I believe me hubby is a bit stressed these days.  He's working ridiculous hours and trying to juggle two companies and it's getting to him.  He booked an appointment for me today.  I left work early, drove to the train station, took the train to the city, walked 15 minutes to the office, only to be told my appointment was booked for tomorrow.  Oh. 

My appointment is with a doctor.  I seem to have spent an inordinate amount of time in doctor's offices, clinics, pharmacies and hospitals in 2014 so far.  I hope it won't be like this all year.  There is a reason Italians out live us and no matter what I professed in the past, it's not the red wine.  It's preventative care.  General practitioners do nothing but prescribe tests and write out "prescriptions" for specialists.  My ordeal started out with funny heart flutters and with family history and all, I went to see my doctor.  He ordered a full blood work-up, a visit with a cardiologist, and a gastroscopic something or another test which I have not yet done because I don't have the time nor do I see the need.  My heart is fine, high cholesterol, no more chocolate or cheese for a while.  Then I had the flu for which I refused to go to the doctor because I didn't want another whole battery of tests.  So I self medicated and survived.  The latest is that I have what I thought was a bladder infection.  But alas not so simple.  Seems it may be a "women's issue" so thus the appointment today, (actually tomorrow), with the specialist in the city.  I can just imagine all this is going to entail.  But here are a couple interesting things.  Had I chosen to see a gynecologist through the national medical plan, the cost would have been 25 euro which is the standard co-pay for a specialist.  I may have had to wait a couple weeks to see one.  Had I chosen to use the private insurance that the school provides, it would have cost 50 euro and I could have seen the doctor next Tuesday.  But as I am very uncomfortable because I have to pee every five minutes I am going as a self pay, the cost is 70 euro and I'll see her tomorrow.  The cost difference is very small because in order to compete with the national health care plan, private doctors keep costs low, as do private clinics and labs.  I can pay privately for a full blood work-up that would cost me hundreds if not thousands in the States for less than $50.  And here's the other interesting point.  It doesn't matter if you go publicly or privately, the doctors are all the same.  Every doctor here is obligated to give so many hours to the public system.  If they wish they can have a private practice on the side.  The only difference is time.  As a private patient, you cut the line.
There are also private clinics and hospitals that are esthetically more pleasing than the public institutions, but the care you get is the same. 

Then yesterday, my colleague in the library got a call just as I was leaving for a hair appointment which left her sobbing on her keyboard.  Her husband was having chest pains and needed to go to the hospital.  The problem was that neither of them speak Italian and didn't know how to go about going to the ER.  So being the heroic person that I am, I moved my hair appointment and took them to the hospital, cause I haven't had enough of medical personnel yet.  I found them a nurse who speaks English and left after about a half an hour.  He had 3 EKGs, 2 rounds of blood tests, and I don't know what else but wasn't released till 1 am with a huge stack of test results proving that he's a healthy as a horse.  Thank God.  As not only a non Italian citizen, but not even a EU citizen, what did it cost him?  Nada, nyet, niente.  Not one red cent. 

On another note, spring is here.  Primulas are everywhere and my forsythia has started to turn.  Yeah!  xxoo me

GP isn't home for dinner tonight which means the kitchen is on vacation.  No cooking will be done.  When the husband is home, the table is set, dinner is prepared and we all three sit and eat together.  It's sacrosanct.  But that's Italy for you.  Kids have to be home for dinner.  They rarely eat at friends houses or out in town but go out after the family meal.  Dinners are the time to be together, talk about the day, pay respects to the older people in the family who often live with them or near enough to share meals.  GP takes this tradition very seriously and we have been butting heads over it for 30 years.  It may be that I was raised eating dinner off TV trays, or it may be my years of waitressing that makes it impossible for me to leave dirty dishes on the table, or it may be the familial AADD, but I have a hard time staying seated after I've finished eating.  GP and my in-laws will stay at the table for an hour or more, surrounded by the remains of the meal, crumbs and spills, dishes and napkins.  It makes me nervous.  I have to get up and move to the sofa in the kitchen (with a glass of wine of course) or I'll start scraping crumbs from the cloth like in a Michelin star restaurant.  God forbid I volunteer to do the dishes.  THIS IS NOT DONE!  My most vivid first memories of Italy are the endless meals.  It wasn't just with the numerous courses, but the conversations that went on and on, sometimes loud and fist thumping, often repeating the same conversation of the night before.  Talking just to be talking.  I'll never forget the weeks long conversation about a new water heater.  What size, shape, color, power, around and around and around.  I felt like screaming, "Just buy the damned thing and stop talking about it!"  I think GP's family shared more words in a week than our family did in my entire youth.  Before I learned the language I was sure they were arguing as Italians are often very passionate speakers.  After some time I realized that my mother-in-law was not in fact going to stab GP with a carving knife but just wanted him to take a second helping.  So mealtime is family time, just like on Leave It To Beaver, and as I know it's a wonderful tradition I save my slovenly ways for summers and GP's business trips.  So this morning I told Grace to eat a big lunch.  I've pulled out the yogurt and cookies.  We're good.  I may even talk to her.  xxoo me

So the government was dissolved but looks like there is a new Prime Minister, though not official, from the same party.  Whatever.  More importantly to our daily lives is the fact that we've been waiting for a very long time for some things to arrive from The States and we're getting desperate.  Remember the little problem with our accountant and last year's taxes?  Still on-going.  Combine that with the Italian postal system and we're in deep doodoo.  Our mail service is so irregular I've been studying it to find a pattern.  What I've concluded is that our mailman can't be bothered to come to our building unless he has accumulated a certain amount of post, so he must be squirreling all the mail away somewhere till he has a nice bundle.  It is pretty obvious because no one gets any mail for days on end and then BOOM all the boxes are full.  I still have Christmas cards trickling in.  It's very frustrating but to be expected in a country where post offices don't sell stamps.  On another note, it is already trying to be spring here.  GP and I went for our river walk yesterday and there was a hint in the air.  The riverfront was very busy as this weekend Torino is hosting an international sculling competition.  There were hundreds of boats being prepared to race, hundreds of very fit people wandering around and flags from various countries planted along the banks of the Po.  Rowing is a very popular sport here with rowing clubs all up and down the river. 

setting up

Italian champion starting off ceremonies

Last night we went out for a belated Valentine's dinner with some friends.  We went to the wine region as hadn't ventured that far since late autumn.  Have you noticed how little I've been talking about food?  I'm trying to behave.  xxoo me