Sono pigro e stupido

Hola muchachos!

It's been about two weeks since I updated you on my kerrazy Italian times, so thought it would be best to do that now. I'm at work playing on my laptop, and the friendly middle-aged racists who have an office downstairs don't password-protect their internet. Silly middle-aged racists! They're from the Ligue Nord (Northern League), which is a political party here. I realise that as I don't know them, that may have been an unfair description. They might not be friendly at all.

So, what have I been up to?

Well, I've been working alot, hence my lack of blogging lately. This week is apparently the calm before the storm though, as I only have 10 hours of lessons. Apparently next week the term will kick in with gusto, so hopefully I'll be rich, rich, rich, or at least not homeless, homeless, homeless. Fingers crossed!

My Italian still isn't making any great strides, although I do have lessons now, so hopefully that should provide the proverbial kick up the backside in terms of learning. I also have a (forgiving) lady friend, which is pretty nice. I realised that I've been back here for nearly a month, but I'm feeling quite settled, and didn't even notice the time pass.

I've been asked to put on a picture of my colleagues, so here it is. It's an old one, taken the night before I went back to Scotland in July, but barring a couple of hair cuts, no one's really changed.

Obviously the clearly sober, fiendishly handsome person on the left is me, followed by: Stevie, Clare, Clare's husband, Patrick (although we just call him Patrick), and Katarina. What a jolly alcohol fuelled night that was!

Last weekend I went to see Sampdoria play Juventus, which was pretty exciting. The game wasn't up to much, but the atmosphere was good, and it was generally pretty cool to go to an Italian game. It wasn't nearly as boring as they are on the telly. It finished 0-0, and there weren't too many chances, but overall, good. However, afterwards Stevie, Simone and yours truly went out, and at some point during the evening (don't remember when) I got hideously drunk, and made a bit of an arse of myself. To be honest, 'a bit' is actually quite tame; I was an idiot. Coupled with my hangover, and then finding out what I'd done, did not make the start of last week the most fun. Brilliantly (and kindly), my indiscretions have been forgiven. Huzzah! Having learned my lesson, I didn't even look at alcohol again until Saturday, when I eased myelf back into it's warm embrace with a few beers and gins. No stupidity ensued this time though. Good times.

Here's a shot of the gradinata nord (North Stand) of Stadio Luigi di Ferraris. Flags a kimbo!

I'm sure I have more astonishing insights to blow your mind with, but at the moment I can't think of them. No doubt when I'm eating my focaccia on the way home I'll remember them all. Just trust that they're earth-shattering.

So, so long, farewell, auf wiedersehn and goodbye. For now.....

Ciao ciao