​Weathering the Storm with the WP#135

I was thinking about this past week and what has transpired, and it was not really an out of the ordinary week. I am from a distance, taking care of my clients, several here in Italy right now, some in Turkey and others soon to be arriving. In fact, this week, two sets of clients converge here in Rome, and I know that Rosa will take good care of them as I will be off in London on business for a few days, starting tomorrow.

Last week, however, was a bit of a struggle as the internet, now for almost a week has not worked due to Italian bureaucracy, and so I tethered and did what I had to when I could. Yes, I could go to a coffee shop (Starbucks is good for that) or a local bar or coffee shop, but it is nice to work from home. ​

In any case, even though the bill was paid and apparently the lady who lived here before did not pay her internet bills, which Rosa also did to catch up, when we called, there was something else wrong. So, it ended up being another 24 to 48 hours before we could use the internet. This was after calls almost every day, and the bureaucracy had another excuse. ​

In the end, and something I had been thinking about anyway, I got an Italian phone and phone number, which, through the past 4 days has been my lifeline and cost much less than my US phone, both for the initial outlay and per month. It is not a contract, simply a month to month, so when I am not here, I really don’t pay if I leave a penny on account. And, maybe, just maybe, when I return from the UK, we will have internet, which we paid for in the first place since day one and then I don’t have to tether my Italian phone to my computer and US phone and use up my gigs for no reason. I would like the internet company to provide a refund of the lost week, but I do not have great expectations about this. ​

Rosa and I did have a date night last night at the Hard Rock Café, here in Rome, her choice. I had wanted to go Saturday night out to dinner, and she had this idea of going to this little town about an hour outside of Rome for a local fair. It sounded like a good idea except when we go there, parking, which is always a problem was non-existent, and the line hugely long to buy tickets to buy food and wine and the music, at least while we were there never played. The highlight of the food was not even at the fair itself, but at an old-fashioned bakery and we brought home some goodies including some meringue, which is one of my favorites and the biscotti. The town itself was very cute and honestly, I don’t remember the name, but we spent more time getting there and back, than in the town and it was an adventure or at least an experience driving the mountain roads to get there at night and back. So, replacement date night last night, we did the classics, nachos, buffalo wings, fries and onion rings and I got to pick songs to go along with it. It was More Than a Feeling!!!

Here's a small livestream I did in Times Square last year!

The last thing I thought I would mention as I write this week’s blog and I know it is usually about the previous week’s happenings is that today, as I write this, is September 11th. In the US, we now call it Patriots Day, but really, it is another anniversary of the events, now 22 years ago and lest we forget, that on that day, the US was attacked by terrorists and thousands died in New York City, Washington DC and in Pennsylvania, in total and since from the effects. While I am not proud of the craziness that is happening in America today, we should never forget the events of that day. It does not matter on what side of the aisle you are, what your race or religion or politics is, or whether someone won or lost an election. Innocent people died that day, where the last thing on their minds was the insanity that is the politics of America today. I am quite sure all they wanted to do was live their lives, earn a living, raise a family, whatever their pursuit of happiness was supposed to be.

I live here in Italy to be happy and don’t get me wrong. I am proud to be an American, but I am pursuing my happiness and not proud of the insanity happening in America. It is a conflict for sure and I see it from afar, when I live here in Rome, which as you know I hope to make permanent. While I will return to America next month to continue to tie up loose ends, my happiness is here with Rosa. She has opened my eyes to many things. Yes, the bureaucracy here can be worse than in the US and sometimes hard to get used to. Happiness is the most important thing to pursue in my life and sometimes, I forget that when it comes to my business taking precedence over my personal life, when it should be the other way around, if I can’t have balance at times.  Being with Rosa makes me happy even when we have bumps in the road and like any couple, we do as well. 
I found that balance between personal and business and yes, like everyone else, I feel the stresses of life, both personal and business. Yes, I still must earn a living and yes, I am still passionate about what I have chosen to do the past quarter century, but I do forget sometimes what is most important, so it takes a date night or simply waking up in the morning with the love of my life to realize what is important. Italians are not driven by work, but by life and Americans, I amongst them, sometimes forget that life is precious and can be stamped out in a minute and it should not take an event like 9/11 to remember, so for those you care about most, remember that life is short and we are not here forever, so make the most of what you have. Remember you can’t take it with you. 
Ciao for now and as always, I want to thank you as always for your support of my crazy little world and my small business. As always, I look forward to your comments, questions, concerns and continuing the discourse through whichever means you read my posts!!!