Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!

Hey you Turkey (or Tofu Suvstitute) Eaters!

I hope that your Thanksgiving  is all you have ever hoped for! And hang in there because X-mas is on the waaaaay!

My family is in the car right now, Sofia too, on the way to the home of my adopted grandparents. And let me tell you, they are pretty sweeeeeeet people. I mean, do your grandma and grandpa live in an enormous castle in the gold country, surrounded by caverns, and sharing their home with suit of armor, a dog named tiger, and a plastic

If so I am very surprised, but your grandparents are probably epic too. This thanksgiving will be sooooo cool !

However, I am also here to talk about a family tradition of mine, for Xmas. We have a CHRISTMAS marathon! In the CHRISTMAS marathon, we all have to listen to Xmas music 24/7. All the time every time. It's fun, but there are side effects. Last time we did it, I ended up singing 'have a holly jolly CHRISTMAS' in July.

So anyway, we (me and my family) invite you to Join the CHRISTMAS marathon!

Happy listening
Liv!

P.S. Next post, I will discuss how polar bears will spend their holiday. They are living in a world disappearing under their feet. Remember, whenever you curse curse spare the air day because you can't have a fire, remember where all those firs all over the world go, and how they effect those who share our planet. Happy holidays!

P.p.s: to my friends in other countries, happy winter.

Ppps: to my fans in the Southern Hemisphere , happy

Ideating about Anime

I'm sitting in the lobby of SF playhouse, soo excited to see Pop's opening night.  He is in a show called Ideation, by Aaron Loeb, and it is a quite exemplary play. Opening nights at the Wisely house are very celebratory occasions. Ever since I was very small, I attended Every opening night of my father's, unless it was inappropriate. There must always be a card or gift involved. Not only from the audience member (in this case, myself), but from the actor in the show to the others.

My mother has just informed me that about 30 minutes have gone by.  And to think I haven't yet told you what I was dying to. Well, ok, here's the scoop.  Because of an overwhelming wave of watching it's trailers, I have now, finally, restarted Black Butler. I knew in
My deep nerdy heart that it was the best anime for me.  However, to avoide overload, I am so quitting
Soul Eater. There I said it.

Animetedly yours,
Liv

Conversations with a belated blogger

Recently, I had a conference over my rather long term disappearance from cyberspace publishing.
I wish to share some of those conversations.

Me: All right everyone, I will now be taking questions from the fore.

Q:  Uhh, Ms.Liv, mam, do you think you could tell us why you have been gone from your blog so long? 

Me:  Err....One reason is my schoolwork load is obscene and I have had hardly and time to use recreational computer at all, and secondly,  when I have time, I write fan-fiction on Quotev. 

Q:  Madam Liv, I'd like to ask why you waste your time on Quotev?  

Me: (Sniff)  I'm a legitimate nerd! 

Q:  (sighs and leaves office)

Reporter #1:  (Walks in) Soooooo, miss, madam, miss'us, do you think you could give me a picture!  For the daily news?

Me: Oh, of course! (takes picture out of coat and gives it to the Reporter)

Reporter #1:  (smiles and gives the daily news to me) (leaves)

Reporter #2: (comes in)  Oh, hello, you MUST be Ms.Liv.

Me: ? Must I ?

Reporter #2: ?????....Uhhhhh...well we wanted to talk to you, we are from the press!

Me: Great, you can press my pants! (duh,dum ) 

Reporter #2:  Uh, no, we are reporters.

Me: Oh...RIIIIGHT.  Well, I just need my pants pressed, so get out of here. 

Reporter:  Well, It was wonderful to meet you.  (Shakes hand)

Me:  Thanks, it was a great experience for a nerd like me.

Reporter: Oh, well that's just-YOU"RE A WHAT?!  Smithers, get the hand sanitizer.  I'll get the

has-mat suit.  

Me: Hmmmmm.

(The door opens and a Scientist in wheelchair rolls in accompanied by a slight fellow with shaggy hair and Google glasses)

Scientist:  (through the mechanical voice created by his computer)  Hello.  Are you Liv?

Me: Why yes, yes I am.  Who might you be?

Scientist: (through computer voice) That's not important.  I was just wondering if I could borrow your Science textbook.

Me:  Sorry, but I loaned it out to Einstein years ago and he's never returned it!

Man with Google glasses:  Then might I take a look at your PC.

Me: I don't have one.  I use Apple.

(The man in Google glasses scowls and they both turn and leave.)

Me:  Those genius types are all the same.  Black holes and software, honestly.  Well, I have time with just one more appointment.

(The door opens. The Doctor and Sherlock Holmes walk in)

Me: ugh, what is it boys?

Sherlock: (blushing) Um...Can you solve this sudoku puzzle for me?

Me: (Sigh.  Takes the puzzle, solves it and hands it back to him)

Doctor: And...I need your help again.

Me: You can't be serious.  Do I need to save the world again?!

Doctor: Yeah. (looks at down at his shoes)

Me:  Alright FINE. But this is the last time okay!

(walks off with them)

The End .....for now....            

Let's give it up foooooooor.....YOU PEOPLE!

Yes, it's the wonderful, the magnificent, the incredible, and the mostly anonymous YOU!

Hey everyone,

       5 and 4 days (in that order) until I have to turn in my (hopefully complete) Rome report and novella.  However, today I was at a standstill in my typing so I strayed to see what the stats were on my blog.  As I looked at all the readers, from China, Japan, Poland, Sweden, England, Columbia, Israel, and many other countries including my home in the US, something was brought to my heart and I thought I would wright it down to be heard.  So here it is:

       This blog, this little window for people to look into my life, would be nothing more than a grain of sand on the vast desert of cyberspace if it wasn't for you.  So here's to you.  Maybe, you accompanied me on my unforgettable journey to Italy.  Maybe you are a close friend, or a family member.  Or maybe you are someone I don't know, living in a country I have never set foot in, that has an interest in my life.  You know what, for all I know, you could be somebody who accidentally tripped over some girls blog while looking for cat videos, and you have never looked at it since.  I don't care who you are, just know this.  I am extremely happy ( like jumping-up-and-down-almost-wetting-your-pants-screming-so-hard-your-Mom-comes-into-the-computer-room-to-see-what's-up happy) that you came and checked the blog out.

(a) When a tree falls in the forest, and nobody is around does it make a sound?
(b)
When a blog puts out a new post, and nobody even checks it out, does it even exist?

Well, it's a good thing I have to answer neither question because (a) I am not a lumberjack, and (b) I have you guys. So, thank you, for everything.

Your ever so humble blogger,
Liv

Thank gosh for you guys!

Wow, before I say anything more in this post, I congratulate my viewers for hanging on so long ;)

     It is true that I have been exceedingly irresponsible with this blog lately, due to excessive scholarly
obligations/school.   In less than 24 days I have both a 9 chapter novella and a ten page research report on ancient romans due!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Needless to say, I'm getting LOTS of help from my teacher, but most of it is supposed to have one person working: io (I in italian).  The novella is sometimes fun, and sometimes tedious, but at least it gets to be fictional.  Add my normal homework to that and you have one busy, but not necessarily overworked kid.  But hey, I'm sure I'll get all this under control ;)

     Oh, by the by, one of my aMAZing fans wrote something about me hitting the books, and which books precisely.  Well, reverting to my previous paragraph, I haven't had much time to read anything specific.  I have been re-reading Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows, but I think I juiced it of all I could last time I read it.  It's still fun finding those bits where you are all, "Ohmygosh, this is when they run into Neville!" or something, and then you find out that they don't.  I dig surprises like that, they make me laugh at myself for thinking I knew what Rowling had in store for me.  On the subject of leisure, I've been watching a bit of PewDiePie on youtube, which I probably shouldn't ;).  My mom knows and all, but he cusses WAAAAAAAY too much in some videos.  Some other things I've been watching are "Matt Smith home videos", "Dr.Who bloopers" and '' Lord of The Rings: Merry and Pippin", which I strongly recommend if you're in for some nerdy fun.  I'm also watching Markiplier, as always, who is my favorite youtuber for horror, so check him out too!

Well, that was my little-bitty update on what I'm doing at the moment, and I apologize ahead of time for the next delayed post (smirk).  Please keep on checking my blog out, it really helps my morale some days!  I really love you guys (and dolls, heh heh) and as always, I have prepared a snappy send-off.

No, you aren't as nerdy as I am,
Liv

P.S. Tell me what YOU'RE reading Megan.  For my other readers, Megan W. was the fan who asked what I was reading.  Let this be a lesson to you, those who comment will be greatly rewarded with an answer!  Lord Voldemort rewards those who have been most faithful to him!  Wait, did I say that out loud?
     

Home Again, Home Again (and it's a'bout time you wrote somethin')!

Wake up! Wake UP! WAKE UP! You HAVE A BLOG TO WRITE!!!!!! uh....











.....WAKE up, there are waffles on the table! With cream cheese! COTTAGE CHEESE! PEACHES!








 (zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz)

        Yeah, that's the sound of my head being slammed into a pillow after arriving back home in California.  I had just spent about twelve hours on Air France and I hadn't slept a wink (my fault) so It was reasonable that I was so sleepy.  We had also had two meals on the flight, but I was still starving.  I'm just lucky that there were screen s on the back of my seats, so I wasn't bored as well.

         It's actually been little more than 2 weeks now, since I got back from Italy.  It's about time I wrote something, I know!  Sorry I took so long. When I got home, I was amazed at the sheer multitude of toys and books I had, and some days I just sit in my room and check out all of my own stuff!  Right now I'm re-reading my favorite books :)
I've started school again, and that's been a lot more fun than just math practice on my computer!  It's great seeing all my old friends again, and now I'm starting to appreciate kids I didn't really know before.  Come to think of it, I've really started appreciating California a lot more in general now I'm back.  I guess I was just homesick.  That, and the many possibilities now we have a car again.


         However, I definitely miss Italy a LOT.  Besides my heart, I seem to have left my mother back at the apartment!  She can't stop teaching and go home until April, so we just Skype her every day.  I miss her an unimaginable amount and I love her, very, very, much.

So anyway-
WE INTERRUPT THIS PROGRAM FOR AN AWESOME NEWSFLASH:
OLIVIA'S DOG, COMMONLY KNOWN AS SOFIA, HAS BEEN RETURNED TO HER OWNER!
CAUTION: THE AWESOMENESS OF THIS STATEMENT MAY DRIVE YOU MAD WITH EMOTION. YOU MAY FEEL INEXPLICABLE URGES TO RUN TO FACEBOOK AND LIKE THIS BLOG SO MANY TIMES, THE INTERNET CRASHES! IF YOU FEEL THIS URGE, DON'T HESITATE TO ACT!

That's what I was about to say! I was going to discus my first couple days back, which consists of Sofia being returned. We arrived on a Thursday afternoon in California so we went shopping and slept.
The second day we did relatively the same thing, only we got our wayward luggage delivered to us.  Then, on Saturday, me and my father took that faithful journey to Livermore to pick up Sofia from the McGrorys' loving care!
I played on the trampoline with my heart siblings there, then went home with my plucky little poochie.  Later that night, I went to fancy-shcmancy gala to raise money for one of my father's theatres, the Aurora Theatre Company.  Right now, he is doing a play there called The Letters, but I'm not elaborating.  It involves a shifty conspiracy in a censorship agency!  Hard to explain, but trust me it's cool.  Anyway, the gala was UBER posh, and I stayed up 'till 11:00!  I'll mention that it didn't help my jet-lag, but it stopped my craving for salmon fillet (with chocolate tart)! Guess every cloud has a silver lining :)


Well anyway, I've been here for a bit now, and I've come back to school.  There are two new students and they are.... challenging to get used to.  I got to see my friends again, and as I said, made new ones.  It seemed I was getting back on the school track.  Then-POW! Spring Break EXPLODES in my face and hits me right in the kisser.  Yesser, I got back just in time for a whole week off, and a friends          b-day*!
Soooo, all in all (which hasn't been much at all) life's good for me.  Dog is here, Dad is here, I'm getting in trouble for talking in class, Grocery Outlet is here (discounts!!), practically everything is back to normal.  I DO go to rehearsal every night w/Pop and stay up late, which is a pain, but I'm glad to be with him and not stuck at home. The only thing I miss is my mommy.  No joke, it seriously stinks to be without her, and I would trade everything in my home to keep her company in Italy too.  I sure hope she's reading this, I love you Mom.


    Ok, ok!  No more wushy-gushey chit-chat.  I gotta wrap this thing up and get back to..........
   

 
ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......

Gahhh! Oh, sorry! Anyway, my next blog, will come next week (hopefully) all about my home life!
Till then, I think I'll take a nap ;)

Nighty-Night!
Liv




*Happy Birthday Sarah!!!! WHO IS TURNING TWELVE!!!!!!!!!!Cool.

Have a Cuppa!

Good Heaven's Teacakes!
                                           

Ridiculously iconic pic of Big Ben

Caught washing dishes by the telly          

Hyde park trees

     We just spent the week
London, England, one of my favorite places in the WORLD!  To boot, we stayed in the same ADORABLE flat that I lived in 2 years ago, when I made my first video, London Wisely.


      I felt very nostalgic and had fun remembering things I saw when I was little.  It was a blast, even though it was a little stressful.  Happily, I got to unwind with leisurely strolls through Hyde park, the humungous splotch of nature in London's urban jungle.  Dogs romped freely through grass.  Trees as far as the eye could see, and the smell of a fresh cut lawn.  It was the kind of landscape that would make the laziest slob want to jog every day.  My favorite part of the public garden was the Princess Diana Memorial Play-Park.  It was enormous, with a nearly life size pirate ship, winding paths to secret gardens, a whole aisle of swing-sets, death-defyingly wobbly bridges, it was more like 8 play-parks smashed together in one.  The well loved princess also has a dedicated path around Hyde park and a fountain.

In my flapping AWESOME Watson hat

       In London, we saw many different bits of theatre, going to a play nearly every day.  Some of the names I can recall were, Matilda, Emil and the Detectives, and the horrifying, white-knuckle, tear-at-your-face like-you-want-it-to-fall-off play, Ghosts, by Henrik Ibsen.  Feel free to look it up and cry you eyes out :)  In a quick trip to Baker St. I visited the Sherlock Holmes shop and took some photos in which I look like a boss (left).

In the Great Hall, Totally Psyched 

      When I returned to Britain, I did some of the things that I did last time.  However, this year I was bent on going to The Making Of Harry Potter exhibition at Warner Bros. Studios!!!!!!!  This awesome exhibit holds nearly all the actual sets for the Harry Potter films and explains how they staged all the cool bits and special effects.  I got to walk through Diagon Alley, see the detailed storyboards, and look at all the animatronics and masks used for the creatures in the movies (like Dobby or the Goblins).  At the end, everyone got to see the huge model of Hogwarts that took no less that 40 days to build!!  If you can tell from my excessive amount of exclamation points, I thoroughly enjoyed the proceedings.  When the tour was done, we explored the overpriced gift shop, and I bought myself a chocolate frog.  It was a splendid day out.

Outside the Dursley's house

      This week's Post Post Contest winner is.....my Aunt Debbie again!  She said that I would she London through a new eye, and I did!  Note: I didn't go on THE London Eye, a huge ferris wheel, but she is still correct if she was referring to my thinking. Auntie, you are, for the week, a tasty chinese cookie.  Everyone else, today I am.....back  home (wahhhhh) so be sure to predict how I will cope :)

Yours Hungrily (for carrots),
Liv

P.S. Has anyone else been wondering why the pictures in this post are so small and difficult to see?  Squint no more!  After lots of thinking, re-positioning photos, and yelling like chimps, me and Pop-sicle discovered that when you click on a picture....it........gets.......bigger!  So you're welcome, and be sure to use this to your disposal when you read my next posts :)  Cheers!

Oh, speaking of photos, all photos and video by my Dad, Wise-Owl Films! Love you Pops!

Six Hundred Steps and Scary Scampi by a Secondary Seaside

Oh my, I'm almost back in my own country!

         Believe it or not folks, I'm already one week away from being back at my own house in C.A.  Part of me will be happy to get my little angel back and see my friends, but the other part of me is DEVASTATED!  I feel like I did hardly anything at all, wonder why I ate so much gelato, think that I should have been more inquisitive, the regrets of any traveler nearing the journey's end.  I am also a bit guilty that me and my Dad did not get as many videos out as we should.  Hope that you enjoyed the ones we did make :)

   
  However, At least this week did not go to waste.  It was actually rather busy.  Early this week I went to Il Duomo and climbed all the way to the top.   I was too busy wheezing to count every step, but I think some book said there were about 600 stairs all the way to the pinnacle of Brunelleschi's masterpiece dome.   Up inside the dome, me and Dad took pictures of the fresco on the dome's ceiling.   On the lowest place on the dome ,where we stood awestruck, "Hell" was depicted.  It was horrid and terrible place, with people being skinned alive and women eating themselves!  Higher, in the middle, was earth and heaven.  Saints looked down on the human race from clouds, apparently judging their capability to ascend.  On the uppermost layer, sat the Gods, or the many ways that God was thought to be seen. Now here is the coolest part (at least for me).  The very tippy top of the dome could be only seen from where the priest would stand.  Whatever was up there, presumably the "One God", could only be seen by him, saying that only the priest could converse with the divine, and translate his/her words to the people.  Cool right?  Next time you have a message, say it with architecture!  At the end of the walk there was a beautiful but crowded vantage point.  On the way back down, we got to see the painting a bit closer before heading back down to earth (Phew)!

  That's not all I did however. Just the day before yesterday, me and my parental units ventured off for a night in the Ever Sinking City.  That's right folks,Venice!  The land of canals and people who eat every part of the shrimp.  The shrimp variation there is called "scampi", and they sell the entire things boiled, still with the eyes in them.  They have pinching claws and they scared the bleep out of me!
In Venice there are no cars, as most of you know.   Everyone travels by canals.   For people who are into the cliché, I didn't take a gondola because they cost about 100 euros per person.  Yipes!  I did however, take a water bus.  It went along the Grand Canal and was very crowded.  I sat in the back with my parents so we could see the water up close.   We went just after Carnival'e ended and there were costumes being sold and  every other store sold masks, and I'm not kidding!  EVERYWHERE!  It was crazy and I wondered how the place makes any money when Carnival'e season is gone!?

This week I am going to London, and then (sniff) going home.

See ya later Alligators,
Liv

P.S. This weeks winner of the Fortune Cookie of the Post Post Contest is my OTHER aunt, Aunt Debbie, who said I had a long climb ahead of me. Auntie, this week you are a delicious Chinese Pastry that I eat at panda Express or Chinatown in San Francisco!  To everyone else, if you want to be next weeks winner,  predict what I will do in London, my favorite place in the WORLD!

Rome: A Casual Trip back in Time :)

    Me:  Outside the Colosseo (that's what Italians call the Colosseum


Buona Serra folks,

    Sorry I haven't written in a while, I went to Rome this weekend and I couldn't take my laptop with me.  The title above is actually a pretty good description of what happened.  Even in the downtown area near the train-station, where I stayed, you couldn't (how do I put it) throw a stone without hitting an ancient ruin, or five.  Nearly everywhere in Rome had a history that dated back at LEAST 300 years or more.  We got off the train from Florence (with some study abroad students of course) on Friday, Europe time, and put our things in a swanky TWO star hotel before heading out.  The AIFS people took us to the Colosseum for a tour. It was nice and sunny and...okay I'll give it to you strait: there was a rainstorm. The only one I have ever had that was worse (in my experienced eleven years) was on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, where it was so wet, when you fell in the mud you would be washed off the moment you got up!   I like to say we started out going to the ancient arena for leisure, and ended up cowering inside it for cover.  However, I guess a twist of fate helped us because the moment we began walking around the outer areas and the seats, the rain stopped :D   <--- joyous emoticon (just in case you want to know).

   Oh, and speaking of words that end in 'us', on our trip, we also visited my good latin-speaking chum (yeah right) , the Pope!  On Saturday we visited his own little country (The Vatican City ) in the middle of Rome. We looked at some of the museum, walked out into the torrential rain to look at the garden, strolled about the Sistine Chapel, and dropped our jaws at the awe inspiring St.Peter's Church, all accompanied by our chirpy Italian guide.  The last place mentioned is the biggest church in the world, large enough the Duomo and Notre Dame to fit snuggly inside (if you maybe snapped off a buttress or two).  Me and my family visited the Vatican again on Sunday, to actually SEE Pope Francesco do his morning address for us and 10s of thousands of people assembled in St. Peters square.!

My adventures were fun, as always, but I'm glad to be back in my wee little Florentine apartment :)

Buono Viva to all,
Liv


    Sitting in St. Peters Square...Waiting for Papa Francesco









<-
Inside St. Peters Basilica

P.S. This week my dad and I go on a journey and to climb the Duomo.
No one won this weeks "Post post" competition, so here's your chance.
Make a prediction on something I will do this week and write it in the comments section.
If you win...you will get a mention on my post next week.

Ciao,
Liv

The Craziest Parade I Have Probably Ever Attended In My Entire Life, Cooking, and a Cold

           I just went to The Craziest Parade I Have Probably Ever Attended In My Entire Life: Carnevale in Viareggio.  











Carnevale is not just a parade but a whole celebration of insanity and color that lasts about a month.  Just think of it like Halloween, but more chaotic.  Most people wear costumes, some with a theme, and some just crazy.  Mine was one of the latter (shown below).  The floats in the parade were, there is no other word for it, psychedelic.  Nowhere else in the world would you see a reference to one of Sigmund Fraud's theories, John Lennon's disembodied head, or a clown in a tank, driving right in front of you.  Some floats were silly while others were deep and scary .  My favorite floats were the one with the huge robot spider on it, and the one about the dangers of media, a frightening one depicting a huge parasite made of internet icons and computer screens, standing over a hypnotized person with an ipad in his hand. (shown).

     At night the parade kept running, only with all the lights on.  It was beautiful, but I didn't want to see it again.  We decided to stroll around, and I wasted my money on one ride (when another was cooler), at popcorn and pizza, then headed on the train for home.  Today I woke up with a bad cold, and I am staying home while my parents go out to do chores and stuff.  Too bad, but at least I'm here with you guys!

    Oh yeah, I also did a cooking class a couple days ago.  Me and some of the Study Abroad students made spinach and Ricotta ravioli, spaghetti ( with the extra pasta that we made) , artichoke soufflé and strawberry pane-cotta.  I don't like pudding or any of it's family members, so I skipped the dessert, but the pasta was really good! The day after that, we ate with some friends of my parents and I played with their four-year-old son.  I have to tell you, I hadn't eaten ANY salad in those two days so I was really weak and exhausted.  I don't eat beef or pork, so salad is like my staple.

   I think with a little rest and a little lettuce, I will recover from my illness. Until then, PLEASE comment and you will hear from me next time!

Ciao Ciao Meow,

Liv

P.S. Nobody made a prediction, so no one is a fortune cookie this week.  If you are having trouble commenting, there is nothing I really KNOW about system to hinder you. Just go below each post, click the the word COMMENTS and write something nice (or make a prediction) :)

For this weeks, Post Post Contest, I'm going to Rome over the weekend.  Predict what I will do before March 5th and tell me in the comments. Remember, if what you say actually happens, you will be mentioned in one of my posts and you will be fortune cookie of the week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Parla L'italiano?

The answer is: not very well.

   Over the past couple days I have not been doing well in italian, but I have been trying some.  It's hard to do my school work and extra for italian class.  Today I was practicing my verbs in phrases with my Dad for homework.  Italian,like any other romance language, is pretty difficult to speak, but in my opinion, easy to understand.  There are a couple ways to say every word, and you have to pair it with a proper verb-tense to boot.  I'm sorry I don't have any decent examples, but if you get one of those italian dictionary apps, you might see what I am talking about.

    Hearing people speak the language, helps me learn it a lot easier.  If you ever try to learn Italian in Italy, I would suggest watching the children's shows.  I warn you that they are very, um, obscure.  However, stick with it.  Some of the shows I can name off the top of my head are, lets see:

-Mofy

-Pimpa

-Zhu the zebra

  That's everything I can think of right now, there are many others. Things that are dubbed in italian may help you, but not as much. And remember, the internet and google translate apps are your friends, but not all sources will say that something means the same thing.

Enjoy learning your new second language,
Liv!

Liv's World EU : Episode 2

Here it is!!  The second episode is finally here and we are excited to share it with you!
Please take a look at the rest of our travels with the Majer's in Deutschland...and as always, please take a moment and let me know what you think.
Ciao,
Liv

Seaside Renvez-vous

Ahh, the beach,

     I just spent my Valentine's Day in the heat of Cinque Terre ( The Five Towns).  It's winter so there weren't as many hoards of tourists as there are in Summer.  The water was cold, as much as the SF Bay.  Still, I didn't exactly break out the cash to get a swimsuit, which I didn't pack because I'm so clever.  Most of the time we walked all around, because people usually either take the train or walk in the smaller towns.        

We only spent the weekend there because Mom had to get back to teaching, Dad had to get back to working out, and I had to get back to writing with you.  We got to our little home-stay in Vernazza( one of the towns) in the afternoon to explore.  The beach was pretty cluttered because they don't clean it in winter, so in the evening I built a little platform out of the  on the shore.  Some other little local kids were building a clubhouse there too, and some of the more violent boys broke my platform apart, but I was proud of it anyway.  On Sunday we were there for a whole day, so me and my parents took a train and stopped at the other four towns: Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore, and Monterosso Al Mare.  Again, a lot of walking, but there were SPECTACULAR views.  The ocean was turquoise   and froth thick as cream rode on the waves.  Sorry if I'm getting hyperbolic, but it was truly beautiful.  I will never forget it.  When we got home, I had a double scoop of gelato, one mint, one chocolate orange. It was the best weekend EVER!


  And that brings me to another important point: The Post Post Contest!  Today, the winner is my Aunt Nita who predicted that I would enjoy a delicious gelato. I actually had gelato the day after I wrote Flutter Flutter, so she is this post's winner!  Congratulation's Auntie, you can enjoy telling your friends that you are a crunchy pastry that is eaten usually after chinese take-out.  To everyone else, try again on this post, and you'll hear from me next time!

Farewell wherever you fare,
Liv

P.S.  Next week's contest hint on what I'm doing: Cooking and Carnival'e.  Again, the rules are: Predict what you think I will do before I write my next post and write your idea in the comments section.  If you are correct, I will mention you in my next post and you will be the fortune cookie of the week.  Good Luck!

Riomaggiore harbor in Cinque Terre

Beach in Riomaggiore 

Flutter flutter

Hey everyone,
      Before I say anything more, thank you to those who commented.  It really gives me a warm glow somewhere in my liver when I hear from you :). To the McGrorys, the wonderful family who has my dear Sofia in their care, thank you so much for taking care of her!  You are wonderful people!  Also, some students commented from the study abroad program.  You guys are awesome, and thanks for checking this place out in the first place.   It's cool to know people see  it.

    Sooooo, thing that happened since I last posted, hmmm.  Oh yes, I went to the famous opera "Madame Butterfly" yesterday,  hence my silly title. The opera, however, was far from farcical!  I don't think I will give anything away by saying that it is a very sad story about an, er, unlucky wedding and a foolish man betraying a woman's trust.  It was very sad, but I think I only shed one tear.  A one tear performance. The singing was stellar and I felt like standing up and applauding in the end, like they do in the states. It's too bad they didn't do that this performance.  I think if I were on of the actors, it would give me more confidence, but I don't know if they care.

   At intermission, I had a chocolate cake. It was so rich and chewy that I couldn't finish it.  Don't get me wrong, I love dark chocolate like David Tennant loves bananas, but I definitely do not like choking myself silly in the middle of an opera because all my saliva has been soaked up by cocoa powder. On the brighter side, it tasted fantastic!

     The show started really late so we got to out little home on the Alter-Arno at about 12:30.  This morning I woke up at 8 or so (dis-oriented as usual) and went on my computer to play some one hour Minecraft.  Pretty ho-hum, but today I get to go anywhere I want with mi padre (in Florence that is) so I will most likely have fun. Oh and get this, you lucky dogs will get to here all about it next time!

TTFN (Ta Ta For Now),
Liv

P.S. Sofia is an especially lucky dog. Heh Heh

P.P.S. Oh and to my dear readers, here is a new fun thing to do on my site! May I introduce you to (applause please) the Post-Post Comments Contest! Before I do my next post, say something that you think I will do when I'm out! It can be truthful or whimsical, but if it actually happens, I will mention you as the Fortune Cookie of  the Week and you will get a special mention in my post! Good luck, who knows what psychic powers you have!?
   

Pizza pizza!

Hello everyone!

        

              I hope you enjoyed my video, but it's only the first episode!  We will put out another episode soon.  If you haven't watched it yet, please do.  Oh and thanks in advance, for commenting ;) !!!!

    I'm doing some fun things today!  Yesterday I began taking some of  the college classes that the study abroad people are taking ( If I haven't already told you my mom is teach for the American Institute of Foreign Studies (AIFS)  My dad and I take the Italian life and cultures course.  We took Italian on Tuesday. it was very interesting, because the teacher only spoke Italian to us, so it was full immersion!  Then, that afternoon I attended an Italian life and culture lecture taught by the editor of the Florentine newspaper!  She is really cool!  Today (Wed.) I'm going to be taking an awesome pizza making class!  I am really exited to extend my knowledge in the culinary arts here in Florence, and this is a great way to do it!  Plus, you get to eat the pizza for dinner afterward. 

Hope I don't burn the crust,

Liv

P.S. Sofia, my puppy, steadfast my love!  Soon I will return to you in the Golden State. 

P.P.S. Sorry 9'ers!  It'll be the Raiders next year, I hope!

Liv's World EU Episode 1

IT'S HERE!!!!!
We finally finished Episode one of the travel series.  My dad and I created this series together to chronicle our journeys.  It's not up to date with my latest blog entries, but, please check it out and please comment and let us know what you think.  We hope to get another one done next week!
Cordiali Saluti,
Liv

Artsy and Wet

      Sigh, don't you just love rain,

 I have had  3 days of it so far.   That's not so bad for me actually, I like rain. It's fresh and sort of, uh, wet. Okay that was a bit stupid, but I truly do enjoy when rain comes.
I guess it just makes me weird.

   However, I didn't come to Italy for bad weather. Yesterday, I went to to Uffizi, one of the worlds most famous Italian art museum.  It is called the Uffizi because in older times, it was the Florence city offices (Uffizi means office in Italian).  I saw may famous paintings, some of them were whimsical, and some even touched my heart. One, called the '' Massacre of the Innocents".  I stared at it for so long, my eyes hurt.  It was a very horrid thing to behold.  The picture depicted a vivid battle somewhere in a city. Men are running amok killing mothers and children.  It was so terrible I had to turn away.
Another picture that moved me was a sketch called " Lamentation over the body of Christ".  It was so realistic with the shadowing and dappled skin.  It almost looked like pointillism with a pencil. Also, there was a person behind Christ who looked just like Leonard De Vinci! It was really cool.

Hoping that you look them both up,
Liv

Hooray for Italia!

Howdy again folks,

     I know it has been a while since my last entry.  I got to Italy on a comfortable sleeper train and have been staying in my little apartment in Florence for three days now.  I have seen the Duomo and some other sights, that were cool.  Anyway, yesterday I found a LUSH (Huzzah) and got a valentine's day package with my new allowance!!!!  Dad is giving me 5 dollars (Euro 3.55) a week and I'm thrilled!  I have to do more chores than I did, but I don't have full time school so that is small potatoes to me.

    Today , more importantly by far, I went to see the Pitti Palace and the Bobili gardens behind it.  The garden was truly stunning!  There were sooooo many trails to take.  I took the main one, but there were many others, some leading into little tree patches or just to nowhere in particular.  There were so many statues, naked of course, all around the garden.  I saw a few statues in a man-made pond.  It had a small diameter, but it was deeper than a swimming pool.  The statues portrayed Neptune (the Roman sea god) holding a spear above his head on an island, with some creeped out looking mortals cowering below.

    The Pitti Palace on the inside was full of paintings and sculptures depicting everything from Caesar Augustus to sleeping cherubim. I suppose it would have been more interesting if I wasn't sleepy and bored. Walking around the place made me drowsy and I complained a lot. However, I will return soon to see more of the palace, so I can once again roam the halls, though hopefully without describing life's mishaps to my exhausted parentage.

  Arrivederci,

  Liv

Santo Spirito at Dusk (photo: Michael Ray Wisely/Dad) 

Morning All

Morning all in Germany, and goodnight to those back home,

    I thought that I would explain what jet lag is, as it seems to have an enormous effect on me today.  Jet lag is the feeling of exhaustion after coming to another country and, most importantly, another time zone.  With me, I may wake up bright and early in Germany, but in America it's about 12:00 at night! Going to bed rested and waking up tired is a challenge, but there are many ways to fight jet lag.

Some include:
-  Coffee or black tea (always wakes me up)
-  A quick jog (if you are the exercise-y type)
-  Cold water on the face or neck (brrrrrrr)
-  A shower (the best cure by FAR in my opinion)
-  A nap (doesn't really help me but I don't know about other people)

With these weapons, a young traveler can put up a good fight against jet lag (though it may take a few tries before you win :)

Grin and Win,
Liv

Liebfrauen Cathedral and the new City Hall, Munich.

Bavarian Travels

'Lo again readers,

      Sorry I haven't written in a while.  I've been quite busy traveling, touring etc.  Here is just a quick explanation about what I did.  On January 17, I left the German friend's house to go with them to Rothenburg, a little town frozen in  the middle ages.  I went to the Criminal Museum to look at some gruesome punishments and torture methods from thumbscrews (self explanatory, yuck) to Iron Maidens (wood and iron cases for wild women).  On the 18th, I left Rothenburg to go to Munich, but we stopped for some fun "German Surprises".

     One of them was seeing Ludwig the 2nd's enormous castle that he designed himself.  Narcissistic Lud. decked it with a gold plated throne room with huge and I mean HUGE murals and a mosaic floor. He had a singing room, though he never had singers, and a bedroom  with wood carvings that resembled the steeples of German churches. He had his own PRIVATE
chapel, an artificial cave room, and (gasp) a telephone!  It was truly an amazing sight, an all the windows showed stunning views of the snowcapped Alps.  It was like being in a Lord of the Rings movie.  My hotel in Munich is ultra-modern and colorful. I have a bunk bed and a TV, but many of the shows are in German :(.  Today I am going to an Antique Market (ugh) because no regular stores are open on Sunday in Germany.  There will be more on Munich later as I am staying here for 3 more days.

Auf  Weadersehen,
 Liv

OHMYGOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!

OHMYGOSH!!!!!!!!!!

I am finally in Europe! Yesterday I took a 18 hour plane to Paris and transferred to Germany. We are in Germany to see some friends of my Mom's from college. I have been at their house for a night and I baked tiramasu this morning!

Ms. Ferg: Today I did the Flush Test . I used the little I know from Hoot for the essay, but will that be enough? I also went to The German Coal-Mining Museum and I am planning a mini report all about it. I read a wee bit of Scat and this is my daily post. If you think I should do more than that each day, not counting the coal museum, than you know my e-mail. I didn't do any math because I don't know what my IXL password is.

Thanks For Reading,
Liv
  

Goodness me

Goodness me!

 I have only until the 13th to pack my things! Oh by the by, I looked into my suitcase to see what clothes I put in it, and everything I packed was either black or white! I thought that was kind of funny so I decided to put it down. Yesterday was Sofia's birthday. se got a duct tape treat pocket, a cartoon about her, and a squeeze toy that looks like Lamb Chops. Today I made everyone in class was willing to, sign a card for  her and I gave that to her after school. She liked it a lot. Also, today I found an unwrapped Dum-Dums lolly in my bag and gave it to some kid. He looked at me like I was going to eat him at any second, so I made a quick exit. Poor kid.

Smilin',
Liv

This is the beginning:

Hi, this is Liv,

I just got my brand-new, authenti-genuine google blog today. I'm very exited to go on my trip to Florence, but I am not looking forward to leaving my terrier, Sofia, at home. I leave for Italy in
9 days. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

Ciao Bella!