slow blogging phase

sorry loyal readers. between some technical difficulties and blog-fatigue, I've just not been posting.

an observation: if there's anything worse than living through renovations in your home, it's living through your upstairs neighbor's renovations. the first few times buckets of rubble passed the kitchen window on a cable it was funny, the surprise of seeing anything besides the offices across the alley amusing over a first sip of morning coffee. The umpteen millionth time, I'm wondering whether they'd come bang on the door if I try to dump my kitchen rubbish in the buckets on their way down. What could I send them for a good laugh? Tempting.

my favorite part is the hammering that's producing the rubble. Even though this building is fairly modern, it's of that Italian construction type - walls a foot thick of heavy materials - concrete and plaster and stone. Marble floors. Steam heat. All of which add up to echoes. Not for everyday noises, but when something strikes a wall, or floor, or radiator, the whole wing of the building reverberates. So starting at 7am (not an ungodly hour but a tad early for construction) we hear tap tap tap tap tap tap tap-taptap tap. Reluctantly wake up and have biscotti and caffe latte to the sounds of the Poles screaming up to the sixth floor from the ground, and hope, pray, that it's worse for the owners of apartment ---.