Our road is being re-tarred.  Or let me rephrase that.  A part of our road is being re-tarred.  They started this project days ago, maybe a week.  The sister was still here.  It is a piece of road less than 500 feet long where some underground wiring was installed, (a couple months ago mind you).  First they blocked off the parking area for a few days without actually doing any work, simply inconveniencing the residents.  Then they brought in the equipment and let that sit around for a day or so.  Then Wednesday they spent all day grating the section of road to be paved.  The right half of a narrow, less than 500 feet section of road.  All day.  Yesterday they sat around again.  Today they began tarring.  All this time my usual parking spot has been off limits so I've been half up on the sidewalk beside the recycling bins.  What really gets me is that all around this newly tarred area there are potholes and bumps enough to knock out your teeth.  But God forbid the town actually redo the roads.  This work is being done by the local internet company that was putting down the wires.  They only repaired the road because it is required in order to get permission to provide service here.  I'm sure someone pocketed lots of cash for this.  I'm getting really tired of Italy on this front.  It is corrupt and mismanaged and "who gives a shit" and "what can I get out of it", everywhere you turn.  At school the office staff are all Italian and seem incapable or unwilling to do their work on time or without incident and error.  In the front office, the receptionists are foreign and perfectly capable.  The Italians can't be fired as they have permanent contracts and unless they commit homicide are Velcro-ed to their desks.  The foreigners have temporary contracts.  Hmmmm.   I've been trying to get my tax forms from the woman responsible for such things and all I get is the Italian shrug and the "what can I do?"  Grace was supposed to go to a college fair this weekend but the school waited too long and there are no spaces for our kids.  Undoubtedly all of the high school students there will be from Switzerland or Germany or some functioning nation like that.  Italy has a lot going for it.  It is beautiful.  The food and wine are incomparable. (Sorry France).  The art and culture are epic.  But Jesus, living here can be downright exhausting!  Gonna go drink some of that good wine.  xxoo me