Sounds of Italy

Oh no! Thanks to Just Another American in Paris I think I just found yet another way to procrastinate on the Internet. She posted about the Freesound Project, a site on which you can search for ambient noises and other sounds from all over the world. I haven't found too many great files for Italy, but here are a few worth a listen:

• a street performer playing the accordion somewhere in Italy
• birds singing (and a bee buzzing) in Tuscany
• church bells and street noises in Venice
• a street market in Montevarchi, Tuscany
• the sound of the sea in Livorno
• a typical exchange in a caffe

 Sigh. I want to be there!

&@$%!!!

OK, so this has nothing to do with Italy, but this was the sight that greeted me outside today. My car up on a cement block and two whole wheels missing. Apparently early 80s cars are popular amongst the gangsta set for pimping out, and Honda Fit wheels are--well, a perfect fit. I found out today (after ranting on Facebook--thank God for being able to rant on Facebook!) that the same thing happened to a friend with a Fit a year ago, only they took all four wheels. There's a pretty decent police presence in my neighborhood, so they must have been really fast. And in a hurry--they left two lug nuts behind. So I've got that to make me feel better.

I have insurance, but it'll still cost me $250 (on top of shelling out $260 for a traffic ticket this past week), and of course it's a huge hassle. I will be buying a set of locking lug nuts tomorrow.

In the big picture I know this is not a big problem, especially since I have the money to handle it, but it still rankles, of course. Luckily a friend offered to buy me a drink. Alcohol--the solution to, and cause of, life's problems.