Economic recession and emotional regression

I've never lost a phone in my life. I've almost lost a phone before, sure, but never lost one. No matter how wasted, how confused, how spastic, I always remember my shit. Wallet? Check. Lighter? Check. Camera? Check. Phone? Checkcheckcheck. But somehow, after a little over one week in Italy, I manage to lose my phone on our first real night out on the town. I wasn't even drunk! It literally must have fallen out of my pocket.

This mostly sucks because technology is mad expensive here, and my phone was a rental. So I guess that's Euro 98 down the drain. I hate myself right now.

Otherwise, it was an interesting night. We went to this club called Twice, a schmancy/borderline-tacky looking joint made of some black-sparkling rock on the outside. It's kind of like being in the cave of a well-to-do neanderthal. Around midnight, Andrea the Panino-boy and his friend Lorenzo met up with us--some of us literally jumped from our streets to go meet him. No, we are not pathetic.

Sophie and Humai

Anywho, he's not just about delicious Italian sandwiches and good looks (though I'm willing to bet heavily on those two). Andrea is also studying psychology; Lorenzo, law. We hung out and danced with them at Twice and after a while, most of our friends had gone home since they had class in the morning. I found myself with Andrea, Lorenzo, Sophie my roommate, and Joci, girl in the NYU program from Duke. We decide to leave the club, at which point I realize I have lost my phone. I'm frantic, but honestly too exhausted of the crazy busy crowd inside that I decide I don't care and I'll come back the next day to look for it.

Humai and I

Not tired, we start walking towards a cigarette machine (you heard right) for Andrea. Then we are lead to a park, which I hear is beautiful in the daytime but looks a lot like Wash. Square pre-facelift at night (read: stab-tacular). Apparently, it's time to smoke some hash. During this entire time, I've realized that although these boys are nice, I am just not interested and frankly, really bored. Sophie and Joci reach the same conclusion so we make up an excuse to leave the park and let Andrea and Lorenzo smoke their hash in peace.

Alex and I

We saw Andrea today at the panini-place, Antico Noe (we go because it's arguably the best panini joint in Florence! not because of the cute waiter anymore), and it wasn't terribly awkward. There was the same morning-after dread but without the needed night-before hookup, if that makes any sense. Either way, I'm sure we'll hang out with Andrea and Lorenzo (who was also very cute) soon again, but I don't see anything going on there.

A few nights before, on the way to a bar on Wednesday, we were walking towards the Piazza di Santa Croce and who do we see other than banana pants! In a black Mercedes convertible, with his hair looking impressively more tame than I had last remembered. Wednesday nights are the big party nights at Central Park and that's where Stefano was headed; were we too? he asked. I told him no, we had class the next day but I'd e-mail him, which I did later that night. He was going to try and stop by Twice last night, but didn't make it--alas. My friends think he's cute, but all I see is Ali G + Cosmo Kramer. With a Mercedes convertible.

Tomorrow we are going on an NYU sponsored trip to Siena, which is supposed to be one of the most beautiful places in Tuscany. I'm going to try to get to sleep, but it may be hard seeing as how the enormous throng of American students at Lion's Fountain across the street don't seem to be planning on quieting down anytime soon. Who can blame them for having a good time on venerdi, though?

Also I've decided on making some of these posts thematic, just for organizational purposes. As such, the next post will be about two of the things I love the most about this city: food and wine. It'll be just like the magazine, but way classier.

P.S. For more thorough accounts of life here, check out my roommate Sophie's blog--she's much better about updating daily than I am and she gets in all of the little deets I leave out.