Things I Take For Granted

As I mentioned before, there are some required posts that I have to do while I'm away. I want to do most of them later, after I've experienced more, but I think I have enough "things I take for granted" to do a solid post about it. In no particular order:

-Hot water. More specifically, hot water all the time. Here, there is a hot water heater that, even when full, only permits one to have about a 5 minute shower (ie. the length of need of shower I need if I shampoo my hair before wetting it, and if I shave my legs with the water off. Maybe this is why Italian women tend to forego shaving?). Katie and I have to make sure we plan it out so that we shower at least 1 hour apart, as that's how long it takes for the water heater to refill. Also, since our electricity is so finicky, we usually have the water heater turned off because it takes up valuable corrente (power). Therefore, if you forget to turn it on at least an hour before you intend to shower, you're outta luck. This brings me to my next point...

-Electricity. Long story short, we don't have much. The other night while cooking in the dark (to conserve electricity because I needed both burners for the dinner I was making) I had to go flip the breaker 12 times in about a 20 minute period. At least I'm doing lots of stairs as a result...

-Microwaves. Do you know what it's like to want to quickly reheat something, but your only option is to put it in a pot and cover it with a plate, and then it takes longer and gets overcooked and the bottom burns? It sucks. It also means that at dinner, I tend to just eat everything I made, even if I made way too much pasta or something, because I really don't look forward to having leftovers. Leftovers are supposed to be source of joy! Not frustration...

-GPS and/or maps on my iPhone. Yesterday I attempted to find the locksmith in Pistoia using just a very zoomed-in google map printout from Miranda. I literally spiralled around the city, following the instructions given to me by various Pistoians (all of whom, for some reason, had serious speech impediments or lisps, so that was a huge challenge on its own). As an aside, I've decided that the best way to learn a language is by asking directions, and by chatting with your cab driver.

-My car. Well, I don't really take it for granted. I appreciate it even when I have it. But boy do I miss it. Although riding the bus between here and Pistoia means I get to do some fun people watching and have some quality iPod time, it's frustrating that the last bus from Pistoia to my place leaves at 8:10 pm, which is further complicated by the fact that restaurants do not, I repeat, do not open before 8 pm.

I feel like I should end with something more sentimental and less material, but at the moment I can't think of anything, so I'll just say ciao for now.