Settling In, I

Portico off of Piazza Maggiore, Bologna

 

We live in a world where finding fault with 

others seems to be the favorite blood sport.

– Henry Eyring

I've been home hellish wonderful 10 days, and both the body and mind are still adjusting.  I keep waking up in the middle of the night, although the last few nights have been a little better.  For the lat three nights, instead of waking at 3 am, I've been waking at 4 am. Even better, I've been able to fall back asleep after 30-45 minutes.

Mercato in Modena

Having had to work this week added to the physical drain, I think.  I had a two-day seminar to do at the airport for the university, and I taught my first night class. In addition, I had meetings I had to attend.  It was, I suppose, better to get back into the swing of things early as it kept my mind overloaded occupied and off of Italy. 

Yes, I miss Italy.

Random street musicians, Bologna

Don't get me wrong. I'm glad to be home in a lot of ways.  I missed Mike, Jason, Riley, and my friends. I missed the familiarity of my own house, the comfort of my own bed, and the roominess of my own shower.  Reliable internet. Air conditioning. Being able to put on more than one appliance without blowing the fuse.

Yes, I still miss Italy.

Via Santo Stefano, Bologna

For the nine weeks I was in Europe, I didn't watch television. I turned one of the TVs in the flat once to make sure it worked. It did, so I turned it off and never turned it on again. While that might not sound like a big deal, remember that both my husband and kid worked/work in television.  That darn lovely thing is on almost constantly at our house.

Think of all the great things I missed by not being subjected to watching television:

Nasty political ads
The finale of Big Brother
News about nasty political in-fighting
Season premieres of Selfie
News—Any kind

Piazza Santo Stefano, Bologna

Never fear, though.  As soon as we got home, Mike turned on the television, and the first thing I saw was a political ad bashing a candidate. Ebola scares have replaced political in-fighting as the top stories in newscasts, and stupid lawyers' commercials fill in whatever ad time the nasty political ads don't cover.

Ferrara

I can't say I haven't enjoyed watching a few shows since I've been back, though. Survivor. Big Bang Theory. College football.

It is good to be home.