Notes to Sophia

Last updated on: October 10, 2011 at 1:09 pm by Cynthia Schrage

Notes to Sophia 2011-10-10T13:09:49-04:00 Cynthia Schrage

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I’ve been chatting with Sophia on Skype while she’s studying abroad in Rome this semester. My parents were, initially, aghast at the idea, since they thought I was calling her on the phone and figured I was running up a bill in the hundreds of dollars every other day. So I took my computer over to their house and we’ve all talked to her. I guess it is pretty cool, if you think about it.

Video or not, every single time we talk, there’s something I forget to mention to her. (How utterly normal, and mom-like!) In the past, I would just text her. (Well, in the olden days, I would’ve just make some notes on an actual piece of paper with a pen or pencil! Wow, how quaint and old-timey!) But now that she doesn’t have her phone with her, I can’t text her, but I’ve discovered there’s a way to send SMS messages on Skype, so I just make sort of a running commentary of things, and she fills herself in when she logs on, before she calls.

I thought it might be interesting for people to see that my texts to her, despite the fact that she’s halfway around the world, don’t really differ that much from what they do when she’s here. They generally encompass the mom-style comments that I imagine go on all over the world.

What are you doing? How are you doing? (You know, “don’t forget to wear a sweater, take your vitamins, get a good night’s sleep, etc.”)
Here’s a good place to visit, if you haven’t already been there.
Don’t waste your money, it’s not growing on trees!
My various opinions about cultural expectations.
Duh moments, on my part.

So, for your unfettered amusement, here are my completely unedited texts from this morning:

I downloaded Google earth and “walked” from the Pantheon to your hotel! Cool! The hotel is MUCH smaller than I thought. I can see how doing business with Saint Mary’s is a good way for them to make steady money, aside from the tourists. It’s crazy how the streets are so narrow! People here would freak. Not to mention the fact that everyone is walking!!! What would people here do?

Here’s the closest yarn store, according to my estimates:
Canetta Srl – Filati
Via 4 Novembre, 157
00817 Rome, Italy

It’s just a little farther away than the Pantheon, except east, rather than north. So easily within walking distance. Like two blocks from Trajan’s column, which you should see, if you haven’t. It’s the basis for what calligraphers use for “Roman” lettering. I’ve only seen pictures of it, but it’s amazing. I learned to do “Trajan Capitals” when I studied calligraphy…. for some reason, I was thinking it was in another part of the country… Honestly, I keep forgetting that Rome has WAY more to it than just Catholic stuff.

Reading over it, I do have to laugh… Yes, she’s buying some sock yarn for me (well, for me to make her socks), since I told her most of the yarn I use is actually imported from Italy. I was “looking” for the store using the street view in Google earth (why I didn’t think of that before now is beyond me), and “wandered” by a couple of famous things (well, more than a couple!), which prompted me to ask if she’s already seen them or plans to.

And honestly, maybe it’s just because Catholicism is just such a major part of my life, but I keep thinking that all the “Roman” stuff is…uh…somewhere else! What am I thinking?

Explore the ancient and modern with Rome in 3D (google-latlong.blogspot.com)
The most popular fonts used by designers (webdesignerdepot.com)
Google Earth Downloaded More Than One Billion Times (presurfer.blogspot.com)
Sophia’s study abroad blog (eunabellacitta.wordpress.com)

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Ambivalence reigns supreme...

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