Rome: DAY 15

FIFTEENTH DAY

September 27, 2005

Today the motorcycle wars begin in earnest.  My new friend or you might even say my new best friend is Kristin Jones.  Kristin is the woman who is doing a project on the Tiber, which I wrote about earlier in this journal.  A very interesting and strong character who is trying against all odds to move something along in a place where things happen glacially.  In any case she has offered to make a deal with me on a motor scooter.  I will buy the scooter for her and basically at the end of the six months she will get it for whatever the difference is in money between the buying price and the rental that we agree on.  If we can work it out it should be cheaper for me and safer (new machine) because the rental stuff is really beaten. She has the residence permits and the ability to get the insurance and license and I, so it seems, have the cashola.  We meet at the scooter dealer and work out our deal in the bar next door.  We have a deal, even though not as good as I thought I could do.  Oh well, it is only a good deal if both parties wish they had done a little better.  We walk next door to buy a Honda 125.  A very nice scooter that will require little maintenance and will run forever; it has a good reputation in the scooter world.  No options are required and no decisions need making.  Until it is discovered that Kristen needs one more piece of paper.  Some sort of further recognition of her residency.  I can see my scooter going out the window.  After a long argument, she agrees to get the piece paper and I start breathing again.  I hand over my card, VISA, only to discover that there is a 3.8% service charge for using this card in Italy - some garbage from Visa about foreign exchange risk.  For the balance, I am going to pay in cash.  I come back thrilled and excited.  The scooter should be around in a few days.  All I have to do is open a bank account and have the faithful and talented associate, Nancy T., wire in the bucks.  I stop at the Bank of Rome on my way back to the Academy.  Guess what?  You cannot open a bank account in Italy without a residence permit.  What, can this be the case?  Yes.  I could lose sleep over this stuff.  After all, we must get money together to rent the apartment whenever we find one.  So, I feel like I am a little out in the cold without a jacket or is it in a canoe without a paddle, whatever.  The Academy has a service that allows us to get up to $1000. with their signature.  Also, I think one of my expensive Credit Cards (3.8%) has a cash advance provision.  We will get the cash, I will get the bike, and Kristin will have the delayed pleasure of getting a virtually new bike when my time in Rome is up.  Not a bad picture if it all comes together.  I am murmuring Buddhist meditations while I await the scooter.

Last night the Academy had a big party for the Fellows to introduce them to the Roman Academic community.  I was disappointed to learn last week that we Visiting Artists and Scholars would not be invited. Not much more to be said on this issue except I don’t think the exclusion makes much sense.  There are some very distinguished Visitors here who are in support of the Academy program and they didn’t understand it either.  We went to dinner in the Ghetto with several friends who were also uninvited.  Once again eating the deep fried artichokes that taste so good - but late and rather dear for just ok food. 

I don’t want to forget the thrilling 3 hours yesterday morning that I spent in the rare book room of the Library here looking through old books and abstracts done mostly on paper made in the 15^th century.  The rare book librarian, Eugenio, was helpful and engaging.  The early papers were not as beautiful as some I have seen, and the books had been badly handled and in need of some restoration, but it was a nice experience that I hope will be repeated at various libraries throughout the city, including the Vatican.  Lucky me and I am not kidding, who would have thunk it.

Kim ventured off to sign up for Italian classes at a school near the Spanish Steps.  She begins next week twice a week for 3 hours each session.  I’m going to let her handle the speaking.