Toilet seats, dryer sheets,....

It started with the vino! Wine in Italy is great (obviously) and extremely cheap (our favorite kind is 3.50 euro a bottle). In addition to becoming regular pasta eaters, it's safe to say we've become semi-winos as well. We love wine. So today, we faced the cold and the three hour bus/train commute to Orvieto, a town that is known for it's wonderful wine and beautiful scenery. As Annie and I sat enjoying our pasta lunches and red wine today, we began discussing how wonderful our present situation is and how much we love Italy. Our discussion quickly turned into us listing all of the things we miss and do not miss about the US. Okay, I have to admit that I have a small addiction to making lists and that this problem is quickly rubbing off on Annie (mwhaha). So, at the same time we both said, "let's make a list!" In order for something to make the list, both of us had to agree that we missed it severly (therefore routines, car, bathtubs, Chipotle, and tupperware were left off the official list). Here's what we came up with.

What we miss the most about living in the US:
1) Toilet seats. That's right people, the majority of the public bathrooms here do NOT have toilet seats which is quite awkward to get accustomed to. I miss sitting down to pee.
2) Dryers and dryer sheets. It's difficult to wear your jeans when you have to wait three days for them to completely dry. Plus, since you've been wearing them for a week already they're stretched and it'd be nice to shrink them back down but there is no dryer here to do so. AND, when you do put them on, they're not soft and they don't smell like the cuddly little bear back home says they're supposed to. Boo.
3) Washcloths. Now this one is our own fault. Neither of us thought to bring washcloths with us and come to think of it, I don't know why we didn't just go out and buy a few.
4) Stores being open from 1:00-4:00 p.m. Nothing is open here from 1-4, well except for the churches. This is forcing us to get up really early if we want to get anything done. We've been here for a good while now and forgot this rule the other day. We ran out of butter during our Thanksgiving meal preparations. We walked the 15 minutes down the steep hill to the store to find it closed! How dare they?!? To make matters worse, stores are starting to not reopen in the afternoon since it's getting dark early and there are very few tourists. Yes, this means that many Italians work from 10:00-1:00 every day! What a life.
5) Having an income. Yeah, the money is going out a lot faster than it's coming in. Okay, so it's not coming in right now.
6) All-in-one convenience. There is no Target here! Sometimes, it feels like we spend most of one day in search of a particular object (transformers, milk frother, turkeys, etc.)
7) Easy internet access. Currently, to access the internet, our computer has to be perfectly perched in the right corner of the kitchen window. If we both try to put our computers in the window, we battle each other for internet use. That leads to name calling and shoving and that's not fun for anyone. Of course, I can still use the very expensive internet key that I purchased in Genoa, but out here I'm charged roaming fees. Oh, we also can't download anything from certain American companies (itunes, etc.).
8) Large showers. The showers here are tiny. It will be nice to take a shower where I can reach for my shampoo without banging my elbow. Now I know why Europeans don't shave! They can't comfortably reach their body parts.
9) Adam Wong (Wong, Wonger, Wongster, Wongenator, Long Wong Silver). Whatever you call him. However you know him. You know it hurts to live without him.

What we do not miss about the US:
1) High wine prices. We've been paying way too much for crappy wine at home.
2) Fake pasta. The pasta here is so fresh and amazing. In order to really understand, you have to have it here. The US is selling imposter pasta.
3) Work. Man, we love not working! There are so many things that we're getting to do on a daily basis that we could never do while working (learning to play the guitar, experimenting with new recipes, etc.). Unfortunately, this does have a very negative effect on #5 in the previous list.
4) No naps! SERIOUSLY?!?! Whose idea was it to ban these? Why did nap time end in kindergarten? They're amazing. One of my greatest pleasures since I've been here is that I can eat my pasta lunch and then if I'm tired, I can sleep! Of course, I'm only tired because I've gotten up early since everything's closed in the afternoon! Awww, the viscious cycle.
5) George Bush. Luckily, this one has been taken care of.

So, the next time you sit down to use the bathroom (wearing your soft, dry clothes), think of how mistreated we are over here. We'll be eating fresh pasta, drinking cheap wine, then taking a nap and missing the Wonger.

Cheers.