Song of the Day: Fly Me to the Moon by Frank Sinatra I found the sheet music for this song in the songbook on top of the white piano in Marlon Brando’s old apartment. I wanted to play and sing it after we had out dinner there, but the instrument was just for show.
Today was long. I permit my days to be long, so long as they are full, and today was concurrently long and full.
We commenced today by enduring an achingly long tram ride to the opposite side of Rome to visit a power company. I know what you’re thinking – a power company? I thought you were part of the media, Emily. Me too, honestly. I certainly was skeptical about this “media visit,” but it turned out to be super fruitful and exciting. Don’t you love when things surprise you?
We sat and had conversations with administrators from Enel’s communications department, which is wildly extensive. Who would have thought a power company would have its own daily radio broadcast and fully operating television studio? Not me, folks!
Something that simply cannot be ignored about Europe are the amazing work spaces. I’m not exactly sure how we all somehow know that Google has incredible, vibrant workspaces (is this just a rumor, is it pure fact, or is it just an idea we’ve all concocted as a result of that movie that low-grade Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson were in?) but it appears to just be common knowledge. Well, these European office spaces….are absolutely incredible. My inner interior designer is SHRIEKING at all of the accessories and color schemes. Coming from someone who’s worked in some vehemently boring office spaces….these things are breaths of fresh air. Something that’s just unignorable (not a word) are the open layouts, that literally appear to enable collaboration and community. Everywhere you turn, coworkers are chatting and looking at Very Important Folders and Things. Contrastingly, think about the last cubicle you worked in.
Enel is a big old international company. One of my biggest takeaways was that they are trying their absolute most to make themselves more visible internationally. This means speaking English in the workplace, too, which was pretty weird.
During the tour section of the visit, I was advised to move this magical joystick that steered a camera back and forth in the studio….it was very unnerving and felt like a video game, which I’ve always been really terrible at…
We then endured another unendingly long tram ride.
Then nap. Cause sleepy. And long, standing, tram rides. And people talking for approximately three hours.
ICED COFFEE! Praise be that we found somewhere I can be fed.
We then proceeded to our magical pasta session, where we got to make our own gnocchi and ravioli, which we then feasted on in the upstairs apartment that used to belong to Marlon Brando. Never mind that he was a serial chauvinist and probably a horrible person! His apartment was nice! (yikes)
We had plans to stay in the city, but Carrie and I decided to go get coffee back in Rome. The night stroll was just what we needed. We had our Americanos and tiramisu, all with the Pantheon gleaming in the background. A sweet little busker played James Taylor and Eric Clapton covers, and the night faded out as sweetly as it entered.