Just a Sleepy, Snowy, Bittersweet Day

Tommy's playing a make-shift horn (constructed from cardboard tubing and paper) along with Wagner's "Vikings" (most Americans know it as "that airplane song") while his friend plays the timpani part on the floor. I'm hearing all of this crystal clear through several walls. Earlier Sofie was singing along to Bjork.
Needless to say, I'm a long way from Clark College (my "Residential College", kinda a ultra-social dorm), where noise complaints get called after 10 PM.
It hasn't snowed as much today. Yesterday it did all day, forming a nasty slush that we slid around in and generally disliked. Today I think it might have a little this morning, but mostly yesterday's snow and slush just lounged about lazily.
I'm jealous.
I spent most of the day in a sleepy haze. Sadly enough, I woke up (with the aid of an expresso) a few hours ago and am now trying to wind down. I have an art essay due tomorrow and I was afraid I wouldn't finish it in time. I realized a little after I dosed up on caffeine that I can turn it in Friday also. But I'm going ahead with most of the research. It's an interesting story anyway:
"A few days after being placed in St. Peter's, Michelangelo overheard someone remark that the work was done by Christoforo Solari. In a rage, Michelangelo carved 'MICHEL ANGELUS BONAROTUS FLORENT FACIBAT' ['carved by Michelangelo of Florence'] on the sash running across Mary's breast. He later regretted his outburst of pride and swore to never sign another work of his hands" (Wikipedia).
Just another amusing little tidbit. I never thought that art would be such a fun class for me, but the history in this class has (generally) been quite interesting. It's a connection to a lot of my private studies, particularly my Medieval studies, that I may have otherwise never found. Sometimes it gets a bit muddled, though. Then again, sometimes all these things get muddled.
I also read Kafka's "The Judgement" today. You can read the full text here if you're interested. Quite a piece to mull over. Kafka's another good reason to learn German. I want to someday read these pieces in their native tongue, not just taking someone's word for it. I may never get to that point, but I hope to.
We visited the Historic Museum today and got a glimpse at Regensburg's history. Casta Regina, the Roman fortification here, left quite a bit of junk behind. We saw coins and heard our guide (oh how I hate guides, but this one was at least informative) explain how they were used to research the dates of Roman occupation. We rushed by a lot of art to look at a couple of skeletons and a lot more history. He spent a lot of time emphasizing the drop in living conditions after Roman times. The Romans had invented a method of indoor heating in which the floors and walls were hollowed out and warm air flowed from an outdoor furnace. They had make-up and mirrors and global trade. It was interesting to view the pieces as representative of this, but it took away from viewing them on their own worth and, as I mentioned, we were hurried along far too quickly. They didn't punch my ticket, though, so I'm going back to take my time there. I snapped a few pictures for you, but dad's server is down so they won't be up for a while.
Tiff's still a little homesick. I haven't told you about Switzerland or coming back to Regensburg in the blog yet because, unlike the Rome and Venice entries, I didn't write in Switzerland. Their adapters were different and I was ill prepared. Not to mention our hotel, which was definitely not the 3 star it claimed, had serious power issues. It just wasn't a good enviroment to try and write in.
Anyway, trying to get ready for Thanksgiving, and thinking about the holidays in general has reminded everyone of what we're missing. It's bittersweet, though, because everything here is so fascinatingly different. Christmas here lasts for weeks, with several traditions lined up. We've had Christmast stores open since Halloween! It really has put everyone in a better spirit, especially since we're not stressing about the election anymore. We've just got a few more weeks and then we can take all these experiences back and (ideally) share them with everyone back home.