We Haz the Internets

Yippee! Our internet is now installed and working just great. It's so funny how so many things in Italy are delay, delay, delay, and then poof...they work. We got the phone call last week - the Tuesday before Christmas - from the telecommunications company. We had company in town for Christmas week and a packed itinerary. This is how the conversation went with the Telecom rep:

Company Rep (aka, Nice Lady):  Hi, we'd like to schedule your appointment for phone and internet installation. Are you available in the morning or afternoon?
Me: Oh, great! How exciting! Can you come next week?
Nice Lady: No, no, no. We are coming tomorrow. Would like us in the morning or evening?
Me [thinking fast b/c of our tour guide schedule]: Ummmmmm...morning?
Nice Lady: Okay, 10-12.
Me: Can you come between 8-10am?
Nice Lady: Okay, tomorrow, from 8-10am.
Me [remembering the multitude of stories I've heard on how the technician NEVER shows up for the first appointment...or the second]: If the technician doesn't show up, should I call you?
Nice lady: No, no, no. He will be there tomorrow between 8-10a.m. Ciao!

And so he was. At 8:30 a.m. There are times that I just love this place. By 9:30 a.m., we were online and able to surf the internet. However, I had places to show our guests, so there has been no internet surfing, blog posting, TV watching, etc. until today.

I'm sorry for the lack of posting. While back in the U.S., the schedule became packed with visiting. I arrived home last Monday, without my luggage, I might add. My two bags were two of the 20,000 pieces of luggage Lufthansa lost/misplaced/delayed last week. But I got my luggage five days later, on Christmas Day, just 24 hours after I'd decided that I probably would never see my luggage again - it's a Christmas Miracle!

But back to arrival day, flight got into Naples with no other problems, I picked up Crazy Dog from his BFF's house (BFF is a boxer named Doc), got home and bathed him (Scully and Doc play non-stop, including lots of slobering on each other, so a bath is always required), watched the Survivor finale (thank you Armed Forces Network for airing shows the day after they air in the U.S., which meant I actually got to see it!), and proceeded to fall asleep 10 minutes before the finale ended - you know, the point when you actually find out who won the million dollars, the goal of the show that you've been watching for weeks and weeks and weeks. So a 2nd thank you to Armed Forces Network for airing the Survivor finale twice, one right after the other. (I actually stayed awake through the second airing.). Nathan soon arrived with his aunt & uncle, who came to visit for Christmas. They'd actually flown into Rome while I was gone. Nathan drove up to pick them up, and the three of them spent a few days exploring Rome and the Tuscan hill towns of Orvieto and Assisi. I have got to go back and re-read the Anne Rivers Siddons book, "Hilltowns."

We had lots of fun visiting and showing our first set of guests around. In the coming days, I'll post some more updates from the last couple of weeks. So excited to have the internets! Hope everyone had a Buon Natale (Merry Christmas)!