SIXTY-NINTH
DAY
ROMAN
WHINE
November
21, 2005
I am
sitting in my breakfast room, which is actually a hallway, trying to figure out
if we should stay in the apartment or go to a hotel. We have been having the sort of problem that
seems endemic to Italians. Our radiators
are not working and we have no hot water in the kitchen. It has suddenly turned very cold (excuse my
calling high 30’s cold) and while yesterday I thought we could stick it out
today it seems to be a chore. One of the staff who handles the gate at the
Academy is the plumber for our landlady and he is supposedly coming over to
once again put a fix on the controls for us.
In addition, I have been here almost all day because the phone company
was supposed to fix our land line but they have not shown up and make no
promise for when they maybe coming. So I
go from loving the life here to wondering why we engaged in this
silliness. I think a lesson in patience
is required of everyone who comes to Rome for more than a few days and does not
stay in a four or five star hotel. Also,
with the cold the aging questions resume, i.e. why do my knees and hips hurt
today? I think I am in full whine now,
but hold on there is more. We decided to visit the Museum of Rome (history of
the city’s development) as a good Sunday activity and walked over from our
apartment to the museum in a wonderful old Palazzo near Piazza Navona. When we got there, the whole idea of going to
another museum undid me and I wouldn’t go in.
Instead I walked to the bookstore and tried to find information on warm
weather places in Africa and the Mediterranean, at this moment warm seems to be
on my mind. I am considering Cyprus but
have x’ed Israel for the time being. We
met as agreed an hour later. Kimbo liked
the museum, but agreed I would not have been thrilled. Later, we decided to go out to the Renzo
Piano designed music center for a concert that is given at 6PM on Sunday
evenings in their mid-sized hall. We
went to one a few weeks ago and had great early evening. This time we went on the motorino. I had it all mapped out and we left fairly early. The traffic was heavy, but we scurried
through only to take a wrong turn at the last moment and land on the inner ring
road that sort of reminded me of 280 at night.
Cars blasted by us at 120MPH and the first exit was several miles down
the strada. Finally, we found the exit
and eventually we happened upon the concert hall only to be too late to get in
for the concert. I was crazed, but I
don’t think I will get lost going there again.
We settled for going on to an Irish Pub that shows NFL games on Sunday
night. I must say that the Tampa Bay
Bucks and the Atlanta Falcons suck. The
game was awful and I left at halftime; Kim only made it for about 15 minutes
and walked back to the freezing apartment to work on her Italian. She says she is falling behind because she’s
not studying enough, but her recognition seems to be growing and it is helpful
to have her asking the questions.
As I sit
here freezing to death, Kimberly, the great, is running around the apartment
with the IKEA catalog in her hand. She
has decided that our place needs some decorating. In fairness, I agreed to this when we rented
this scenically located, less than sumptuous apartment. A couple of days ago, we stopped at a
recommended plant store on Aventine and bought out the big stuff. It arrived today and the place looks
better. We also bought an African motif
bedspread that is now hanging 60’s hippie style in our dining room. She is on a roll and tomorrow we will go with
our list to IKEA to be further made nuts by trying to buy all this stuff and
rent a truck with yours truly driving it back into Rome so we don’t have to
wait 10 days for the standard delivery schedule. The big adventure is that not only do we have
to go out there, get the truck and drive it back to our place, but I have to
return the truck back to IKEA that day.
Are you kidding? This will make
many of our other miscues look like a day at the beach. Forget my project, forget the gym, I have
nothing but time. If they don’t turn on
the heat in this place, I will have to become like those penguins and begin the
long march to my real home.
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