While things in Italy are good, Thursday was not our best day so far.

I left for work (Just across a small courtyard from the apartment is the AHA classrooms/offices). I let myself in because they don't open until noon. I went to my office and started to work. Back at the apartment, Kim tried booting up the ThinkPad we'd be lent, and it got in some kind of "loop" and just kept booting and booting: she couldn't do a think. She needed to get into her recipes to prepare a dinner for four students we were having over. So, she tried calling the office. I don't have a phone in my office, and there was no one in the main office. So, she walked over. Of course the door was locked, she couldn't get in. My office is way in the back, so even banging on the door, I couldn't hear her. She remembered that I have a cell phone (new system - AHA provided, I pay for any calling time) and went back to call it. BUT, she couldn't get back into the apartment. Evidently the door locking mechanism was not quite right, so you couldn't get a key in the lock. So, she went down the block to buy a phone card to use the pay phone (no coins accepted). Finally, she called me. I went over to the apt. with her and couldn't unlock it either. Fortunately the program director arrived. He tried, but no success. Filiberto then called a locksmith who was extremely busy and wouldn't be able to come for some time. Upon the suggestion of his wife, Filiberto tried a technique using a combination of sliding a sheet of plastic in the door jamb, shaking the door and turning the key. It worked. We got in, but now we're scared every time we go out.

Later in the day, Kim was running to the grocery to get a few things for the dinner. When she got to the grocery store she knew she didn't have enough cash, so she asked if they accept credit cards. When she reached for hers, she couldn't find it. She put away everything she had gotten off the shelves and frantically started searching for her card. She called me again, nearly in tears. I went home to help look for it, and was about to call the store where she used it last Saturday, when she found it. So two major bad things, fortunately had not-so-awful results (except Kim had to go back to the store and repeat her shopping).

Class Thursday: 14 students. Maybe the final count, maybe not. Students have until Wednesday to drop/add.There were a number of students a little nervous, but I hoped I calmed them that they would be able to do it if they would just make the time commitment. 13 of the 15 textbooks we ordered from Amazon UK arrived. Two are sill coming. Sidebar: AHA Portland had never ordered my textbooks, so when I got here Filiberto took care of everything. Just another example of why this guy is so perfect for the job. No complaints - he just took care of it.

The dinner: It's been a tradition here that the visiting professor has students over. In one or two cases they just buy a bunch of pizzas and some wine. In other cases they cook. In our case, as last time, we have the students over in groups of 4 at a time, one dinner per week. Last night we had 4 students over. Kim made stuffed mushrooms for appetizer, a farfalle pasta with feta, sun dried tomatoes, prunes and grilled chicken, salad and a kind of brownie/cake for dessert (I don't know what I'd do here without Kim). The young ladies very kindly brought some lemon bars they had made. It was a nice dinner and after, we played 6-handed Euchre (1 student was from Indiana, 3 from Michigan).

Today as the day for the excursion of Macerata. They've been here 10 days, but they still haven't seen the kinds of things Filiberto was able to show them today. He gets access to things no one else does. The Sferisterio, the outdoor opera theatre, is closed (it's not season) but we toured it. The town's bell tower (the prominent mark of Macerata's skyline) I never see open, but he got us in to go to the top (pretty scary up there). We visited the city library, under restoration, and saw some ancient books, including a bible from the 12th century (obviously hand done). NOT under glass, but handled by Filiberto and the library director.

OK, with the laptop issues I'm in the office using the computer. I need to get home (it's almost 7 p.m. here) and get ready for a big event. You'll have to wait for the next post to find out about it.