Rome Blog

Thomas Cane                They stand in the middle of the Piazza near the obelisk focused intently on themselves and completely isolated from any passerby’s.   He holds a camera poised to record the history and beauty surrounding them, but amongst that beauty she is the focus.    Settled in a white dress with sun drenched hair encircled with flowers her hands on her hips waiting expectantly for the camera to capture poised perfection.   Except there is one flaw that begins to envelop her composure and slowly disintegrates their unassuming companionship.   The ends of her dress drag through the dusty cobblestones and muddy puddles irreparably staining it, and soon the man begins to notice this corruption.   As they continue their vain pursuits the sun continues to beat down on them like flames lashing out of a raging forest fire adding to their eventual devastation.   They had co...

Thomas Cane Sitting with my back turned to the fountain of Neptune the bubbling water churns itself, infinitely flowing and feeding itself.   The wind picks up and breezes across the open grounds blowing across the pool of the fountain chilling the air.   The sounds of bustling travelers meet my ears as they stream throughout the cobbled walkways shuffling their feet as they seek out their next destination.   Young French students charge up next my seat and begin jovially taking photos of each other posing in front of the fountain laughing and fleeting about.   The definitive snap of Nikon cameras fills the surrounding space as if the Piazza has turned into a red carpet event with the scenery as celebrities and eager tourists as paparazzi.   The cooling breeze pricks my nose with its chilling breath and brings no sense of salt or chlorine, just the scent of pure roman water.   The wind shifts around me and suddenly the acrid stench of smoke stabs my n...

               Our journey began with a rushed gathering at the Case bus stop bustling around either looking for the stragglers to arrive or getting a donut from Mark.   We then departed in our respective cars with the sun standing high in a clear sky illuminating our path to Albany.   The drive down is filled with cheerful banter amongst us recounting the semester so far, our unabated excitement for Rome, and the curiosity about what we would find atop the hill that houses the civic center of the state capital’s plaza.   Exiting the cars, we all gathered together and received our whispermophones and started following in tow of professor Spinner as he led us to our first site.   Quickly veering off the normal walkway we found ourselves entered a circular hedge ringed WWII memorial.   A somber serenity passed over the group as we took in the still pools of water filling the black stone pool...

He turns his head, casting a blank stare into the vast nothingness before him with hollow eyes, neither expressing joy nor woe.   Gleaming white skin wraps his face in youthful purity while sunset cheeks radiate the warmth of life.   His hair curls into the thick locks, cushioning his innocent brow in damp golden furls and braided with a similar golden bow.   Atop this head sits a cap bent as if windswept from the blistering sea that buffets from every direction with a gold breeze lifting from the underside as if guided from the sea on a streak of golden water.   Golden petals blossom down the ivory sleeve ruffled at the end, leading to a lightly clenched hand grasping onto a bow and arrow awaiting the hand of Eros to guide it to the breast of a would be lover.   The trousers and shirt are teaming with ornate blossoms that swarm around his garments as though they are the locusts of vanity sent to infest their brilliance upon everything.   The left hand ca...

Sitting with her head propped on one hand she stares down at her phone while the remains of a yogurt congeals in front of her.  Wrapped in the easily recognized Thoroughbred green and gold she looks blankly into the crowd accumulating in front of her eyes, but quickly diverts her gaze to the companion next to her when tapped on the shoulder.  The conversation is held in hushed tones, hunched around the table with arms folded across their chests.  Not believing what is being said she seems taken aback.  After their previous encounter in Northwoods she thought they would never speak about it again, but secrets like this cannot be so easily ignored.  She needed to plan how they would deal with their current situation, if anyone had seen what they had, or if she should just cut her losses.  Reaching some sort of conclusion she exchanged brisk, consoling words that everything will work out eventually she just needed to take care of something.  The companion...

Being in the physics lounge is almost second nature to me now with how many hours I've spent here throughout the days and long nights.  A lecture for the introductory mechanics course is going right behind me in the adjacent room.  The new students will learn about the most basic forms of physics, but now they're simply learning the how to take measurements and record data.  The professor writes out notes on the chalk board with the painfully familiar clacking of chalk on board.  Students are rustling pens and paper to keep up note taking.  In the background the hvac system is slowly grinding through the day to stave of the cold that seeped up from the ninth ring of hell.  While the clock constantly ticks forwards reminding us that everything will keep moving forward no matter how much we wish it didn't.  People are shuffling throughout the hallway passing by the open door.  Trying not to slip from the snow melting on the bottom of their shoes, or...