In fair Verona, where we lay our scene...

Hello all! How nice of Chad to let you know that I forgot to write the blog yesterday. I had a great thought today: I didn't actually forget to write it -- my subconscious had me wait until today so I could write the blog on February 29th! Hooray for the leap year! A famous opera composer had his birthday on this day 220 years ago: Gioachino Rossini. I'm sure you'd recognize many of his melodies, as they appear in popular culture quite often! Here's a link to a video to give you an example: The Barber of Seville.

I hope that put you in an Italian mood, because this blog entry will be all about my trip to Verona! I returned to Frankfurt on Monday after spending a beautiful week in the city that is perhaps most famous for its two celebrity lovers, Romeo and Juliet. The city of Verona would love to have tourists believe that the Shakespeare play was based on a true story that happened in Verona in 1303, but there is no proof. True story or not, it's a beautiful city!

The weather was gorgeous while I was there, and I sat outside on multiple occasions without my coat on, enjoying a cappuccino (okay, a pizza too!) and basking in the sunshine!

Verona is home to a huge Roman arena, which Chad explained last week. I would love to sing there someday, just to experience its famed acoustics!

Juliet's balcony. Again, no proof that this was the

Capulet's house, but it makes for a great tourist attraction!

Well, I wasn't just in Verona to sight-see. I actually worked while I was there! Here's some proof that I was in Verona singing!

The concert poster. The picture of the orchestra is NOT

a picture of our performance, so don't try to find me!

A picture of me in my dressing room. Yep, same dress

I wore at the Appleton concert if you were there! I figured

it wasn't a fashion faux pas since I was on a different continent...

The group of soloists. We represented three countries from

left to right: Italian, two Germans, and two Americans!

After our last concert we went to a very nice restaurant across from the Castelvecchio.

Well, at least it was nice for the meat eaters! Their speciality is a cart of roasted meats

that they bring around to your table. So many different kinds of meats, including tongue!

As we bowed at the end of the concert, the ladies were presented with beautiful bouquets of flowers. Since I was staying in a hotel, I had no vase in which to keep them, so I had to improvise.

A practical use for the bidet, don't you think?

The bouquet was quite large, and I didn't really want to haul it back to Germany with me. However, it would have been a shame to throw away such beautiful flowers, so when I checked out, I gave them to the hotel. I wonder what they would think if they knew the flowers had been in a bidet... Oh well, what they don't know can't hurt them! And I promise the bidet was clean!

So here I am, back at home in Frankfurt. It feels good to get back to "normal" life. Like dealing with the potatoes I forgot to throw away before I left for my trip to the States...

Pretty!

Enjoy this leap day, and have a wonderful week!

Check back tomorrow!

Hey All! Good news: I remembered that today was blog day! Not as good news: this week's blog entry won't be posted until tomorrow. To make up for that, however, Brenda is going to write the blog, and I think we'll all agree that her blog posts are worth waiting for. I hope you all have a great night and I'll talk to you next Tuesday. Don't forget to check back tomorrow for Brenda's post.

Chenda on ice!

Hey All! Confession time. I totally, completely, and utterly forgot about the blog this week. I was thinking about it on Monday when I had one of my weekly, "I have to write the blog entry tomorrow!" moments. But I promptly forgot about it until this morning as I was walking out the door. I thought about skipping my Civil Procedure class and writing the blog instead, but then I remembered that I can barely understand Civ Pro when I go to class. I would be in deep trouble if I had to teach it to myself. So a million apologies, and I will do my best not to forget again. (And a shout-out to Florian for reminding me that I neglected my duties. Thanks, Flo! It's nice to know that the blog is missed when I forget to write it.)

Brenda has fled the country once again. She flew to Frankfurt on Sunday, and 36 hours later she flew to Verona, Italy. She is currently in rehearsals for Mendelssohn's Elijah (sung in German) which will be performed this Saturday and Sunday. The oratorio is being put on by Arena di Verona, but it won't be at the Arena di Verona. The performance will be at the Teatro Filarmonico. If you care to learn a little more you can do so here.

A little over a week ago Brenda and I went skating in honor of her birthday. Her birthday had been the week before that, but sometimes all of the requisite celebrating can't be squeezed into one day. It was the second time in my life that I had gone ice skating. The first time was in college. During undergrad, to be more specific, which was the first time that I went to college. I just realized that I've gone to college more times than I've gone ice skating. That's a scary thought. Anyway, the first time I skated I fell a lot and the rear of my jeans split wide open. I'm happy to report that the second time was much more successful. I didn't fall once, and my pants didn't rip. Who could ask for more? On top of that, Brenda and I had a great time. She's already mentioned going again sometime.

Brenda is headed back to Frankfurt on Monday, and she may be flying to New York on Tuesday. Ah, the joys of flying. I'm going to start work on a paper this weekend for one of my classes. It has something to do with the Tenth Amendment which I think has something to do with the Constitution. As you can tell I've already done a lot of research. Anyway, I should get going so I can get a little homework done tonight. I hope you all have a great week, and I will do my very best to remember to write to you next Tuesday!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hey All! I hope you have been enjoying Valentine's Day. Brenda and I are spending the evening eating pizza and watching episodes of The Office. Not a bad way to spend the day if you ask me.

Brenda just got back to Iowa City today after spending several days visiting her parents in Wisconsin. While she was there she performed a recital to raise money for the Northeast Wisconsin Land Trust and the Lawrence Academy Girl Choir. My parents and I made the trip up for the weekend to see the recital. You know what I'm going to say but I'll say it anyway - Brenda was outstanding. There was an article in the local paper about Brenda's recital and a local television station even did a story about it. You can view that clip here.

Brenda after the recital with Drew and their friend Jennifer.

Things in law school land are pretty much the same. I've been reading a lot. In fact, I've been reading so much that my glasses broke. A couple of weeks ago I was sitting on the couch, not moving at all, when the frames of my glasses snapped. I didn't touch them, they just broke after being subjected to the pressure of being on my head. I figure that I can look at this one of two ways: either my big head stressed my glasses so much that the frames snapped, or reading law books was so boring for my glasses that they decided to end it all. I guess a third approach would be that learning has caused my head to literally expand, but that option isn't any better than the other two. Luckily I have a back-up pair of glasses - at least until they get sick of law school books.

For her 30th birthday Brenda got a new Macbook Pro. She let me play with it a few times and I've decided something - I want one. One of the first things we did with her new computer was take silly pictures of ourselves. There is an option where you can adjust the camera and it turns the pictures into basically funhouse mirror images. I've included a couple of those pictures for your enjoyment.

Chipmunks?

Just creepy.

I think it is time to get back to The Office. I hope you are all having a great week and one of us will talk to you next Tuesday!

Youth is fleeting...

It's my last night of my twenties, and I'm spending it blogging. Sigh... Well, actually I spent it buying really cute blue high heels and some other new clothes. Gotta turn 30 in style! Yes, it's true. My twin and I turn 30 tomorrow. Chad and I have a fun day planned together, and I know I will have his complete undivided attention because I made him do all his homework ahead of time! I'm such a taskmistress...

I got back to Iowa City on Friday after a truly wonderful time with Drew and Bettina. Drew and I managed to get 5k of cross-country skiing in, even though there was barely any snow ANYWHERE in Minnesota! Luckily there's a place right near Duluth that actually makes snow for the trails! The trails weren't in the best condition, but hey, at least we got out there!

Twins being silly together!

On Friday before I left Duluth, Drew and I took a little walk on the shore of Lake Superior. It made me really excited to come back during the summer. I'm sure there are lots of fun outdoor activities! After our walk, I went to the Dunn Brothers coffee shop where Drew works. It's such a cute building! Just like a log cabin! Drew was learning how to roast coffee that day, and I got to watch as the coffee beans went from green to a nice rich brown! They also make a popping noise near the end of the roasting cycle. Being a coffee lover, it was pretty neat to see the process!

Drew and co-worker Stacey showing off

the coffee roaster.

On Saturday Chad and I went to dinner with his fellow law student Courtney and her wife Sarah. They actually made the trek to Tiffin and we went to our local Mexican restaurant. I never complain about that! Afterwards we all came back to our place, and I made martinis, which Sarah bravely tried. However, I'm not sure she knew what she was getting into! After a few polite sips, Chad told her she didn't have to drink it, and I offered her a different drink, which she gladly accepted. :-) I suppose dirty martinis aren't for everyone! More for me! Mmm, olives...

Well, I'm going to enjoy my last few hours of my youth! I fully expect to wake up with gray hair, aches and pains, and contempt for young whippersnappers! Have a great week!