Lot to catch up on.

Got to Rome day before yesterday but have not wanted to sit down and right this all out yet. There is a lot to catch up on.

First of all Ill head back to Saint Vincent. The last day there we filmed an illusion all day. It was a tough but fun day. There was a 30 mph wind all day that was bitterly cold and cut right through you like an icy knife. Not to mention we were holding a huge piece of metal that basically turned into a kite. It was quite difficult to hold it in place but we managed. Then after lunch came the fun part. As part of the illusion two busses would be driven. I was chosen to drive one of them. AWESOME. Big ol mercedes sprinter, manual tranny. I had a blast driving it around the parking lot, especially since it was all hills. Have to back a bus up a hill in a drive that is barley big enough was a helluva challenge.

After the shoot was done the fun began. Now keep in mind that we all had to be in the lobby at 5 or 6 am to catch the shuttle to the airport.

At around 4 pm I went to the hotel bar for two glasses of white wine and to get on the internet (free wifi in the lobby) then went up to my room for a shower and a quick nap. At nine we went to dinner at our favorite place for some delicious food, amazing cheese and godly wine. After two hours and 3 bottles we moved on to the casino to spend our free promo tickets and, as you might guess, more wine.

This was an amazing time. As part of the convention we were at we got 10 or 20 euro promo tickets to spend in the casino every night. They could only be spent on slots though. The nights before I had only won enough to keep playing all night and have fun but tonight I wanted to win some money.

The first night we went to the casino Brian found a machine that was paying out big time so I waited till he had one all he wanted and sat down at his machine with my 10 euro promo. After about ten minutes I was up to 30 euro cash and 5 playable. After another ten or so I was up to sixty euro and cashed out. I played a bit more on the money I won but limited it to sixty euro total win. I took this to change it to money and went to the bar.

A couple of white wines later I got another promo ticket from someone and went back to the machine. This was a 20 euro ticket into another sixty euros. Cashed this out, gave the guy his original twenty back and went to the bar.
Now it should be noted at this point it is now 1:30 or 2:00 a.m. and I was possibly a little drunk. And by possibly I mean absolutely. By a little I mean smashed.

So then, out of nowhere, another promo ticket falls into my hands. This one is a 10 but hey, I been doing good right. I decided then to stumble back to the machine and push my luck limits.

5 minutes in and bam. Won another thirty euros. Cash out, repay the ten, more wine.

At three the casino closed (small village in the mountains. They don't roll with 24 hours operation) so we moved on to the hotel and someones room. At this point I was tilted, smashed, hammered whatever choice you want.

At like 4 Keri carried me to our room and I packed. Not sure how this worked out but the only think I forgot to pack was my soap. No memory of packing but my drunk self did a good job.

Then we went down to the lobby to head to the airport. Hour ride to the airport, hour flight to rome, 45 minutes to the hotel. Didnt sober up really until we got to the hotel.

Then after a couple hours we ate lunch and went to roam around Rome. (get it? come on its funny)

I was dead tired but had to go since we do not know how much free time we have.

We went to the Colosseum first. An amazing structure it is. I will have to do a whole segment on it later, REMIND ME PEOPLE!! please because I really want to write about it in detail.

Skip that segment to me falling asleep at dinner, and then passing out as soon as I hit the bed.

Yesterday I slept in then we went to the village at the bottom of the hill from the hotel.
Fraschetti is a sleepy little town that is very Italian. Not touristy at all. Everyone is really friendly. Lots of little cheese shops, meat shops, pasta shops, just amazing places.

We went for lunch at a great little restaurant where had so much food its ridiculous. Then for desert I had a waffle with nutella on it, chocolate biscotti, three cannolis, two thirds of a three scoop gelato cone, a piece of chocolate, a fruit covered cake thing that was awesome and a chocolate cake thing that was amazing.

I felt like a balloon.



And today we are going out again. Thats all for now folks. If you managed to make it through all that congrats.
Ill be back on here tonight to write about today.

Laters all

Why not!

Im going to try something. Something that might not be possible but will hopefully get the point across.

Sounds intense right?

I am going to try and describe to you the view from my window of my fourth floor hotel room.
Here goes.
Sitting down. Lap top in front of me. Music playing. Wine glass close by.

Start from the ground directly below the balcony and move your imagination up.


Lush green grass cut through only by a hand laid stone path that curves through like a river cutting its way down a mountain. The grass continues down the gentle hill to a small two lane street that sees fewer cars than tractors. Grazing in a field just beyond that are several cows who remain contained only with a colored string hung carelessly from post to post. Continuing on from that the elevation starts to rise again dramatically gaining more and more beauty as they rise into majestic peaks topped with the whitest , purest snow. The sun shines haphazardly through the few creases in the low hanging puffs of cotton like clouds and ignites the snow, turning white in to a magnificent glittering landscape that draws the eye with almost painful beauty.
Years of erosion have caused hundreds of rivulets packed with snow yet slowly transforming to the stark green of the trees. The line between the two worlds is uneven and cracked in places making it almost seem mechanically designed yet emotional. Half way up there is the smallest speck of humanity which only upon closer observation can be recognized as a very small cottage. The give away of this habitat is the tiny trail of smoke rising from the stone chimney.

God I wish my worlds were a magic that let you see what I see and feel what I feel. There is a beauty here that radiates from the land and increases with each turn of your head. It permeates your being and makes your heart pound and slow down all at once. It brings tears to your eyes only to wipe them away with an awestruck smile.

Every person should experience this one. Just once see something untouched by nature, something created by the planet alone that is more beautiful than anything humankind could ever hope to achieve.

I have changed my mind. When I die I wish to be cremated and spread among the snow on top of the mountains opposite Saint Vincent in Italy.



Lots of other stuff happening but that not as amazing.

Wine here is delicious. Cheese as well. Combine them for a foodgasm or two.

Love you all. 

Took a walk

So today I woke up at eight thirty, mind you I went to bed at four thirty, went down to breakfast and decided to take a walk. Oh what a wonderful idea that was. Allow me to explain why.

The hotel I am staying at is situated at the top of a large hill. Walk out of the hotel to the left and you will go down the semi main street of the village. To the right however and you head down the hill towards the highway and the slightly bigger nearest village. That is the way I decided to go. The goal I had in mind was to reach the other side of the highway where in the distance I could see a medium sized castle. This, I discovered later was a bit ambitious. The trip down the hill was mostly uneventful aside from a few good views of the mountains, a wonderful little stream, and the tractor with a trailer full of cow poop (quite smelly cow poop I might add) that was attempting to back down a small hilly driveway.

Everything after that gets more interesting.

Crossing under the highway involved going through a tunnel that was festooned with graffiti, not just normal graffiti though, graffiti of all languages. Italian, English, German, and Swedish are the ones I could recognize. Not your typical tagging but professions of love for another and personal secrets that must have been burning in the writers head and needed to be seen on a tangible plane rather than remain a hidden idea. A feeling of community permeated my senses as I looked upon years of writing upon a slate hundreds of years old.

Passing through  the tunnel I moved on towards my goal.

As I passed further from the village the roads became more rural and less traveled. The last real sign of modern life I passed (aside from cars) was a train station that looked as though fewer than a hundred people traveled through its doors in a day. Passing the station my ears picked up the faint sounds of English being spoken. Curious of the source I hesitated at a doorway to see four, what I guess to be Swedish or British, snowboarders pass by debating how they would make it to the top of the nearest snow capped mountain.

Moving on from there I turned back towards my goal and was immediately gifted with a small pasture of horses. Beautiful, friendly horses. They were fenced in with an hand made wooden fence in a field that had an open driveway. Thinking of only the beautiful animals before me I took the chance and walked up the drive to say hello to the equines. They did not hesitate in coming closer to the fence to be given attention. One at a time they approached, said hello, let me give them a little pat and moved on almost as if the whole encounter had been rehearsed for days.

Moving on from them I turned right and headed up a hill I hoped would move me closer to the castle. This ended up being a driveway to three beautiful cottages where I had the privilege to meet a sweet little white dog who, at first, was defensive of his territory, but after several tense seconds decided I was friendly and approached with no caution. After a quick pet (leaving my hand smelling of dog) I left him sitting in his usual spot and moved back down the drive. Turning back on the main (if you could call it that) road I encountered another pasture, this time filled with cows. Not as friendly as the equines, only a few allowed me the quickest of nose pats.

As I passed by the pasture it became clear to me that my goal of reaching the castle would not be obtainable today. I turned a corner and saw that the structure was much higher than I had thought, but I was rewarded for  my travels with a bridge over a beautiful river. Clear water that I suspect was actually melted snow flowed slowly over rounded rocks with the sound of a babbling brook. Standing there watching the water flow, with the smell of fresh air, the sound of the rocks, and the feeling of the light crisp breeze might have just been the smallest slice of an unimaginable heaven.

And then I walked back to the hotel.

Anti-climatic ending huh.

Well it is 11:37 a.m. now and we are scheduled to meet in the lobby at noon, but I wanted to write this with fresh memory. The pictures are all on my Facebook if you want to check them out. They are not really labeled because that takes forever, but if you have a question on what a picture is of let me know.

Oh and I did see a wild cat, black and white with green eyes. To fast for a picture or petting. 

Im back.

Decided that I should start writing in this thing again. Not only to keep track of my travels but to have a place to write stuff that pops into my head. So welcome to the redesigned blog. Feedback on the new design is welcome but may be promptly ignored.

So lets get this proverbial ball rolling shall we.

Right now I am sitting in the lobby of The Grand Billia Hotel in Saint Vincent, Italy. Now the first thing I must tell you that this place is indescribably beautiful. Here I will describe it.

Nestled in the valley of a snow capped mountain range sits a quaint village. From a distance the red topped buildings seem to climb the landscape as if reaching for the mountain tops. A huge concrete artery pulses with cars coming from Milan has only a few chances for you to escape its grasp and slow down to experience the magic of this land. The roads you drive upon are crafted stone by stone in circular patterns that intrigue the mind and puzzle the senses. The air is fresh and crisp as only mountain air can be. Small, shop lines streets feel friendly and homelike as you pass from one small alleyway to another. Turning corners you'r nose is filled with the rich smell of coffee and baked goods. Looking out there is a view that would amaze even the most grumpy of old men.

So that is where I am right now. Its a huge magic convention call MASTERS OF MAGIC. But that is not the exciting part.


This will be the first new post of this blog, and I welcome feedback on the design, content, and pretty much anything about this. I will be keeping this one updated more than the old one and try to commit as much time to this as I can. Thanks all for being the first readers of the new and improved site.