Bits and Pieces (which is what I’ll be in if I don’t watch out)

Distance is measured so differently in Europe from the US, and I’m not just talking about km vs. miles. One of my fave quotes about Britain and American is “the difference between America and England is that 100 years is a long time in America, and 100 miles is a long way in England.” Distances and streets are just smaller, and so everything gets scaled down – how close people park to each other, stand next to each other. I’m writing this because I had my first contact with a moving car today and what struck me (besides the wing mirror) was that it didn’t bother me – a “near miss” like that in the states would probably have left me shaken, but here a little contact still feels within the limits of safety. But I should really probably start looking both ways instead of philosophising about traffic safety.
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I went to the leather school today. It’s set back from the road, isn’t very clearly signposted, and there was no-one around when I went in, so I felt a little like I was trespassing. I’ve always loved trespassing. Inside there is a row of worktables, and I watched an old man putting gold leaf on the green leather spine of a book cover. It was all very serene and church-like.
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I found a great little shop that sells flowers and clothes. And why not?
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I’m living in the Oltrarno area, which is sort of the Left Bank of Florence. It’s quieter, quainter; you won’t find a Guess shop on this side of the river, and not everyone speaks English. I really like it –it feels quite village-like. It’s also an artists’ area, so one of my daily pleasures is walking by open studios and catching glimpses of what’s going on inside- men sanding, mysteriously draped blocks of stone waiting to be sculpted, beautifully painted vases in a dusty room full of tools, trailing vines of ironwork, painters, palettes, and easels.
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I bought the best grapes EVER yesterday. They are divine, they taste like elderflowers. I would bring some home for everyone, but I know the Agri people would confiscate them at customs like they did my pate once.
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I really love my apartment, and the 37 flights of stairs are good exercise. But there are mosquitos. They buzz in my ear as I’m dropping off to sleep, and one bit me on the eyelid last night. Anyone know if they have West Nile Virus here? Yes, I use repellant. No, it doesn’t work.
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There are a lot of people who smoke here. But interestingly, none of them are addicted. They’ll tell you themselves!
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Italian telly is hysterical. There’s a nightly game show which progresses as expected with the usual cheesy host and easy questions, and then has little random interludes where a chick in a low cut blouse sashays out and does a little dance to music that seriously is straight from “Poles n’ Passion: the Greatest Hits of 70s Strip Clubs,” looks provocatively at the camera, and then goes on to talk to the host and ask the audience a question like the nice Catholic girl that she probably is. In the commercial break, the host turns up again in an infomercial type ad, where he interviews a young man who gives a testimonial about the wonderful bed he’s lying on, whilst more of the low cut chicks stand around the bed. It’s not terribly subtle.
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The Leather School, inside and out (check it - I rotated!)