Saturday

Oct, 6, 2001

Firenze

I sleep quite late. I have a leisurely breakfast and then sit with my window open watching the droning CNN with the drums of war and writing some family emails.

I use the room right until noon and then go down to check out. My buddies are in the lobby. My friend and her husband will take the train to Florence. My other buddy and I will fly later. I wish I'd planned to take the train.

We take the cab to the airport because, out of a room, we might as well. We check in and have some lunch. I tank up with a salad Capresse and a pasta dish. Then we sit and read a bit. I notice some familiar guys walking by and it's two other employess heading for the gate. Two of our guys were in Germany doing similar work and we are all headed to Florecne. I hadn't realized that they would be transferring here. We all go to the gate and wait.

The plane is jam-packed and it's one of those commuter jets, too. Eventually we are off for the short hop to Florence.

We finally garner a cab that can take all four of us and head to the Hotel Minerva in the Santa Maria Nouvella Piazza. It is allegedly near the train station and the Palazzo dei Congress where our conference will be held.

We check in and I unpack everything. I pick out some shirts for laundry. My clothes selection is getting a little stale.

I meet buddies for drinks. Other people are showing up for the conference. Our buddies who took the train around noon have beaten us here and done some sightseeing.

Three of us go out in the evening and settle on eating at a restaurant behind a take-out food place. The case is full of good-looking meat and pasta and vegies including trippa which my mates assert they aren't going to order. A butcher whacks some meat cuts with a cleaver.

We share a table with first two young Asian men and then with a guy walking painfully with a cane who seems to be a local. He eats a giant turkey leg carefully and methodically with his fingers. We discuss the difference between Europeans and Americans.

It's good to know that I can go to sleep and get up when I please and do what I please for a day. I need to make sure I'm feeling energetic and have my voice for a speech on Monday.

"Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace..."

John Lennon, "Imagine"

Meta:
We'll just be keeping Lennon's radical lyrics here indefinitely. I'm updating this after the fact. Which means, of course, that I forget even more than usual.

JUST TYPING
A relief.
Knowing that you can unpack everything.
Arrange your clothes.
Send out laundry.
Not be uprooted.
For days.