Hospital Murals Completed!!

September 12th, 2009

I slept until 11:30 today, completely content that I finally finished the murals in the hallway of the children’s hospital. The reason for my absence this week has been solely due to the fact that I was slaving away painting my ass off for hours upon hours each day. I told Giorgio and the head doctor that I would finish painting in the hallway on Friday (11th). In order to achieve this goal, I remained in the hospital on Friday from 9am until 10:30pm painting with a short lunch break in the cafeteria-I was going crazy in the later hours, with my eyes playing tricks on me and legs suffering from the pain of standing and climbing ladders. Mamma mia, I was determined to finish.

There were two girls that work as clowns in the hospital, and they came to visit me before they started their shift. I remember them both from when we first met before my summer departure in the US. They are really sweet, and they are my age studying at Sacro Cuore, the Catholic university in Milan. They are really sweet, and they asked if I would want to get a gelato with them after their shift. I initially turned them down because I knew how much work I had to get done, but I decided that I could use a break for a treat to keep me going strong. The only thing I worried about was that I would begin talking crazy due to my long day and longer week of staring at walls, making a weird first impression. In the end, I actually rebounded into the real world with relative facility, and we had a really nice conversation as we walked to the gelato store.

By the way, I discovered this gelato place the other day as I was walking toward the bus stop to take me home. It is called, “Il Massimo”, or the best, and I would have to agree with their claimed name. It is fantastic in every sense of the word, and I am excited that I now have the Italian taste buds to distinguish the quality of gelato. I give this my top rating of most all gelato that I’ve eaten since my arrival in Italy. Anyways, I was very pleased that we were heading toward this fabulous gelateria. In the end, it was a necessary and very pleasant break from painting, and the girls were super sweet. We exchanged numbers, and we decided to meet up at some point soon for an aperitivo in the city. New friends and ice cream! Throw in a balloon and there’s nothing better in Mr. Rogers neighborhood.

I went back to work, and I was painting without sketches, improvising, while talking on the phone with Matteo and Riccardo(calling from Brussels), slowly losing sanity. Both boys showed concern for my well-being as I was working like a madwomen, but I think that they know by now that they can’t change my stubborn mind when it is made up. I waged a war against the walls, and in the end I won.

You will notice that I take challenges very seriously, and when I decide to do something, I raise my flag and sound the battle drums against my newfound obstacle, determined to overcome it. You can be sure that this image, usually one of a Joan of Arc figure, pops into my head every time I decide there is a struggle or a goal. This is very humorous if you can visualize the vibrant imagery that comes with the different phases of my little ‘battles’. Last night, the men charged and overtook the castle, and I rode my weary steed, the tram 29/30, home an hour to then fall into pieces—satisfied pieces.

I failed to mention my victory dance I did in the hallway, down the steps, and away from the hospital—little spasms of “Yeahhhhhhhhh!” “Who’s the man, that’s right!”

Today is my day to completely relax and heal most parts of my body. I had to take motrin last night in the middle of the night for my legs because I couldn’t sleep. I am meeting my friend Pietro in Parco Sempione, the biggest park in the city that can be found behind the Palazo Sforzesco. Later, I am excited for my rather dashing Matteo to come to Milan. We are going to go to dinner and spend the evening together—a celebration for his first article being published and the completion of my murals—14meters worth of murals.