I slept in until 7:45am on Thursday morning, which was much needed after a couple of restless nights. Dee finally slept in our bed again, but she still has to sleep sitting up. As we transition from summer to fall, and in preparation for Karen's and Dave's visit starting Saturday, we have all these fans that we don't need now, taking up space. There is a storage room for our apartment in the basement, but we don't have key to it, so Dee called Paolo, who said we should have a key. She then checked with the office, and Bishop Calabrese said that they might have the key, which Sorella Balzotti would drop off that evening. It could be nice to move seasonal stuff down there.
I got a phone call from someone claiming to be Vodafone, saying that our monthly home internet bill was about to go up by 12-15€ per month -- a significant chunk -- because of some new tax. The woman said that I had to approve it that very day or else something (I couldn't understand what) would happen. I asked if I could go to their store to try to understand, and the woman said that they couldn't help me at the store, pressuring me to accept. Between the background noise on her end and the terminology, she was incomprehensible. It dawned on me that this was a scam and that the next step was probably to ask me for my credit card number. I told her that I would go to the store to ask, and she abruptly hung up. Sure enough, in the afternoon when I walked over to the store, they looked up our account and said there was no price increase coming.
Dee stayed home again. She is feeling lots better but it is good for her to work from home, where she has a big computer screen and lots to do. It is lonely without her at the Institute, but I was glad that she could do it, especially with a busy week coming up. I went to Metro alone, buying food for upcoming events and some stuff for home: beef, shredded cheddar, sour cream, Kleenex, paper goods, coconut milk, etc. I arrived at the Institute a bit early and unloaded the car in only two trips. After that, except for a quick trip to the Vodafone store at the station, I was at the Institute by myself until evening.
With the big transit strike looming Friday, I spent a lot of time during the afternoon messaging with kids from my two classes to figure out how many might be able to make it anyway. The answer ended up being not very many, so by late afternoon I officially cancelled both classes. That is a bummer, as I enjoy teaching and we love being with the kids, though it is certainly less work for me in terms of lesson prep this week.
Dee walked to Conad and got some food for us and our visitors, but she was otherwise at home the rest of the day. In the evening, only three of our GANS kids showed up, one for English class, so I got to go home early. Parking is a real challenge these evenings. After two trips around the block, I ended up parking way down the street near Conad.
It was great to work at home for two days. It's hard for me to get much done there. There is usually a host of interruptions and distractions. Even just staying home instead of the commuting was an energy savings. I feel a lot better now. I worked on a lot of digital stuff like insurance, an HOA issue, setting up things for my parents.lots of digital stuff--insurance, taxes, HOA phone call, merry maids. Having the big screen made it so much nicer, too. Young missionaries are supposed to leave outside interests behind, but we seniors have to take care of lots of things. Another item was calling a woman who helped my parents some months ago. She never cashed the check, and it was returned. I was able to reach her at her new home in Minnesota and set up the payment. She was happily surprised.
One of our GANS is a Nigerian refugee and a very cool guy. He is going to do an African food night, so I have been trying to get the details ironed out. I know nothing about Nigerian food. So far, he hasn't given me quantities, but at least I now know what to buy.
I'll let you know how it works out.
Dee's wednesday notes
One thing I started on was my Primary lesson for Sunday. I'm going to teach two lessons to catch up. One of the lessons wants to tell the story of the house built on sand or on a rock, using building blocks, sand, a big rock and some water. I don't have access to those items, so I'm going to use plastic cups with a house built on them, and probably use sugar instead of sand. We'll see how it goes!
I walked to Todis for buns and tortillas and was happy that they were well stocked. Now that there is a strike, I am prepared for dinner a week away. Then later, I walked to Conad for different stuff. It's great to get out.
I got to talk to my Mom, who sounds peppy and focused. She asked when I was coming home and said she misses me. I miss her, too. I'm looking forward to cooking for them, which will be a pleasant change. Dad simply cannot hear me. He so needs hearing aids, but has blocked my attempts to arrange an appointment for him.