The price you pay

Who knew that a little bit of quiet and green could cost so much? Yep, I still love my new place, still sleeping like a log, etc. but . . . well, it may be a while before I’m online at home. The phone company (vile Telecom) is taking its sweet time getting a line in the place. It may, wait for it, be as early as August 8th. (the sigh escapes and flies around the world). It may be earlier. But that is the beauty of Italy, it teaches you patience. Especially considering everyone takes off the months of July and August and nothing really gets done.

So, keep checking back in. Eventually pictures, lovely musings, unnecessary rants and my general blogging self will return in full force.

In the meantime, wish Angie luck because she is stuck in Coverciano without anyway of getting to town. No buses for another week and no sitting for 2 more weeks. Yeah, send the patience vibes her way. Clear blue ocean, clear blue ocean . . .

Loving the burbs baby

So, even though I’m still moving, essentially my life is in the hands of Coverciano now. And I love it.

Silence, birds, dogs, no traffic.

Bliss.

Unfortunately still no Internet at home. So, this is a quickie to let you all know that soon you’ll have quiet early morning moments I’ll get to share with you.

Angie is much better. The surgery had a slight snag, nothing major. Most of the pain is gone and I suspect once your spinal chord readjusts to existence without disk pressure all will be well. I’ll send her your well wishes.

Oh, and I finally am going to pick up my copy of Harry Potter! Missed the movie though.

Velocità

Speed.

Speed is what is going on this weekend. Tomorrow meet with the future landladies and hand over big chunks of cash. Saturday hopefully begin moving in because Sunday Angie goes in to the hospital because Monday she is (probably) getting her surgery.

Yep, that is what you call a busy weekend. It may work out that she doesn’t spend the night in the new place until she gets out of the hospital and that just doesn’t seem fair. But. she is ready to be done with the pain and yep, it’s all about speed. Once the Italian medical profession makes up its mind about something, then it seems to go into active mode.

So today I’m going to opt for some beauty and FINALLY go see Cézanne.

Oh, and a former student assistant of mine is in Uganda, Africa working on a documentary as part of a mission team. He decided to begin blogging about life there, so check it out via my blogroll. (hope he doesn’t mind the shout out . . . hmm, I could be invading some privacy here . . . nah, it’s tim, there is no way he would care.)

Big News Tuesday!

So, it looks like I’ll have some new digs soon! Angie and I were searching for a flat on the outskirts of the city and we found one a few weeks ago. Then, due to her not having definitive medical advice about her back, we postponed signing. Now it looks like she will be undergoing microsurgery here in Florence and we are going to sign a short lease this week on the place.

And it is sweet. 2 bedrooms, each with its own balcony. New appliances. Large kitchen (with its own little balcony). Light and airy. New furniture (the mattresses are still bound up in their packaging). It is in Coverciano (a small hood in Florence) and quiet with a capital Q. Green hills of Fiesole are what I look at from my bedroom. Birds chirping. Quiet.

We are considering it the Angie/Julia Wellness Center. Wellness physically and hopefully creatively as well. I can’t wait to sort through my random bits of writing, begin an outline, sorting through the muck, and start in earnest on what I love. Words. I’ll post pictures as soon as we take some. More later. I may begin moving as soon as Sunday.

Southern Accent

Last night I met one of mom and dad’s friends, Grace Marse, and her family for dinner. They commented how nice it was to hear a southern accent, but truly the pleasure was mine. This delightful group of women and a son-in-law treated me to dinner at a new discovery here, Trattoria Sostanza. Grace even tried the tripe. It didn’t look nearly as repulsive as I had fixed it in my mind, but I still had to decline a taste (the only thing I didn’t taste). The food was very nice and affordable. However, it is the first restaurant I have found here that didn’t serve coffee. Incredible. We were reading the comments of some of the restaurants famous clientele, (Jim Belushi agrees with me about the lack of coffee) and everyone was having a good time with Grace’s grand-daughter asked, “is that Sammy Hagar?” And yes, it was.

As he was leaving, Heidi stopped him and he was very pleasant and laid back. Let us know he likes to vacation in Italy (who doesn’t, right?) and once we stopped him, then the other tables began to ask him questions. Lucky for him it was a small restaurant. Anyway, it was a bizarre experience.

Naturally I didn’t say anything to him. I never do when meeting famous people. In truth, they (the famous ones) kind of freak me out. Being famous is a huge fear of mine (I know that sounds funny). I can’t imagine total strangers wanting to talk to me when I’m having dinner. That, and I really hate people looking at me. So, maybe because of that fear, I tend to just clam up and let them go. Do you think that is rude? I mean, do you think Sammy Hagar minds when someone just sits there and doesn’t say a word?

Regardless, it was lovely evening of food and southern accents. I then went and gave Angie a shot in the bum and headed home to watch the Flight of the Conchords on YouTube. Justin, of the Corduroy Ninja fame, has turned me onto the new HBO series and I’m rapidly becoming as fanatic as Mel. Hoping to have some fun and big news for you tomorrow or later today. If you have fingers, cross them for me!

Posting for the date

Happy 7/7/7!

Everything is still up in the air here. And there is a slight topsy turvy vibe to the people around me. Behaviors, actions, mental processes — all seem to be going through a metamorphosis. To a certain extent, even me. And I know that when we all hit some kind of life change moment, it is normal and just another part of our evolving state. It just appears as if several people I know are doing it all at once. That does not seem normal. Or does it?

Maybe we are all more in sync with each other than we realize.

So, share any recent changes you’ve had with me. Add to the universal mid-life crisis consciousness that is occurring. I promise I’ll get more detailed soon.

Big Ambiguity

So, lots may be going on in my life soon . . . new place to live, traveling back home; but for now, nothing is definite so I will refrain from writing about it (which is why I’ve not written lately).

Since I last wrote, I attended a free concert in Piazza della Signoria by Zubin Mehta which was similar to being transcended into light (in spite of bad sound system and chatty crowds). And it was free. Lots of good dinners, not that I can afford them. And much laughter with friends. In short, it is working out to be a lovely, not too hot, summer here. But, there are things to do. Will update when I get it all done (and maybe some in between time).