VR27,

That is SO depressing!

:-)

book?

Tobias Jones, The Dark Side of Italy...........very insightful!

...........best guide book for Rome - if you can find it:

Georgina Masson's...........Companion Guide to Rome............"BIBLE" of us all during jr. yr abroad - '68 - '69 (ouch! mammmmmmmmmmma mia!) in Rome - and how about GREAT MOViES to see to "set the mood"?!..............give you that "Italian feel"............?

Rome, Open City

Bicycle Thief

Marriage Italian Style

Divorce Italian Style

Malena

Cinema Paradiso

Il Postino

Two Women

Amarcord

Padre, Padrone

La Ciociara

Pane e Cioccolato

Tulipani

.......................and ANY Toto' films!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- any films starring Silvana Mangano, Anna Magnani, Giulietta Masini MaGiancarlo Giannini, Stefano Accorsi,

Sergio Castellito, Margherita Buy.............

I give my home a thorough cleaning and do all the laundry so that when I return I come back to a bed with clean sheets and a home cleaner than the best five star hotel... home sweet home! I also throw away any foods from the refrigerator that will not keep and, of course empty the trash, unplug the TV, microwave, coffee machine and computer.

I absolutely agree with learning the right pronounciation of Bellissima and this is a "must do" from Stettola to all male tourists about 40/50 who will come to Rome: Smile and say Bellissima to every "enough" nicelooking woman about 40/50 as soon as your partner is not paying attention. Grazie, you can always swear u were talking of some monument and the living "monument" will go home much happier and with a great opinion of foreign men . See what a "babbiona" (middleage woman) has to do nowadays? Why should you do that? Cause I told you and you should not question about my mental health when I'm trying to be funny.

I can't help otherwise sorry. I'm the one who forgot the wind waterproof jacket on the chair when leaving for Ireland (I should put here the pic where I'm portraied in all my glory teeth-chattering). I'm also the one who had to buy an umbrella the very first day in Dublin (but it was a nice Guinness one). The one who stopped writing a journal after three days. Maybe I should bring along a butler or a personal secretary next time.

Only one thing Immodium is called Imodium here and u can buy it without prescription, pronounciation ee-modium

Ciao Have fun

Lots of cuddles and kisses and I love you for the kids and

much reassurances of yes I will bring you back lots of

goodies

Clean the house as it is a disaster trying to organise myself

let alone pack for my thee kids for a month with the grandparents.

Empty the fridge though that's not much of a problem at my

place with three bottomless pits.

Check that all my bills are paid up,don't want the electricity and

phone cut off while I'm gone.

Shut down my PC ,unplug the phone line to it as don't want it to

blowup if we have a thunderstorm.

Turn the hotwater system off and disconnect the taps to the washer

Send all my pot plants off with the kids to Nan and Pops,oops

mustn't forget the goldfish too.

And the list goes on!!!!!!

I just know my OCD will kick in as I walk out the door and I will

check the stove and iron half a dozen times!!!!!!

Mama Mia !!!!!!!!!

Itchee:)

s

I have determined in my heart, the moment I kiss hubby good-bye at the airport, I will "find my bliss...my Zen Zone" or what ever it is called (my daughter calls it Prozac Heaven).

I know my dear hubby will wash blue jeans, white shirts and other miscellaneous items all in one load, in too hot or too cold water. Pots, pans and other kitchen items will find new homes in the "wrong" cabinet. Lights will burn brightly in rooms not inhabited by man nor cat. The dishwasher will hold more dirty dishes than the infamous VW and circus clowns.

All this fore knowledge, I will file away beneath layers of pasta, churches and gelato. A little Clorox, musical cabinets, and the heavy duty wash cycle will do wonders. Marital bliss will be restored.

My "to-do" list is very short now... leaving in 19 days...

hard to... focus... on..... woorrrkkkk...

Lol meme, who beats my hubby who calls me long distance on cell phone (Italy-Ireland) to ask me how to cook "un arrosto" a roast meat? And when I tell him I was at dinner he asks astonished: at 6.00 pm???

Be sure to check out your airplane on www.seatguru.com !! You choose your airline and airplane type and you can verify if your assigned seats on any good (ie make sure they recline, have a good view of the TV, have power adapters). We're flying on an American Airlines 767-300 and in coach only certain rows have the DC power adapter.. so we switched to seats that had that :)