrooms" that are literally a hole in the ground. One trip in particular that I took with my friends was a series of unfortunate events from beginning to end. This is the story of Lido di Camiore...

I’m sure that Lido in and of itself is a cute town with a beautiful shoreline, but in my mind, Lido is hell.

After a beautiful day in Cinque Terre we (myself and five other interns) met up with the other 80 or so kids in our program to take the bus back to Lido di Camiore, where they had been having their two-week orientation while we had been in Florence. As we drove past all the towering mountains chock full of the marble that has created the art of Florence for centuries, we got more and more excited for our stay at the seaside. Truth be told we had been somewhat jealous of the other kids who got to spend their time between classes on the beach.

Wednesday Writing Challenge: Music Reviews (Part 2)

Marie Digby

Unfold

Marie Digby is more than just a cover artist. She blew up YouTube with her acoustic version of Rihanna’s “Umbrella”, but Digby’s first album shows triple threat stardom ahead. With a soulful, sultry voice and piano playing skills Vanessa Carlton would compliment, the rich lyrics are just icing on the cake. Digby is the opposite of today’s pop divas. You won’t find Auto-Tune anywhere on Unfold. She sings with that clear acoustic quality we wish all our favorite crooners had stuck with from Day 1. Instead of lyrics about getting drunk in clubs, Digby sings with vulnerability about love and heartbreak in tracks like “Stupid for You” and “ Miss Invisible”. Maybe we should all surf the web for our next music sensation. It they’re as talented as Digby, we won’t be disappointed.

Wednesday Writing Challenge: Music Reviews

Ke$ha

Animal

Ke$ha is the epitome of a foul-mouthed party girl that can’t get it together. She wears clothes made of trash bags, gothic proportions of eyeliner and glitter in places it just shouldn’t be. She has all the makings of a star people would love to criticize, but the crowds can’t get enough of her. Everyone loves a hot mess after all.

It’s because she owns up to everything. Ke$ha is Ke$ha and she doesn’t give a f*ck what anyone thinks. With lyrics like “I wanna be naked ‘cause you’re wasted” and “got a water bottle full of whiskey in my handbag,” the singer vocalizes what straight-laced girls wish they could be when they let their hair down. Yes, the album lacks any and all musical quality. And yes certain songs like “Dinosaur” deserve an immediate hit of the skip button (think Gwen Stefani’s spelling of ‘bananas). But sometimes a girl just wants to dance to a good beat and ridiculous lyrics. Here’s hoping her second album is just as much of a lovable disaster.