One of the things I enjoy most about traveling is finding a bargain. Villa Grazioli was that and much more. Located on a Tuscolo hill near Frascati, the hotel has a very illustrious history. Built in the 16th Century by a Cardinal Carafa, the villa was a masterpiece boasting frescoes by G.P....
Assisi
posted by mabelyn
The peace and tranquility of Assisi is difficult to describe. There is a stillness in the air that soothes the soul. Tiny streets wind up and down the hillside town, fountains bubble and eager birds fly overhead. The atmosphere is jovial in the summer heat but also there is a sense of...
Campo Cestio, Rome
posted by mabelyn
We stumbled upon Campo Cestio by chance. As we were looking for “the pyramid” of Porta San Paolo we wandered down a quiet street that was flanked by a very tall wall. It’s sort of an unwritten rule that tall walls hold either prisons or very wealthy mansions, museums or something else requiring privacy. We meandered down the road trying to peak in when we arrived at an amazing gate that took my breath away. Beyond was a sprawling cemetery filled with graves belonging to foreigners and some of my favorite literary figures like Shelley and Keats. There were a surprising number of authors buried here and a whole lot of cats...
Day 1: Rome
posted by mabelyn
Rome: Terrace Roof of Hotel Abitart near Ostiense Railway Station, 7PM This morning I was out the door by 8:30 and headed to the gym to meet my personal trainer. They say that you are supposed to have more energy in the morning to workout but certainly this is not the case for me. I am not a...
A Day at Rustybrick
posted by mabelyn
I have been at RB for almost four years now and I must say that the number one reason to work here is the people I work with! These pics were taken with my new lens which I am really, really enjoying. Photos by ANDY who made us all look super...
Starbucks Office
posted by mabelyn
Here we are chillin’ (ahem) working at what Andrei has affectionally termed his “Starbucks Office.” Who says work can’t be fun! We had a great day in...
Monday Night
posted by mabelyn
Yes, it’s true we game on Monday nights! It’s been a regular routine for some time. This monday I actually took some pics using my new Canon 50mm. It’s a cheap lens ($130) and doesn’t have some of the finesse of the pro 24-70mm that I bought as my main squeeze but...
Rapture
posted by mabelyn
There are a lot of different interpretations about the end of times but one in particular says that when the rapture comes, all the believers in Jesus Christ will immediately ascend to the heavens. That is, they will mysteriously vanish in thin air and be reunited with the creator. Believing...
It’s been a long time
posted by mabelyn
Hahaha I’m sitting here wondering where to start and truth is I can’t think. The mind is blurry and unfocused. It happens when you have too much work or too little though in this case it’s certainly a result of too much. That sentence was way too long. Yes, yes…I should get on to important things like where I’ve been hiding. Sort of all over the internet actually, under various names and colorful masks. It feels strange to return to the website but let’s just say a new friend gave me a bit of a mental push. What have I been up to? Writing, writing, writing and creating – living in the worlds in my...
Where I Come From
posted by mabelyn
It wasn’t always like this. I used to be able to write freely. Hell, my name is it’s own domain name. There is something to be said about my parent’s ingenuity, they did a good job naming me. There are only a couple of other people online that share my first name. I have...
Going Down
posted by mabelyn
Steel upon steel, a terrible clanging in my ears, The blood that rushes, drawing near This horrid symphony, a maelstrom of fear, Strands that stretch, that flow, from fingertips, Of brilliant white, curving endlessly, coiling and snapping Vines of pure energy I fall, I twirl, from these great...
A Certain Lady
posted by mabelyn
I took these images just messing around. I do a lot of self portraiture I think because it helps me look inside sometimes. We can be so focused on things outside of ourselves that at times it’s easy to get lost in the chaos of living. I started doing self portraits when I realized I...
Haiti
posted by mabelyn
Devastation, leaves souls empty, hope trickles out of them Like the last drop of clean water from a faraway aqueduct I feel powerless, feel the keen destruction deep in my soul That could be my capital, those could be my people, they are my people Fellow human beings thrown in chaos, I...
A Day in Kykuit
posted by mabelyn
Here are pictures from our wonderful day in Kykuit. One of America’s most famous private residences, the stone mansion was constructed by the architects Chester Holmes Aldrich and William Adams Delano (Aldrich was a distant relative of Junior’s wife,Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, who was involved as artistic consultant and in the interior design of the mansion). Senior had originally purchased land in the area as early as 1893, inspired by his brother William’s ostentatious 204-room mansion (Rockwood Hall), which had already been built in the spectacular natural setting of the area. I went with Micah and Zack and it was a...
Where the hell have ...
posted by mabelyn
I’ve been missing that much is true. I have actually been writing elsewhere and occupying my time with life so I have experienced a sort of pause on my site. It isn’t as compelling to write when everyone knows it’s me. That is hard to explain I suppose but true. Some things...
Lunes
posted by mabelyn
Hoy es otro día. Renuncio las ideas que causan llanto, renuncio las mentes simples, renuncio olvidar las tantas lecciones de mi infancia. Donde nos encontramos? Donde? La capacidad de sangrar siempre existe y la muerte nos sigue como un perro pordiosero en busca de comida. Los días...
I Never Understood
posted by mabelyn
An Excerpt from something I am writing – in answer perhaps to Byron. I never understood why the subway trains had large plexiglass windows. It’s not like anyone could see anything but darkness out there. There was barely a foot of space on either side of the tunnel. Surely, the...
Can Anybody Feel Me?
posted by mabelyn
I keep losing my way but at least I’m still alive, still breathing. I wouldn’t want it any other way. Would I do it all again? I think I might. I am not angry, I’m not even shocked. I guess I just expected it all along and kept going; kept hoping. I am sitting next to a ...
Reeling
posted by mabelyn
I haven’t been here a while eh? I guess I haven’t felt it or haven’t cared or both. I mean really like right now I don’t give a fuck. I lost my grandfather a month ago and I’m reeling from that, from having to watch my grandmother exist without a man she spent...
People In Motion Wit...
posted by mabelyn
Slightly singed, angels in wonder Scraps of paper crumpled in my pocket I don’t care where I am going I’m just walking, crying, burning Boundaries broken, if it’s all the same to you I’ll just keep on walking Dreaming of what we might have had Today is a different...