[it's about time]

I've safely returned home--readapted to the timezone, the culture, the city. I have visited old friends, old places I love. I've recounted stories to friends and family and listened to theirs, catching up on all I've missed. I've walked, I've run, I've explored all over, and now, I sit down to catch my breath, once again in the city of Syracuse.

I'm ready to start blogging again---my temporary 20-seconds-to-design logo affirms it---and my first new entry is in the works. Adjust your eyeglasses and lean in closely. I'm back.

[italia]

I must write a quick note of apology; I had not intended to virtually abandon this blog as I had. I still intend on rekindling it in the coming months; I've merely taken a hiatus to study in Italy for the semester.

I am having an amazing time in the new and refreshing urban environment of Florence, as well as the countless cities I have been visiting, and have been taking note of the ways the Europeans resolve various urban conditions. It is fascinating how big a role the city center plays a role in life here as opposed to its role [or lack thereof] in the states.

I feel very disconnected from Syracuse at the moment [for obvious reasons], and rarely am able to check the news online, as my access is very limited. I've heard bits and pieces here and there about such projects as the Shoppingtown renovations and murmurings about the new building at the corner of Jefferson and Clinton, yet I know no details and therefore cannot reflect. If anyone still has the dedication to check into this blog, it would be much appreciated if you could perhaps post some news here for me about the goings-on in our lovely city.

And if anyone is still interested in the design work I did last semester, I could potentially scrape some of it up off my laptop here and post it.