iBook is Dead

Well now ol' Compy has up and died. So I'm back to checking e-mails and making quick entries on a friend's laptop.

My new Macbook was scheduled to arrive today but that could mean ANYTHING. The FedEx guy will probably arrive at the door with livestock and say something like "A new Macbook!?! It says here" 8he stops and looks at his list "It says here you ordered a crate of chickens."

At least the sun is back.

La Volpe e la Bambina

On Saturday the merry band of Hatkes went out to a movie together. All five of us! We're living without a car, and this was our first evening outing to Pontremoli since our arrival.

The film was La Volpe e la Bambina -a French film from Luc Jacquet, the creator of March of the Penguins (another favorite here). I can hardly find words for how beautiful the film was -it was like watching your favorite illustrated picture book come to life. The story, about the friendship between a girl and a fox, was simply told and, in it's own way, profound.

Though it will likely be hard to find in the states, La Volpe e la Bambina (Le Renard et l'Enfant) has my highest recommendation.

Back Online

After two months of bitter frustration and violent fits of temper, intermixed with bouts of piteous weeping, i am once again online in Gravagna. This time thanks to the magic of the Vodafone Internet Key. It's pretty okay. But it's hard to get a signal in a place like this:



I like the internet. And I like e-mail. I get a little shaky when I have to go without those things. But I've found something that helps. Here it is:



See, in this place the entire years worth of wine comes to you in a huge truck. You buy it in these enormous wicker-wrapped glass jugs and then you bottle it yourself at home. So if things look glum in the spring (say, for instance, gas starts to become prohibitively expensive), you can say to yourself, "at least i have a cellar full of wine" and then, you know, it's not so bad.

So stay tuned. I'm glad to be back, and I have lots more to say. The updates are going to be coming in pretty frequently.

(oh, and a couple links):

-This American Life recently devoted an episode to explaining, in good detail, the housing/mortgage crisis. I highly recommend downloading this fascinating episode.

-And my pal Steak has some funny ideas about life rafts.