Sorry I haven't written for a while! We've been busy with Ann and Angela, and now the Wheelers (Jeff, his parents, and his daughter Clare) are here as well! We're quite the happy little group...
This is Jeff's story that I begged him to let me post, because it's so funny and so typical of the kind of thing that happens. I'll try to quote him wherever I remember his exact words; the rest will be my recounting of his narrative.
He and the other members of his family stopped at the eMi (the big grocery store I love to hate at the bottom of the hill) to take a look around and to pick up some water. While he was there, he chucked two bananas into his cart [not seeing the scale that says "Please to weight your fruits and vegetable pushing the number"].
When he arrived at the checkout counter, the clerk asked him what the code for the bananas was. He responded, "I have no idea, so sorry." She conferred with the other clerks, none of whom knew the bananas code. Not being terribly committed to the bananas, Jeff just said she could keep them, and he would get the remainder of his purchases. So they were put aside and he paid his total.
Halfway through checking out the next customer, the clerk spotted him: the customer three places down who had...bananas! She calmly voided her register; meanwhile, the new set of bananas was passed down the line to her. She read the banana code, weighed Jeff's merchandise, and charged him 42 cents for his bananas. The other bananas were silently passed back down the line to their prospective purchaser. And then she started up with the new customer.
As Jeff says (and I can attest), the humor (apart from the innate banana humor) was in the calm way that everyone took the experience -- it was nothing abnormal or strange to worry about the 42-cent purchase of two bananas for the person who after all must have wanted them...or why else would he have put them in his cart?
Love,
Alexandra
Monday, June 17, 2013
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Unscrewed by Apple
This evening Eleanor and I stopped by the Apple store at Lenox Mall in Atlanta. My errand was very simple: get two screws for the back of Florence's MacBook.
Florence had asked me to bring her computer in for repair, but I thought it was silly to leave her without a computer for two weeks for a couple of case screws, so I came armed with the model and serial number instead.
As it turned out I didn't need either of those things. I waited in line in the repair area, and when my turn came to check in I explained what I needed.
The energetic young man almost bounced with pleasure as he exclaimed, "I can't give them to you."
"You can't sell them to me?"
"No, but if you bring me the laptop I can install them for free."
"What?!"
"It is a liability thing. If we allow customers to install parts they might get injured or shocked."
"Installing an exterior screw?"
"I'm very sorry. One person probably ruined it for everyone. But if you bring me the laptop I can take care if it right away."
"That wouldn't be convenient since the laptop is in Italy."
"You can take it to an Apple store there, and they'll install them for you."
"Never mind. I will look at Home Depot."
Michael
Florence had asked me to bring her computer in for repair, but I thought it was silly to leave her without a computer for two weeks for a couple of case screws, so I came armed with the model and serial number instead.
As it turned out I didn't need either of those things. I waited in line in the repair area, and when my turn came to check in I explained what I needed.
The energetic young man almost bounced with pleasure as he exclaimed, "I can't give them to you."
"You can't sell them to me?"
"No, but if you bring me the laptop I can install them for free."
"What?!"
"It is a liability thing. If we allow customers to install parts they might get injured or shocked."
"Installing an exterior screw?"
"I'm very sorry. One person probably ruined it for everyone. But if you bring me the laptop I can take care if it right away."
"That wouldn't be convenient since the laptop is in Italy."
"You can take it to an Apple store there, and they'll install them for you."
"Never mind. I will look at Home Depot."
Michael
Monday, June 10, 2013
How to Start a Day
1. Go out the front door.
2. Walk 100 meters.
3. Greet Federico and tell him what you would like.
4. Carry your cappuccino outside to the piazza.
5. Enjoy.
Michael
2. Walk 100 meters.
3. Greet Federico and tell him what you would like.
4. Carry your cappuccino outside to the piazza.
5. Enjoy.
Michael
Saturday, June 8, 2013
4th Annual Trofeo Avis in Todi
This evening Todi hosted its annual road race. I don't have pictures for you, but I think you will enjoy some of the images anyway.
The race came together like most things in Italy. There wasn't a whole lot of central direction, but everyone seemed to know what needed to be done and their part in it. People who needed to set up barricades set up barricades. Posters made it onto walls. An announcer appeared. Tables for food appeared. Police interrupted traffic. The Scouts appeared to act as course marshals. An ambulance showed up.
I know that some of this happened through the hard work of members of the running club, especially Massimo. But lots of other parts happened just because people know this is what they need to do for this type of event. And when things are needed, someone always knows someone who can make those things happen.
The course itself is not one built for speed. It runs through the center of town, with narrow streets, sharp turns, and assorted obstacles. The part through the park is on fairly narrow paths--3 or 4 abreast--with a significant uphill tilt. And a 180 degree turn.
View Larger Map
The map above almost captures the route, but it misses one section because Google doesn't know about that path.
The difficulty of the course is increased a bit by the fact that it is run at night. The competitive race started at 9:00 PM. Well, it was planned for 9:00, but we had to start it later because we could block the road to the theater at the wrong time. In any case, the potholes, dips, and ruts were more interesting in the dim light.
The non-competitive race was held a little earlier, around 8:45. Ashley and Angela ran in that one. It was one lap, 2.2 km. Ashley was the second female to finish. Go, Ashley!
The competitive race was three laps, 6.6 km. I finished in 104th position among the men with a respectable time for me, especially considering the nature of the course.
Now, lets talk about what the Italians do a little differently for their races.
First, you have to know that the entry fee for the competitive race was 7 Euros. That is what you might expect to pay for a charity race in the US, one with no T-shirt and limited refreshments.
Here, there were nice prize packages for the first three overall men and women, for the top 5 men and top 5 women over 40 and under 40, and for the top three in each age bracket. Legs of prosciutto for the top three teams, of course.
All runners got a participation package. It contained a t-shirt, a bag of pasta, a bag of coffee, a pastry, and...a bottle of wine. I don't see that happening at the Peachtree Road Race.
Snacks after the race? Piles of pizza, tray after tray of pasta, all sorts of desserts, a bushel of apricots, water, iced tea, and wine. All served until no one could eat any more.
The local community and sponsors really do step forward here.
Michael
The race came together like most things in Italy. There wasn't a whole lot of central direction, but everyone seemed to know what needed to be done and their part in it. People who needed to set up barricades set up barricades. Posters made it onto walls. An announcer appeared. Tables for food appeared. Police interrupted traffic. The Scouts appeared to act as course marshals. An ambulance showed up.
I know that some of this happened through the hard work of members of the running club, especially Massimo. But lots of other parts happened just because people know this is what they need to do for this type of event. And when things are needed, someone always knows someone who can make those things happen.
The course itself is not one built for speed. It runs through the center of town, with narrow streets, sharp turns, and assorted obstacles. The part through the park is on fairly narrow paths--3 or 4 abreast--with a significant uphill tilt. And a 180 degree turn.
View Larger Map
The map above almost captures the route, but it misses one section because Google doesn't know about that path.
The difficulty of the course is increased a bit by the fact that it is run at night. The competitive race started at 9:00 PM. Well, it was planned for 9:00, but we had to start it later because we could block the road to the theater at the wrong time. In any case, the potholes, dips, and ruts were more interesting in the dim light.
The non-competitive race was held a little earlier, around 8:45. Ashley and Angela ran in that one. It was one lap, 2.2 km. Ashley was the second female to finish. Go, Ashley!
The competitive race was three laps, 6.6 km. I finished in 104th position among the men with a respectable time for me, especially considering the nature of the course.
Now, lets talk about what the Italians do a little differently for their races.
First, you have to know that the entry fee for the competitive race was 7 Euros. That is what you might expect to pay for a charity race in the US, one with no T-shirt and limited refreshments.
Here, there were nice prize packages for the first three overall men and women, for the top 5 men and top 5 women over 40 and under 40, and for the top three in each age bracket. Legs of prosciutto for the top three teams, of course.
All runners got a participation package. It contained a t-shirt, a bag of pasta, a bag of coffee, a pastry, and...a bottle of wine. I don't see that happening at the Peachtree Road Race.
Snacks after the race? Piles of pizza, tray after tray of pasta, all sorts of desserts, a bushel of apricots, water, iced tea, and wine. All served until no one could eat any more.
The local community and sponsors really do step forward here.
Michael
Race Day in the Piazza
Today Todi turned Piazza del Popolo into a track for children's races. This was the scene at 3:00.
Here, in florescent orange and a surprised expression, is one of the registered runners:
Action! No one you know, but you get the scene now. All of the kids went all out, and there were quite a few I wouldn't have wanted to go up against.
Now in this photo, WAY down at the other end of the track, is someone you know.
He's a lot closer now and trying very hard.
Michael
Here, in florescent orange and a surprised expression, is one of the registered runners:
Action! No one you know, but you get the scene now. All of the kids went all out, and there were quite a few I wouldn't have wanted to go up against.
Now in this photo, WAY down at the other end of the track, is someone you know.
He's a lot closer now and trying very hard.
Michael
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em
Sunday was Dominus Dei, another feast day. I had heard that the procession in Orvieto is amazing, so Angela, Jeremy, and I loaded into the car and set off. It was a lovely morning, so we opened the sunroof and enjoyed our drive.
Upon our arrival, we discovered that the road into town was chiuso. We had to turn around and find the lower municipal lot that was at the base of the funicular. Uneventful trip up, and after a brisk walk we found ourselves in the Duomo.
Goodness! Time for a coffee and small snack before heading back to Todi, yes? We all agreed that it was a great idea, so we threaded our way through the crowd and headed for a bar that I knew about. We were a block away, when I spotted it: a crowd at a barricade standing and watching...the parade.
Hmm.
Regrouping, we decided to walk the longer way around to try to avoid that part of the road that was the parade route. Up one alleyway, across a larger road, through a few archways, down another alleyway (past a bakery, but it wasn't a bar, so no coffee), and...the parade.
We gave up. We decided to stop at the bakery & speak German to each other as we were walking through the streets eating (so that they would think we were rude German tourists eating while walking, rather than rude American tourists). It turned out to be an amazing bakery, so it was worth the stop -- even without the coffee.
Our next goal was the car. Back through the archways, the alleyways, and so on, out to the road leading to the funicular. We made it about, oh, four blocks. And then...the parade coming towards us. We swam like salmon upstream (although, actually, we were going downstream and the others were coming towards us) -- we skulked from one doorway to the next, feeling rather guilty about not being interested enough to watch it (again!) like the rest of the spectators. But when you practically know the participants to the location of their freckles, it's a bit much, you know?
We were stymied: it turned a corner, and we could not cross tactfully at all. We'd just have to be brave and watch the (by now dratted) parade. So we watched. And watched. And watched. We only had about 25 minutes of it. The good news was that this time the bishop noticed (and recognized) Jeremy and waved to him! Very exciting. We saw several other faces from the church in Todi, so we felt right at home. If only we could have got there!
Phew. The last costumed participant and we could cross. Zipping down the road further.
Oh no! Oh yes...the parade....
This time, it was actually going in our direction! So we slithered with the stream this time, using our by-now perfected technique of sliding from doorway to doorway, and only had to make a mad dash across a row of troubadours right in front of the funicular.
I think if we go next year, I'll make sure to have a map of the parade route with me.
Love,
Alexandra
Upon our arrival, we discovered that the road into town was chiuso. We had to turn around and find the lower municipal lot that was at the base of the funicular. Uneventful trip up, and after a brisk walk we found ourselves in the Duomo.
Mass over, time for the procession! We snagged a spot with a decent view at the top of the steps, from which we would be able to see everyone leaving. And out they came. One group after another. After another. After another. There was a FULL HOUR of parade that filed out.
Goodness! Time for a coffee and small snack before heading back to Todi, yes? We all agreed that it was a great idea, so we threaded our way through the crowd and headed for a bar that I knew about. We were a block away, when I spotted it: a crowd at a barricade standing and watching...the parade.
Hmm.
Regrouping, we decided to walk the longer way around to try to avoid that part of the road that was the parade route. Up one alleyway, across a larger road, through a few archways, down another alleyway (past a bakery, but it wasn't a bar, so no coffee), and...the parade.
We gave up. We decided to stop at the bakery & speak German to each other as we were walking through the streets eating (so that they would think we were rude German tourists eating while walking, rather than rude American tourists). It turned out to be an amazing bakery, so it was worth the stop -- even without the coffee.
Our next goal was the car. Back through the archways, the alleyways, and so on, out to the road leading to the funicular. We made it about, oh, four blocks. And then...the parade coming towards us. We swam like salmon upstream (although, actually, we were going downstream and the others were coming towards us) -- we skulked from one doorway to the next, feeling rather guilty about not being interested enough to watch it (again!) like the rest of the spectators. But when you practically know the participants to the location of their freckles, it's a bit much, you know?
We were stymied: it turned a corner, and we could not cross tactfully at all. We'd just have to be brave and watch the (by now dratted) parade. So we watched. And watched. And watched. We only had about 25 minutes of it. The good news was that this time the bishop noticed (and recognized) Jeremy and waved to him! Very exciting. We saw several other faces from the church in Todi, so we felt right at home. If only we could have got there!
Phew. The last costumed participant and we could cross. Zipping down the road further.
Oh no! Oh yes...the parade....
This time, it was actually going in our direction! So we slithered with the stream this time, using our by-now perfected technique of sliding from doorway to doorway, and only had to make a mad dash across a row of troubadours right in front of the funicular.
I think if we go next year, I'll make sure to have a map of the parade route with me.
Love,
Alexandra
Saturday, June 1, 2013
"Caos"
Yesterday was a busy day, but it ended in an event that was appropriately named: "Caos" (Italian for, you guessed it, Chaos). It was what from the posters looked like the dance recital from the local dance school. Since I'd wanted to check out the dance school for Ashley, I thought that attending the recital would be a good start.
Florence, Angela, and I arrived home at 8:55 (pm) and had enough time to get a quick bite & make it to the theater (a different one, not the one across the street) by 9:10. Ashley was dying to go with Angela and me, so we set off as a trio. We purchased our tickets (the first indication that it was an actual "show", not a recital), and settled down into the velour seats.
At 9:25, the show started. It was amazingly well done! One of the featured dancers, Mad Mike, is extraordinary -- not just his dancing, but his facial expressions and his general charisma. A few of the students clearly weren't "in the groove" but in general, it was a thumbs-up performance.
And I've just seen the posters for a ballet at the Teatro Municipale for next week. I'm off to book the tickets!
Love,
Alexandra
Florence, Angela, and I arrived home at 8:55 (pm) and had enough time to get a quick bite & make it to the theater (a different one, not the one across the street) by 9:10. Ashley was dying to go with Angela and me, so we set off as a trio. We purchased our tickets (the first indication that it was an actual "show", not a recital), and settled down into the velour seats.
At 9:25, the show started. It was amazingly well done! One of the featured dancers, Mad Mike, is extraordinary -- not just his dancing, but his facial expressions and his general charisma. A few of the students clearly weren't "in the groove" but in general, it was a thumbs-up performance.
And I've just seen the posters for a ballet at the Teatro Municipale for next week. I'm off to book the tickets!
Love,
Alexandra
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