Money Woes - Part II

Friday, January 17, 2014
Hello friends and family....
Update:  cold is very slowly getting better... very very slowly.   I've been limiting my activity because it has just zapped me!  I went for my 3.4 km walk the other day and I couldn't make it back.  I had to ride the bus, then I was tired, tired, tired...    That cough is like a workout, I swear.   But, in any case, I know I'm on the mend.  I have lots of plans for next week so, gotta get better.   I haven't written because it's been raining and, especially at this time, I don't want to get sick again.   There is a lovely rosticceria practically across the street from the hotel, where they sell hot dishes, rotisserie chicken, pork, etc... cheeses, salads, pizza, and lots of pastries.  The guys in there already know me.   The food is good, maybe not memorable, but certainly VERY edible.   I particularly love their vegetables and sometimes I bring only veggies to the room and have lunch and dinner.....  

Well, you're not going to believe this one!   My checking and savings account with Wells Fargo has been hacked into and already some withdrawals have been made, for very little amounts, but it's been compromised and I had to make a 1-hour phone call to LOCK EVERYTHING DOWN!   Sort of like Fort Knox.  I am going to have to go to the States to straighten all this out.  None of my automatic payments will be made, mortgage, utilities, gas, water, insurance, etc.etc.etc....   Can you imagine what this is going to do to my credit score?  I know that, in the States, you can have a lousy, crappy reputation but you better have a good credit score.  And, to top it all off, the time difference is hard to deal with, and the cost of these phone calls is prohibitive.   Then, they put you on HOLD!  So, for now, nothing will be accepted as a transaction, either deposit or debit, until I open a new account and get new cards, etc...  Apparently, this is due to the Target breach of data situation and since I love to shop and Target (what teacher doesn't?), and I have a credit card with them.  All of this cannot be done from here, of course.   So, I am buying a plane ticket and leaving here on 2/2 to straighten all that out.   I will return to Italy at the end of February.   There are lots of things happening in March, and tickets paid for, hotels paid for, and this situation needs prompt attention.   I have already paid the rent until February 2, so I will stay here until then and then take off.   It will actually save me some money to go home.
So, maybe I'll catch up with you while I'm there.   I won't be home very much.   I am going to San Diego for a few days, and then to Tucson to check on my house and my mail and all that and then I'm going to Mexico to see my cousins.

I do have some really good plans for next week, though, so you can expect lots of lovely pictures. This week was definitely an "off" week, which is fine.  On Monday, I'm going to a cooking class to learn to make home-made pasta and tiramisu.   We even go to the market to shop like the Italians do and use those ingredicnets in our cooking class.  I want to impress a couple of people with my new cooking skills.  Then, on Thursday, I'm going to Assissi and Cortona, both World Heritage Places.  I was in Cortona 30 years ago, time to go back.   I'll take lots of pictures and upload them so you can enjoy.
Next week, I'm taking the train to Vicenza (about 2 hours from here), to see a lady whom I met here at the hotel in November.  Then, for New Year's she called me and said she was coming over with her two grown kids to spend New Year's here.   We went out to dinner and then we waited for the New Year and had a blast.   She's very nice and she works at the Army base in Vicenza in the mental health field working with soldiers who are in transition from war sites back to the States.   Can you imagine how important her job is?   In any case, she invited me to come, so I think I will leave Friday afternoon and return on Sunday.   She's a working gal, after all, cannot impose too much.

I'm having gelato withdrawal syndrome!!!   I just don't think it's wise when you have a cold and lots of mocos, mocos, mocos, all inside your chest!  

Okay, till we meet again....  keep your fingers crossed about that situation with the bank!   How can it happen to me twice?   And then, when I heard it's been traced all the way to Russia, some of the withdrawals from my Italy fund came in Russian, so ayayay, those Russians are something else.   When I went to Russia with my friend Carmen 10 years ago, we paid the travel agent for our hotel in St. Petersburg, and she sent her AX card # to the hotel.    Well, when we got there, they assured us they never got the payment.   We had to pay TWICE!   And, the travel agent had proof, from her statement, that she had sent the money.   I tell you, you can't blink these days.

Arrivederci and wait for some pictures in the next few days.
Cecilia