Summer of Tyler

So I have declared this to be the summer of Tyler. I spent a good deal of this winter in a general malaise. I didn’t want to do anything above and beyond just getting through my lessons. This happens every year, but I feel like I didn’t fight it as much as could have. However, ever since Italy I have been in a frenzy of activity (just in time to hit the summer doldrums of Bulgaria, but hey, can’t have everything). After this week I will be home in D-pol for less than 4 days at a shot. I will be bopping from one camp and project to the next for the rest of the summer till Justing comes and my camp starts. Pretty excited, but I know by the end I will be ready to curl up at home in solitude and isolation, but we’ll cross that when we cross it.

However, I got a glimpse this past week of what my productivity wrought. To start with, my PCPP is completed. Hooray! It isn’t perfect and not everything is as I would like it, but that is life. I have to send out my Thank You notes this week. The next success is that both my CP, Jenya , and the school psychologist, Nelly, were selected to be part of the EU study exchange visits. So this fall Jenya will be spending 2 weeks in England and Nelly will be spending 2 weeks in Sweden! I am so excited for them. Sadly, I didn’t get into either of the programs I put myself in on, so not going to return to Italy or get to go to Malta. Damn!

So on the personal front I have decided my next step should be grad school. I am still unsure the specific path I want to take, but I do at least have a general direction to head in. I am looking at a few programs at Duke, Upenn and a few others to do work in International Policy or International Business. If those do not pan out, I will be going for my MBA. In this economy it doesn’t hurt to have an edge, right? Otherwise I am going to try to better myself as a person. I liked it when I was questioned for the “why” behind my actions.
Anyway, burning the candle at both ends just means there is more light, right? Here’s hoping for a fun and productive rest of the summer. Cheers!

For my 25th birthday my parents gave me one of the most spectacular and life changing presents I could have ever wanted. I was able to share it with two great friends from UD, Kathy and Forrest, and my new friend in Peace Corps, Megan.
Here is the play by play of my trip through Italy (Stolen for the most part from Megan Buckley's fantastic summary that I was too lazy to record)
TALIA!!!
Day 1—ROMA
St. Peter’s Square, St. Peter’s Basilica 15,000 square meters, receives 20,000 visitors a day, can hold up to 60,000. The most impressive structure that I saw in Rome, with the Pantheon being a close second. I got chills as I walked through the doors. The first basilica was built here in the 4th century on the site of Nero’s stadium where St. Peter was buried. It fell into disrepair and was rebuilt in the mid-15th century. It took more than 150 years to complete the basilica—the second largest in the world. Michelangelo designed the dome. In the front, the altar is framed by a four pillared bronze baldachin. Created using bronze taken from the Pantheon’s bronze roof tiles the four-pillared baldachin frames the high alter. The altar is on top of the spot where St. Peter is buried and only the pope can say mass there. For an extra 7 Euros we hiked the stairs leading to the top of the cupola—a totally worthwhile fee. From the top we could see all of Rome. Michelangelo’s Pieta—he sculpted it when he was 25. Great, what have I done with my life?

From the Basilica, we walked through the Borgo area towards the Tiber
River and the Castel Sant’Angelo. The girls got their first gelato of the trip. The Castel
Sant’Angelo was built as a mausoleum for emperor Hadrian. A secret
passageway from the 13th century beneath it leads to the Vatican,
providing an escape route for popes. The Ponte Sant’Angelo was built
by Hadrian in 134 and in the 17th century Bernini and his students
sculpted the angel sculptures now lining it.

Saw the making of an AUDI wedding commercial and Native American pan flute player.
Shared a kebab. Piazza Navona for dinner. Piazza Navona was built by Domitian in AD 86, though the current paved version wasn’t laid until the 15th century. It served as the city’s main market for 300 years. Bernini’s Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi dominates the square. Symbolizes the four rivers: Nile, Ganges, Danube, and Plate. Our waiter played Ice Cube on his smartphone when Kathy asked for some ice to chill her wine. Wild bachelorette party through the square after dinner.

Day 2—ROMA
Vatican Museums in the morning with the Shaws, a very nice couple that we met on the bus who are from the same town as Kathy and lots of mutual acquaintances. Small world. The Vatican Museum complex was overwhelming—comprised of 2 palaces, 3 courtyards, and covering an area of 5.5 hectares, it would be easy to spend days here. We saw as much as we could before lunch. . Exhibitions of ancient Egypt with sarcophagi and mummies from 1000 B.C., cuneiform tablets, religious art from the beginning, maps from the 16th century. Also here: Octagonal Court, giant basin from Nero’s court made of one piece of porphyry stone, bronze Hercules, countless sculptures from Renaissance, ancient, and modern artists. It was sensory overload.
Seen enough marble breasts and penises for a lifetime.

Sistine Chapel was part of the Vatican Museum complex and was crowded
and dark. The ceiling was impressive, but outshined by St. Peter’s.
Michelangelo painted the scenes of creation over a 4 year period on
wet canvas while reclining is unbelievable. The figures seem to reach
out from the ceiling. We walked back across the river through the
Piazza Navona towards the Pantheon. Lunch at kebab place near Castel
Sant’Angelo. Megan and I are addicts of Turkish food.

Pantheon— house of worship for over 2000 years. Originally built by
Hadrian in AD 120, it is exactly as tall as its diameter-43.3 meters,
with an 8.7-meter oculus to let in light at the top as a symbolic
connection to the gods. It was consecrated as a Christian church in
the 600s. Hidden holes on the floor drain away water. It is
considered ancient Rome’s greatest architectural achievement and is
still the largest unreinforced concrete dome ever built.

From the Pantheon, we headed towards the Colliseum, passing the Roman
Forums along the way. Dance party in the plebs galleries because, hey, why not? The Colliseum was built by emperor Vespasian 69-79 AD. To celebrate its opening, 100 days of games were held during which 5000 animals were slaughtered. It could hold 50,000 people. Arco di Costantino built to honor Constantine in AD 312. Fresh grapes on the street. Pink Cadillac. Obelisks EVERYWHERE. Wine in a square. Love the free water fountains everywhere. Dinner at anoutdoor café of gnocchi and pizza on a busy street.

Day 3—ROMA
Due to a miss reading on my part... Surprise! Extra day in Roma. Shuttle to Rome, breakfast near Vatican. Go to see papal mass with Shaws in St. Peter’s Square. No luck because the Pope was out of town. Sit in shade.Wander the shops near the Vatican. Have a pizza lunch with the Shaws near the Vatican before they depart for home.


Walked to Trevi Fountain. Trevi Fountain was hot and super crowded.
From there we walked past Bernini’s Fontana del Tritone (1643). Not
very impressive. Near the Piazza di Barberini is the 17th century
Chiesa di Santa Maria della Concezione. Very impressive. Capuchin
monks decorated the downstairs with the bones of 4000 monks. Creating
flower arches, chandeliers, and other horrible macabre displays from
1528 to 1878. The cemetery is supposed to strike into visitors that
every one of these monks at one time was covered in flesh and skin, a
living person just like the current viewer and that the viewer too,
will one day be nothing more than an insignificant piles of bones. The
last crypt, which also has the skeletons of two 10 year old princesses
is inscribed with “What you are now we used to be; what we are now you
will be.”

Then we headed towards the Piazza di Spagna and the Spanish Steps,
(1725) towards the Medici and Borghese Gardens. We rented a surrey and
rode around it for an hour then had a mini photo shoot in the modern
sculpture garden. Piazza del Popolo (1538, sculptures Porta del
Popolo-Bernini 1655, twin churches-17th century, obelisk in the middle
brought by Augustus from Heliopolis. Wine at bar near Piazza del
Popolo. Free and fantastic fruit plate, nuts (incl. cornnuts!), and
super thin pizza.

Day 4—TRAVEL
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to station. We had planned to leave our bags at a metro station since the guide book said all were equipted with locker rentals. FALSE. So we end up going to the train station proper only to have some trouble with buying the tickets. Megan ended up having to buy a ticket on the express train, while Forrest, Kathy and I rode on the slow one. Nearly missed our train departing from the station. I vowed that we would be early for everything from then on. Ended up spending most of the day in travel and crashed when we got to the hotel.

Day 5—FIRENZE
Uffizi Museum right away. Waited in line for only 100 minutes. Saw
lots and lots of Renaissance art. Then more Renaissance art. There was
really only so much I could look at before I didn't see any difference.
Then lunch on a side street. The small lunch place gave Megan a
glass of free wine and made a traditional tripe sandwich for me.
I don't know how BG ruins it, but that was the best tripe I have eaten.
Forrest and Megan had Bollito, which was also good.

We continued walking around, making our way to the Plaza del Duomo and
getting the best gelato. We sat on a curb near the Duomo to eat. Then
hiked to the top of the tower next to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del
Fiore. Totally worth it and we got to bypass the absurd lines and heat
of the line for the other tower. Walked to Mercado Centrale and
shopped at the outdoor bazaars picking up some small leather goods. We
met a couple from California who recommended a riverfront restaurant
for dinner and a great tip for a wine tasting in a little town in Chianti.

Returning back towards Uffizi, we crossed the river and wandered to
Palazzo Pitti. It was too hot and we were too tired from standing in
lines and walking to do much. We crossed back over the river via the
gold bridge and stopped in at a small café to wait for the restaurants
to open up again. There we met an older Canadian man travelling alone.
He was already a few beers deep. He recommended another place for
dinner (Antico Fattore) and it was fantastic. Best day of food yet:
sandwiches and bollito at lunch, gelato, then Megan had a huge piece of
steak with porcine mushrooms, Kathy had gnocchi with pesto, Forrest a
mushroom pasta dish, and I had rice with zucchini flowers for dinner.
Dessert of pineapple, fried apples, and amazing tiramisu for dessert.
Plus wine of course. So amazing.

Day 6—FIRENZE
Caught the SITA bus to Greve in Chianti for wine tasting. For 5, 10,
or 20 Euros you receive a debit card and can walk around a large
cellar and taste various wines for different prices. It was lovely. We
purchased food at a small store and ate in the shade. Super hot in
Greve.

While taking turns in the shower (it had been a hot, hot day),
Forrest went to a store and picked up some limonchello, wine, and
mixers. It was lovely. We drank and got ready for the evening, playing
games and some GaGa. Did an excellent job removing red wine from
Kathy’s dress with soda and salt.

On the advice of the front desk we made our way to the university
district and first drinks at an Irish pub. The Mojito was fantastic.
Then to another bar for shots. I miss shots. They called a cab to take
us to the disco. Perfect. To my dismay we ended up splitting up.
Boy:girl ratio was definitely not in our favor. About 10:1.

We got a bit lost searching for our way back. Taxis had stopped
running and we were quite far from out hotel. We stumbled in around 5 am.

Day 7—BOLOGNA
Piazza Maggione-Church of Saint Katrina. Forrest and Iwent in,
but Kathy and Megan nursed hangovers on the steps outside. Each chapel in the
interior of the church was designed by a different family in Bologna
with each trying to outdo the others in the grandioseness of their
space. Unique in the earth tones used in the interior and more brick
work than marble. The clock in the church had a small hole allowing a
point of light to move along the floor to show the months and days on a
calendar.

Palazzo re Enzo was a fortress built during the war between the Papacy
and the Holy Roman Empire and houses historical siege weapons. Neptune
Fountain in front with water coming out of the women’s breasts. This
fountain, similar to the one in Rome represented the major rivers of
the four known continents at the time.

We continued wandering through Bologna. Love the city. The sidewalks
are covered in archways that keep the pedestrians in the shade. So
nice to be out of the heat. Probably the hottest day yet. We’ve had
perfect weather, but the sun is intense for our full days of walking.
Stopped at an awesome grocery store for snacks to eat in the shade of
one of the pedestrian walkways.

Then we went to the tower, Torri Degli Asinelli, from 11th century.
Forrest, Megan, and I climbed the 498 steps to the top. The towers in
Bologna, dating from the war between the papacy and the Holy Roman
Empire, are emblematic of the city, which was at one time home to over
150 towers. Each one belonged to a different competing family and were
built as residences and personal fortresses. We walked back to our
hotel, picked up our bags, and returned to the train station to catch
an early evening connection to Venice.

Arrived Venice, walk around. Have a very underwhelming dinner for 12
Euros at a set menu place near the station. See a beautiful sunset.
Catch bus to Hilton.

Day 8—VENEZIA
Slow start to day. Bus to Venice. Purchase Roma Card (best
thing→unlimited bus and water taxi rides, discounts, local guide for
72 hours, 18+4 Euros…one water taxi ride otherwise costs 6.5). Take
water taxi to San Marco’s Square. See scary woman on taxi. Reminds
me that I never, ever want to do meth. (Shudders) There are
soooo many people at San Marco. Wander to a slightly less full side
street for lunch and 8 Euro Bellinis.

Not nearly as hot hear thanks to more or less constant shade and
breeze from the water. Return to St. Mark’s to go up the tower. This
one only had the option of an elevator—not nearly as rewarding of an
experience as walking up 400 stairs. Megan finds a family speaking
Bulgarian. They are rather less excited than she is.

San Marco Church. It was okay, but after seeing St. Peter’s in Rome
and so many other churches, it was hard to get excited about it or to
pay extra to go upstairs or to different parts of it. Wandered through
the neighborhoods adjacent to San Marco. Found ourselves in the super
touristy, busy area of the Rialto Bridge. Did some preliminary
shopping recon. Found a place for happy hour spritzers.

Bought wine and snacks and chatted in one of the alleys that opens up
to a canal. Had a mini-photo shoot in a reflective surface. Looked for
a place to eat dinner but decided on kebabs from a doner store.

Took the bus back to the Hilton. While waiting, Kathy and I
unsuccessfully tried to find a bathroom, walked straight through a
hotel. Crazy man tried to kick Forrest and a north African nearly
fought him in protest. Both got on our bus. Sat near a fantastically
witty Australian couple on the bus. Decided to check out the pool upon
our return. It was freezing! Very short swim.

Day 9—VENEZIA
Returned to Venice and took water taxi to the Accademia on the other
side of the Grand Canal between Rialto and San Marco. Such a different
feel than the crammed chaos of the other neighborhoods. This was
quieter, more upscale, and much much less crowded. There is a large
art exhibition going on in Venice with dozens of free venues
throughout the city. Stumbled on one showcasing Asian artists-a bit
too anime-ish with a really disturbing phallic Mickey Mouse. Also
viewed an exhibition of art from the Arab world. I really liked
several of the pieces and they made excellent use of the converted
shipping warehouse.

Ate lunch at on the water facing the outlying islands. Decided to
split up and return for dinner. Wandered around and bought some
really nice hand made leather journals. Explored all the other neighborhoods
of venice and then took a trip over to Murrano. Ended up sitting across from
some funny college kids studying in Spain who came over for a long weekend.
They traveled about the same distance as I did from Bulgaria, but they can
hop over when they want. A little jelious. Forrest and I made our own Bellinis and drank them sitting on one of the canals. Headed back to meet the girls and hear them describe in loving detail their purses. They treated me for dinner which was super nice. Wandered through the city. Found a playground for another photo shoot. Took the bus back to the hotel to collect the luggage and while waiting for the bus to take us to the next hotel watched some "ladies of the night" working.

Caught the flight home the next day. The flight was over an hour and a half late taking off due to ineptitude at the check in desk. I caught the night train back and got home at 5:30 and was at work by 8. It was rough going.

I really enjoyed the trip and the company. Megan was going to be a philosophy major and our breakfast conversations were fantastic. She got me to think about my motivations and what I wanted to do with my life. I had been loafing and simply wasting time rather than spending this valuable interlude wisely. So this summer, between the camps, the tutoring, the PCPP, I think that I will start my applications to Grad School, and pursue either an MBA with a focus in Developmental Economics, or a Masters in International Developmental Policy with a focus in Applied Economics. I may still take the Foreign Service Exam as an extra precaution, but I think that I would be wise to invest in my future now.

Cheating

Oh spring is in the air, which of course everyone associates with finals and papers, right? And as seniors graduate a full 2 months ahead of the rest of the school (as it was explained to me by a colleague, they are going to just skip so they should be allowed to graduate early, right?) this means I have to get grades in shortly.
The project in question for most of my senior classes is an essay I had them write. I noticed pretty much across the board that no one knew how to organize a paper or structure an argument. It was more like a word vomit on a page without rhyme or reason for some of these kids. BOOM! This looks like a job for your trusty Peace Corps Volunteer. If my degrees are good for anything at all, it is knowing how to totally BS a paper in no time. The very first research paper, with bibliography and cites was in Mrs. Homer's 6th grade English class. Senior year of college, no sweat. This is their senior year and they didn't know what a bibliography was, let alone how to use it. Hmm.... Ok. No problem. I can do this. So for the past 8 weeks I walked them through each and every step. Gathering research. Taking notes (seriously.... notes?!?!). Constructing a thesis. Making an outline. Writing a rough draft. Writing a bibliography. Editing a paper. Ok, after 8 weeks of trying to translate these concepts and ideas and explanations to my class of 19 year olds I think that perhaps, just maybe, they learned something about how to write. I am cautiously optimistic. The due date is a Thursday, and I gave the students to option to submit on-line until 10 pm that night if they didn't have a printer or want to waste paper. Only 6 out of 18 handed the papers in in class.
At 8:45, like the distant rumble of an apporching storm, I get a Facebook message:
"Mr. Tyler, What is my topic I will write about." WTF! REALLY?!?! 8 weeks of this? No, calm down. This is one of my better students. Perhaps he is just trying to punk me. Ok, ok. Sent the topic.
At 9:15 I get another message asking the same thing. Oh, god.
At 9:45 I get my first e-submission. It reads. Here is my paper- and a URL address starting with www.essayempire.com. So clicking on it brings up one the free essay sample which happens to be on their topic. Sigh. Ok.
Over the next few days I get 3 more bringing the total up to 10. 10 out of 18.
Upon receiving them at the door the next class period to inquire as to when, if ever, I could expect the missing essays I was greeted with blank stares. Essay? What Essay? We had homework?

Some of the better highlights of the paper copy ones:
1. Printed out and has the time and web page stamp at the top along with the blue hyperlink
2. Handwritten, but included the subscript numbers to correspond with the cites on Wikipedia
3. An essay that cuts off mid sentence b/c they were tired of copying.

The remainder were either exactly what you get when you plug in the BG wikipedia in to google translate, or other free samples from essay empire. When asked why they did this when we worked so long in class. Did they not understand the rubric I gave out. What about the worksheets and samples? The response was a resounding "It was too hard. We didn't feel like. You should just pass us anyways."
So as I write this I can't help but feel sad that this is the future. These kids will be sent off in to the world after high school with very few skills, no motivation, and no accountability for their actions. So... now what?

Today was nice. Not just weather nice (which I have noticed is a reoccurring theme in my posts. I’m working on finding a new fixation… Stickers? You guys like stickers?) but a good school day. Today was the first day teaching in a few months that I felt positively elated by my students. Why? New batteries for that tazer I bought of course. Just kidding… those are back ordered for, like, weeks! No, the main reason was that today was the first day I subbed for the younger classes. 6a were absolute angels. I loved all the kids at the Playground camp. Despite their stalking of me with an unnerving intensity, I really grew to love my fan club for more than the ego boost it provided. These kids were just as sweet. They tried, took notes, sat in desks, rarely answered their phones and if doing so kept the conversations brief. In short, almost everything I would expect of a normal classroom. Not just that, but kept it up for a full forty minutes!!!! At the end they thanked me and gave me a hug. Shocked, stunned, and a little confused all rolled in to one was how I was feeling. A quick survey revealed I was still in D-pol, Bulgaria. So what the hell was that? Such a complete change from the drudgery and dismal dealings with quite a few of my classes. (Not 11a, I still love them). It really made me wonder what happens to these kids between 6^th and 9^th grade to turn them into such little jackals tearing away at my will to live. Anyway, it was such nice reprieve and reminder that I am here to do good things and could actually make a difference. To put a cherry on this day, I received a kick ass package from an amazing friend, Lisa! I cannot wait for the next pirate party, b/c someone has a glow in the dark sword. BOOYAH! Also, I am sipping on a Hawaiian punch cocktail which is pretty fantastic.

Another funny story from today. 10a is writing another paper for me after an incident, so after giving them the instructions I decided to play charades and hangman. So after doing a few to warm them up I turned the board over to them. The category was famous actors and actress. One of the boys wanted to check the spelling of an actress, so he bent over to whisper to me. Jenna jameson… Now, normally I pride myself on knowing who was in what movie, but I couldn’t place her off hand. Who was in that... Jenna Jameson… wait, you mean the porn star? Oh tenth grade boys…..

Excitement abounds.... once this sh*tty weather is over.

I know it is only February. I know that most likely I have almost another full month till shorts, sleeping with the windows open, and daylight past 6 pm. However, I just can't wait for spring. The tease of those few nice days was just too much. I'm already planning the summer. Where am I going, what am I doing and how soon can I leave. I fall asleep to thoughts of boarding a plane, of days at the beach, even of the possibility of scout camp! So as it stands now here is an goal sheet for the summer. I'm putting it down now so I can check to see how much I actually accomplish.
1.) Run a half marathon/ Run the Athens marathon. Ok, the first one is a summer plan, while the Athens's thing is in like November, but still. Also, many people say it is one of the hardest in the world with all the hills, so I might only do the 10k, but still. Summer plans include lots of running and getting in shape. This time I won't have Tessa kicking my but and making me run so it is going to be a lot of that self discipline I keep hearing people go on about. The half marathon might tie in with another one of the trips, it might just be run to Huelo's town one day. We'll see on that one
2.) Italy. I turn 25 this year. 25! A quarter of a century. Odds are, almost a third of my life. I mean, I have to do something amazing to mark this momentous of occasions. Justin and his friends rented out a bar. That would be doable, but saddly many of my friends wouldn't be able to make it (I'm looking your way Jake). So what to do? How about go somewhere? And not just some somewhere... Italy! Yay! I have been wanting to go forever. I love the food, the cars (Not Alphas, ask Charles about my stance on those) the language, the first 2 godfather movies, pretty much everything about Italy. I have been practicing my speaking and vocab at home so I will be ready. I want to see as much of the country as I can. This goes completely in the face of number one's goal of being healthy since I will be stuffing my face to uncomfortable levels at least 2 meals a day. Oh well, you're only young once and if my heart has survived the deep fried orgy that was PST, it can handle what ever Italy can throw at it. On the plus side, after all the weight I lost during PST, I've got room to expand in all my pants.
3.) Justin's visit. This one should be an event. We fought constantly as kids and only really started getting along once he left for college. This should be a great adventure. He is flying in to Sofia, I am going to take him across the south of BG and then go to Istanbul for a few days. It should be pretty amazing. Plus it will be nice to show him what my life is like and what the country of BG is really like.
So those are the BIG three. There are some other stuff, like building a playground, getting this gym up and running, trying to get the student council to do work, and maybe some summer english classes. That last one is a big maybe, but time will tell. Anyway, as I look out on the cold rain and flooded alley I can't help but picture blue skies, warm breezes and the fantastic season which is summer.

Just a thought

Though I doubt I will keep this rather impressive string of blog posts I figure I might as well throw a few out there before I get distracted by something shiny or bits of sting or whatever might hold my attention for hours at a time. This one happens to be on the weather. I know, talking about the weather. I used to find it one of the most mundane of topics. A filler, if you will, for when you’re not sure what to say but feel that the conversation hasn’t reached the breaking off point. However, having almost outgrown the childhood weather classification of two categories (A. It’s nice to play outside, and B. It isn’t,) now care to talk to people about the weather. So is new found well of untapped maturity the reason for this random tangent, you ask? Nope. It is because of the huge difference right now between the weather in Bulgaria and America.

My parents sent me pictures from an ice storm that happened the same week that I wore shorts running and sat and read in the park. It is just amazing the difference. People were shoveling snow and I was working on my tan (slow and steady, you know. Best to start now.) I was worried about winter here. As you may have gathered, it is my least favorite season and the winter in Bulgaria had me pretty apprehensive. Particularly the story from my friend Neil, a b24, about how despite having a heater going full blast around the clock he had ice almost an inch thick on the inside walls of his kitchen. Umm… What? Then getting to site I hear about the meter of snow on the side walk last year. I am 1.75 meters. Waist high you say? Buses and Trains didn’t run for a week? I’m going to have to pass.

And you know what? It worked. This winter has been pretty great. A little cold early off and a few snow storms I could have done without, but honestly, pretty all right. The culmination of this winter weather? 67 and sunny on February 8^th. I spent a good deal of the afternoon sitting in the sun doing lesson plans and a whole lot of nothing. It was glorious. The next 4 days the highs are all above 60. For the beginning of February that is fantastic. If you could show me conclusive proof that this is due to global warming I would be building a bonfire of tires and gas and using cfc aerosols to start it.

So before the Frost giants descend upon this Valhalla of nice weather (I’m reading a book about mythology, sue me) I make this plea: Don’t let this be the precursor to that meter of snow!

For those of you that question the logic behind volcanos= pretty.