Sunday already!?

Wow, as I sat down to write this I was totally positive it was still Saturday.

So this past week was good and bad. Good because things at work were relatively calm and because Andrea and I got to spend some nice time together. "Bad" because I went to a meeting in Florence for work on Friday and it seems the company's hoping to cushy up my job some, make me and my position more important. Which means one thing (hence the "bad" part): now I have to figure out, once again, what the hell it is I want.

Luckily, I have some time to contemplate. Most of these new-and-improved company Big Ideas are "smoke in mirrors," so I guess I can hope that this is yet another fine example, as that would make packing it in and hauling it out wayyyy easier. Eh. I can only say what I've been saying: We Shall See. (And then I can make myself giggle, because when I type that too fast I always accidentally write "We shall wee." Which, of course, is also true.)

My parents get here next week for their annual Thanksgiving visit, and Andrea and I are looking forward to it. We're finally going to do Thanksgiving on actual Thanksgiving Day this time, with Andrea's parents, Claudio, Clare, Marcello, Chiara, Giacomo, Laura and Luca. Every year I really want to invite more people - everyone I know, basically - but then I start doing a food-and-plate count and it's just not feasible. They, and you, will all be with us in spirit (unless you are one of the people listed above, then you'll be with me for reals).

In an extra note, I don't know if any of you have been following the news of the English student who was murdered here in Perugia? It happened about a week ago, and it's been weighing heavily on my mind since then. She was 22-years-old, living just a few short streets from where I used to live, and from where almost all of my foreign friends once lived or still live in Perugia. And one of the suspects, Congolese man Patrick, was an acquaintance of mine when I was a student - he befriended a couple of my roommates and came over once or twice to our apartment - for innocent chats, I even remember once that he made us some fried dough in our kitchen.

Anyway, I feel especially close to this story, as it happened so closeby, happened to a foreigner and seems to have at least in part been carried out by an American girl, both of them about the same age I was when I got here 9 years ago. So many bad things happen in the world every single day, but this whole story seems parallel to a universe I used to be part of - namely, the student population of Perugia. Which the news has been potraying to be one big drugged up sex party! Sure, foreign students here are, as the Italians say, spensierati, without a care in the world. And, sure, the study abroad life is based often on parties or drinking, but a lot of that - at least it was for me and most of the people I know - was red wine at an Italian dinner, or innocent dancing at a disco or a drink at the pub. So, what I'm saying is, don't believe all the hype. And let's hope this whole thing gets resolved soon, for everyone's sake.

I guess I had a lot to say today. Have a great week everyone!