SEVENTY-FIRST
DAY
KEEP ON
TRUCKIN’
November
23-24
Our day yesterday wobbled between
the ridiculous, the stupid and as usual in Rome, the sublime. In this case, even though it took all day,
the sublime was about getting the job done.
We have been thrashing about trying to figure out how to do the IKEA
thing. It is not a secret that my
patience level for shopping doesn’t extend too far. The IKEA stores both North and South are a
very difficult 20 miles from the center in what is always heavy traffic. We decided to go on a Wednesday to obviate
the worst of the weekend traffic; apparently it is a zoo then. We rented an
Avis piccolo fugone (small truck). Early
Wednesday while Kim was in Italian class I went by Motorino and Bus to the Avis
agency and picked up a cute little Fiat Double, small but ok. It was a shift, no problem, then proceeded to
pickup Kim near our house. During the
week after 9AM until 6PM no cars or trucks without special passes can enter the
center of the city. While this is sort
of a pain it sure makes getting around on the motor scooter heaven. This is new and seems to be working. So Kim met me at a designated spot near the
Tiber and we sped to the IKEA south. OK
so it took us 1-1/2 hours and the ring road was a clogged mess. Still by 2:30 the stampede for goods had
begun. Kim was super organized having poured
over the catalogue and the store although crowded, is so well put together that
for a while it seemed easy. I lasted
until about 4 and headed for the café where all husbands are consigned to wait
for the ordeal to be over. And sure
enough by 6:30PM we were checking out with four carts loaded with all the
things we will need to survive in Rome for the next 3 months or 100 years, take
your choice. It barely fit into our
little van. Then the miracle happened,
we returned to Rome in heavy but moving traffic without making any turning
mistakes, without some nut case screaming by us at 120 mph, with literal
ease. We pulled into our home base and
unloaded without incident, lighter of pocket book but otherwise uninjured. Not only was IKEA a surprise for me, the
design and quality for the price must make it tough for the competition. Now if only we can put it together.
Today was
my first Thanksgiving away from either home or family. At least, I can’t remember one before. We went to the American Academy in Rome for
the traditional meal. Many of our
friends were there and if you have to be away from home then this would be a
great way to spend the holiday. For me,
this is the one day of the year that I would like to be in American with family
and kids. I have a minor transient
moment of longing and missing my familiar ground. After all, I was one of the few left who
would watch the Detroit Lions play football on Thanksgiving.
It was
below freezing this morning when I went on my Motorino to pickup the truck from
where I parked it last night. There are
no parking places around our apt so it had to go up the hill to find a
space. If you live in Rome, a car is
lots more trouble than it’s worth. I can
really see how people here would go a lifetime without one. Everywhere you drive here is jammed and the
drivers all think they deserve to get where they are going first. As we were getting ready to go to the feast,
the Italian telephone company guy showed up and promised us a landline today
and he came through, so now we are connected in almost all ways. When one of our computer savvy guests shows
up we will work on Internet access in our apartment.
One of
the things that is pissing me off is that for every credit card charge Visa and
the others are now applying a 4% currency rate adjustment. What, are you kidding me? The currency is adjusted everyday in the
financial markets. Just another way to
soak us, so guess what, we are protesting by trying not to use it and pay cash
for almost everything. It is a pain
because you have to keep hitting the cash machine but 4% is a big piece. The consumer will probably lose this one
too. The Euro has lost some ground to
the dollar, but still you have to add about 17% to every dollar to make it
equal to a Euro.
Just a
short note to thank Buddha and all the rest of the Gods for our health and well
being on this cold and foreign Thanksgiving.
We are so lucky to be here and to be well and to be happy. And to my tolerant mate, I say Thanks and
more.
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