Oh snap!

"Why are Italian tourists so pushy and rude?"

The Dark (sweaty) Knight

When the summer heat is unbearable and you want to cool off, where do you usually go? To the movies... or so we thought. Last night we went to Warner Moderno (the place I'd previously raved about for their online ticketing system) to see The Dark Knight in English along with more than half of Rome's English-speaking community, apparently.

As soon as we walked into sala #4, we all noticed it wasn't nearly as cool as we wanted it to be or as it should be. It was still early so I strolled downstairs to inform one of the workers who said he'd "take care of it". The theater is packed and the movie starts... but the air conditioning does not. It was a sauna in there, the air was hot, sticky & stale. The AC occasionally let out a spurt of cold air but not strong or long enough to even remotely freshen up the theater.

Half way through, I literally started to feel sick and had to leave the room. A dozen people or so did the same before me. Covered in sweat, I marched downstairs and asked to speak to the manager. She was super nice and tried to bullshit me by saying "Oh, we had a problem with the AC just before opening and couldn't get it fixed". Nice try lady, but that won't cut it with me because as we were suffering in the theater, my friend mentioned to me that her friend had the same exact problem in sala 4 last week... AND I vaguely recalled having the same problem in sala 4 about three years ago! So manager girl was wise enough not to fuck with an annoyed, sweaty American and fessed up: the AC in sala 4 had been broken for about 5 years and despite her constant requests, Warner never bothered to fix it. Why? Because it wasn't worth the money for them to close down that sala for a day or two. Instead they stuff unwitting movie-goers into that sauna because they know only a handful of people (like me) will complain and ask for their money back. So in the end, Warner still makes a killing without having to spend a cent for repairs.

The manager obviously offered to reimburse me & my crew for the tickets, she apologized profusely and said unfortunately there's not much she can personally do to fix the situation. I was seriously tempted to make an announcement in sala 4 after the movie telling everyone to go ask for a reimbursement, that way Warner would realize that it's NOT okay to cram a theater with people when the AC is busted. Unfortunately, I was too worn out by the heat to muster up the energy. Instead we high-tailed it out of there and went out for drinks...

But I just wrote an email to Warner about the incident because I do believe it's actually illegal for them to place all those people in a non-ventilated, crowded room without AC. I'll keep you all posted, in the meantime avoid sala 4 at Warner Moderno!

Greasy hands

It's official: Bertolli olive oil brand has been sold to a Spanish company (as was Carapelli in 2004). Seems like Italy's hands are so greasy, they can't keep hold of anything these days, not even prized possessions like olive oil. Wow, what's Italy going to sell off next, the Colosseo?

Silver lining

My washing machine died the other day... after almost 10 years of trusty service, its motor went kaput. I was hoping it could be repaired easily and cheaply, but this morning the repairman told me otherwise. Even if it would've been more business for him to repair the machine, he highly suggested I just buy a new one. Uffa!

I don't have much spare time or energy to scour the city looking for the best bargain right now, so I went to a nearby appliance shop I've used in the past- Cucciollo (if they had a website I'd link it). It's located in the Jewish ghetto and is probably one of the best appliance/electronic shops in the center. I used to do lots business with these guys when I worked for an American university ages ago, so they know me and treat me well, but in general they are very pleasant and helpful to all their clients. I got me a new washer and I'll be able to do laundry again by Thursday- yay!

As I was walking back home through the ghetto I was overwhelmed by how much that neighborhood has changed in the past 10 years. When I was looking for a home 10 years ago, I considered the ghetto but most of the places I saw there were run-down railroad apartments and the buildings were in total disrepair (which meant eventually I, and the other residents, would have to pay for repairs). At the time, prices there were pretty low compared to other central neighborhoods. As much as I adored the area, it wasn't worth the extra hassle of having to gut and redo an entire apartment.

But now, the neighborhood has undergone a major renovation, they've cleaned it up, made most of the streets pedestrian-only, so there are lots of benches and café tables outside. AND to top it all off, they finally repaired the charming Tempietto del Carmelo in Piazza Costaguti. The area's got a great vibe to it and it's a lovely place to sit and chill out... A few steps away you'll also find a hidden gem called Rialto Sant'Ambrogio. It's a "cultural center" that hosts some cool events and shows. One more ghetto tip: if you haven't eaten at Sora Margherita yet, I highly suggest you check it out. It's an old-school, no frills trattoria with good food and decent prices. Forget about da Giggetto and their pricey artichokes, you can get the same treats at Sora Margherita for less and without the annoying touristy scene.

Anyway- I mentioned a silver lining, didn't I? Well, good thing my washing machine broke now because if it had happened next week or so, I would've been royally screwed since everyone and their mom is closing shop soon. So in some ways, I'm actually glad this happened now.

Cucciollo Elettrodomestici
Via del Tempio 6
00186 Roma
Tel: (06)6865102

Sora Margherita
Piazza delle Cinque Scole 30
00186 Roma
Tel: (06)687 4216

Calgon, take me away!

This morning I had another lovely run-in with the public healthcare system... It's so frustrating it exhausts me, for real. 

I've been trying to see my general practitioner for a week. Come summertime, he always mysteriously changes his office hours and unless you actually go to the office, manage to get buzzed into the building by someone else (because he's hardly ever there), and read the signs posted on the office door- you have no way of knowing what the new hours are. I finally managed to get there at the right time and on the right day, only to discover my doctor was... ON vacation. 

Fortunately there was a substitute doctor, but unfortunately this guy is a quack. I've had the misfortune of dealing with him before and he's incompetent. Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks so because when the 15 people sitting in the waiting room with me (I was third in line, hooray!) found out he was on duty, there was plenty of grumbling.

I show the quack doctor this skin condition that I've had on my fingertips for over a month now. He's flippant and dismissive as always, and says it's nothing. I insist that I'd like to see a dermatologist because my fingertips are bothering me. He says that if I go to Regina Margherita's Guardia Medica, they'll see me without a referral right then and there. Now, I've been around long enough to know that you should always be prepared for the worst when dealing with the public healthcare system, so I politely insist he write out a referral for a dermatological visit, just in case. He does. I leave.

I go to the Guardia Medica at Regina Margherita (like he told me to) and the woman at the desk asks for my referral (See??). She tells me I must first go around the block to the CUP office to pay for the visit, and then come back and go to the dermatology ward on the first floor. I go to the CUP and get a number and wait in line. I wait 15 minutes for my turn, show the lady my referral (without a referral I would've been screwed again) and try to pay for it. She snaps at me and says I need to go back around the block, go up to dermatology and ask if they can see me today. I explain to her that the woman at Guardia Medica said I could just come here and pay. She keeps yelling at me. I refuse to stoop to her level and calmly try to reason with her. Hold on, can't I just pay in the meantime? I'll either been seen today or tomorrow, what's the difference? No such thing and she continues to mutter shit under her breath.

Breathe in breathe out, go back around the block and up to the first floor of the dermatology ward. A lovely nurse assists me and tells me to go back to the CUP and pay for the visit ("If she gives you trouble, tell her Sergio said it's okay"), then come back up and wait my turn. 

Okay, I go back around the block to the CUP, get a fucking number and wait 20 minutes. Pay for the visit (20 euros. Public health care is NOT free) and go back to the dermatology ward. I wait for about 40 minutes for the visit- which was fine by me since they took me at the last minute anyway. And surprisingly enough there was AC in the waiting room.

My turn, the dermatologist barely looks at my hands or listens to me, she's too busy yapping it up with her friend about what she'll be cooking for dinner. She writes out a prescription before I even finish explaining the situation with my fingertips. I politely yet firmly grab her attention and explain my case. She nods her head and slips me the prescription she had already written out and signed and says "It's just some dry skin. You must've touched something that irritated it." No, no, no- I just explained to you that nothing in my routine has changed and my fingertips have been all wrinkled, dry, and painful for almost two months. It's useless, she sends me away with the damn prescription.

I try to stay positive and go to the pharmacy to get said medication. What do I discover? The "medicine" she prescribed is not medicine at all. It costs 23 euro and is nothing but fancy hand cream (which contains the same exact ingredients as the hand cream I regularly use). Fuck it. I decide not to buy it and at this point, I'm going to make an appointment with a private dermatologist and see if I can sort this out. 

Now, I just wasted 3 hours and 20 euros for nothing. And to top it all off, I'm going to have to fork out my own money for a private doctor because the public system sucks.

Hotdogs?

Whenever I see these "Wudy" hotdogs in grocery stores or on TV, I can't help but chuckle. Maybe it's the Beavis & Butt-head in me...

Summer cinema

Although it's sad to see most of the movie theaters in Rome close for the summer, the outdoor movie venues usually make up for it by offering quite a range of films to see. I meant to post about this sooner but got distracted:
In Villa Borghese at the Casa del Cinema they are showing musicals in ENGLISH with Italian subtitles for FREE till the end of the month (hurry!). I'm not a big fan of musicals but there are some classics in the lineup that are worth seeing. Me & my crew went to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show and were rather surprised that 75% of the audience was made up of elderly folks. I guess they just read "free" and wanted to sit outside because they certainly did not enjoy the flick (looking around with horrified faces, getting up and leaving half way through)!
Piazza Vittorio's outdoor cinema venue is very impressive! They've set up 2 screens (with double features) and have a good selections of films and it's on until September 5th. One Italian flick I'd recommend in the July schedule is Tutta la Vita Davanti.
Then there's my all time favorite Isola del Cinema. I just love this venue so much, how can you beat the location- an island in the Tiber River! Great place to see a flick, stroll around, have a drink, or just people watch.