I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired

I guess everyone has their own passion or their own world where they can drift into to find their own peace. For me I love to watch TV. Whenever my shows come on, no matter how terrible the day or how I feel right before watching, I can drift off into TV land and laugh until I can't breath anymore. For Don Carlo, it's his plants.

Don Carlo has a thing with plants; it's almost like an obsession. You should see how many plants are placed outside in the garden of St. Benedict. There are just too many to count. I think there shouldn't even be anymore plants in that area, since it is outside and nature takes care of itself, but I guess I don't know anything about gardening. Well Wednesday afternoon I noticed Don Carlo preparing more plants for the garden. Little did he know that whatever he decided to use for fertilizer would attract some visitors.

Thursday morning after morning prayer, we noticed that all the plants Don Carlo planted yesterday in pots had been dug up. All the dirt was scattered all over the ground. When Don Carlo saw this, he threatened to kill that cat by swinging it by its tail. Poor Piccolo. I don't even think it was him who even did it, but I guess it would be a relief for Miciotto if Piccolo weren't around anymore. He then would be able to eat in peace without having to quickly scarfing down the food and look over his shoulder before Piccolo shows up.

Since we did not have mass at Sacro Speco this morning, we went down to Santa Scholastica to participate in their mass. We apparently had a special guest serving the mass this morning, but I have no clue who it was. Once again we have so many visitors everyday that it is hard to keep track of who is who. After the mass we had to wait at Santa Scholastica until 1 pm to have lunch and we finished mass around 11:30. That was a long time to kill, but luckily Francesco showed us around the unseen parts of Santa Scholastica. We got to see the old Foresteria (guest rooms), a chapel where they brought in this huge glass chandelier blown in Venice and brought there, and finally the oil trees, chickens, and bees. I knew about the oild trees, because I could see them from Sacro Speco, but had no idea that Santa Scholastica also had eggs made here. We are just that efficient. 

In the afternoon Matt's parents decided to pay us a visit. They would only be staying with us for one night, so we had to make the most of it. We had a drink of "Sardegna's Gold" and said our farewells. 

I think it was my lucky day Thursday. I found out that at dinner we would be having all of my favorite all-time meals: potato wedges, my favorite kind of soup, and of course to top it all off some delicious cookies. My eyes lit up when I took a sneak peek. Pinnucia knows me too well.

I am sad to report that I have nothing to share for pretty much most of the weekend. I came down with a terrible cold which basically incapacitated me for two days. I felt it coming on Friday and tried to prevent it with what I had in my room, butit was just too determined. I was to be confined to my room in order not to spread my cold to anyone else, but you know what the weird thing is; I got this cold from Don Antonio. And he was the one who told me to go to my room. Of course he is still sick and is spreading his germs all over the place potentially risking everyone else's health, but he refuses to go to his room. Most times older people are just too stubborn and stuck in their own ways. Even when I started to feel better and tried to work, he kept kicking me out and sending me to my room, while he was coughing up a lung, or so it seemed. So someone explain to me why I have to be in my room while he is still spreading his flu around? It doesn't make sense to me, but as long as I keep my distance, I should be able to recover.

I am happy to share that I am now back into action as of Sunday. I feel so much better and my fever has almost gone away completely. It worked out perfectly considering today is Easter Sunday, probably one of the busier days we would have here. 

I found out after mass that we would be having lunch down at Santa Scholastica. It feels like this entire month I have spent more time down at Santa Scholastica than I have here. Don't get me wrong or anything, I do like Santa Scholastica, but going there in the middle of the day always ruins my plans. I typically like to write, clean, or sleep during the little 2 hour break and going down there always means that I have to skip my ritual. Not to mention that fact that I miss out on Italia and Pinnucia's cooking. Santa Scholastica can't even compare and everyone here at Sacro Speco agrees with me as well.

Once Matt and I returned with Don Antonio to Sacro Speco, he opened the shop, handed me the keys to the door, and told me not to come back to the shop. I tried convincing him that I was better and could work, but he threatened to hit me with his cane if I were to come back. Whatever he says goes around here, so I knew not to come back and to rest in my room. To tell you the truth, I haven't been sleeping during those times. A man can only sleep so much before he is tired of sleeping, as weird as that may sound. I would just stay up and play around with my computer, trying to kill time.

Pinnucia bought Matt and I a little Easter present, one of those chocolate things wrapped in foil. Matt broke it open and that's where I found my gift: a boat shaped pencil. It was exactly what I needed to brighten my day. On a little side note, today was apparently Pinnucia's birthday and no one even told me. So I am glad I did find out and was able to wish her a happy birthday. 

Ok so you remember how I said I was back into action yesterday, well Monday it was official. My fever was completely gone thanks to the help of Pinnucia and Italia taking care of me. They still even ask if I am ok to work because they are worried it might come back. As long as I keep my distance from Don Antonio I think I will be fine. It was too late for Matt though, because he woke up this morning with a fever. The same exact fever I just recovered from. Don Antonio strikes again. I wonder who will be his next victim? And it wasn't a moment too soon that I was able to work, because apparently today was a little different than or regular days. Today the shop would be open all day along with the church. 

I didn't know if we were going to be taking shifts or something, but all I knew was that someone had to be in the Sacrestia and the shop the entire time. Well we all know who took the shop duty. Clara tried to get Don Antonio to leave and eat lunch, but he refused. While I was eating he finally showed up, ate really quickly, and then told me now to come to the shop until 5, which was about 3 and a half hours away. I asked him if he were sure and then went to my room to rest. I need to find another job quickly or I think I might just waste away here being sent to my room everyday. I am just waiting for the weather to get better and I will finally be able to work outside.

I felt it was time for an adventure somewhere new and luckily Don Luigi offered to take me, Don Ignazio, and Rafa, Don Ignazio's friend around to see some churches. So we set out Tuesday morning on a little adventure, which I didn't realize would take all morning and night. We didn't get back until sometime around 11:30 pm. 

While we were on our way, I finally got some use out of my phone. Cecilia called me wanting to speak to Don Luigi. Apparently there was a group coming today that needed a tour guide who could speak French. Well Don Luigi and Cecilia both forgot about the group. Luckily there is another monk who knows several languages down at Santa Scholastica and could fill in for Don Luigi. 

Our first stop on our journey was the monastery Casamari. This monastery had such simple beauty to it. I think Don Ignazio, Rafa, and I all agreed that with just its simple architecture it was very beautiful. I do like the frescoes we have at Sacro Speco, but I also do like just simple things, nothing too fancy. I got one little souvenir that Don Luigi bought for me, a beer. He refused to let me leave without picking something out to either eat or drink. He bought chocolates for everyone else and since I do not eat chocolate, he wanted to get me a beer. I haven't tried it yet, but apparently it is supposed to be really good. 

After we had finished touring around Casamari, we made our way towards Montecassino. We were going to have lunch at some restaurant just below the monastery. It was mixture of languages at the table, since Rafa can speak English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. It seemed like every few minutes we switched from Italian to French to English. I noticed some of the other people around us were staring at us to figure us out. I think they were trying to place where we were from, but considering we all speak different languages, it would be a little difficult. The food was amazing, but still nothing compared to Pinnucia and Italia's cooking. It was just enough for me to regain my energy from walking all through Casamari. 

Once we arrived at Montecassino, we got he special treatment. We were allowed to park in the special parking lot and given a private tour of the monastery. We got to see parts that regular visitors don't have the chance to see. It is always great to travel with someone from Sacro Speco, especially the prior. It was my first time to Montecassino, but I can say that out of all the churches I have seen, it is by far the largest. A little too big for my taste. I also wasn't a big fan of the decorations of the church. It was too busy to me and lacked the simpleness that I enjoy so much. You can take a look for yourself in my photos and decide wether or not I am right. I wasn't the only one who thought this. Don Ignazio and Rafa both agreed with me about the monastery. 

We had to wait for Don Luigi to catch some sleep since he had been driving all day and would be taking Rafa to the airport. It was going to be a two hour ride, but we of course encountered major traffic on the way. It turned out to be about three hours until we finally were able to drop Rafa off and say our goodbyes. To my surprise we ran into the Abbot, Francesco, and Diego at the airport. I guess they came to give Don Luigi a break from driving for awhile. 

We drove around for a little bit trying to find somewhere to eat. We finally settled on this restaurant near the river called Bastianelli al Molo. Well of course their specialty was fish, so we would be having fish for dinner tonight. It was my first time actually trying raw fish. It was very fresh and had an interesting taste, but was delicious to me. Don Ignazio was the only one who couldn't eat it. As soon as he saw it, he shook his head and said that he would wait for the pasta, which also had fish in it. It was a very long and exhausting day, so on the way back I got so rest in the back. I am glad that for once I don't have to drive and struggle to stay awake when it has been a long day. By the way, Francesco is an awesome driver. I have never been in a smoother riding car before. I slept very comfortably while he was driving.

It was your typical slow Wednesday with few people coming to the monastery. I think it had a lot to do with the weather today. The morning wasn't so bad, but the afternoon felt like winter all over again. I was planning on doing some cleaning of the grounds, mainly the parking lots, but couldn't because it started to pour heavily. I think Italy needs to get it together. It's now spring, which means shorts and sunshine, not freezing rain. I will be happy when I can finally find somewhere that actually makes sense when it comes to weather. As I said before, I think crazy weather just follows me wherever I go. Hopefully tomorrow will be better than today and I can finally work outside. I get bored working in the shop, since Don Antonio does everything. The only thing I ever do is restock the shelves and vending machines. There isn't much more for me to do other than that, which I only to at most 3 or 4 times a day. All the other times I am in the back or walking around outside. I look forward to the day when I will finally be able to work outside or change my location.

I finally got my tour legs back into action Thursday morning. Two Canadians decided to pay us a visit in the shop and wanted to celebrate mass here. Since it was a pretty little schedule today, I decided to also throw in a tour as well. It was just their lucky day they said, because not only could they have a mass here but also a guided tour with yours truly, one of the best tour guides that has ever lived. That's just me tooting my own horn as they say, but I have gotten several compliments about how well I give tours. 

I think this was one of the longest tours I gave here at Sacro Speco, considering I never stopped talking the entire time. We had to start the tour backwards, because there was another group of teenagers doing a tour with Cecilia, and you already know how much I love that. We still wound up waiting for the group to move past the lower part of the church in order for me to continue the tour. I thought I was past all the hectic and craziness, but Anna-Lisa's group of Germans showed up just as I made my way upstairs. Just my luck right, that the group that was supposed to show up like 2 hours ago would show up when I am giving my tour. Even with all the confusion I stilled managed to do a pretty good job considering I received a 20 euro tip for the tour.

This afternoon I was on Sacrestia duty. I had to sit there while preparing chocolates for the shop. Clara had asked me before I left for lunch to do it for her so we could do more things tomorrow morning. I tried to explain that I needed to study my words, but she insisted that it could be my study break. Some study break right; pealing labels and placing them on my least favorite thing in the world. As soon as I finished the phone lines went out. I don't know if that was some sort of sign, but it was just eerie. It had to of course been the rain. Almost every time it rains here, something goes wrong. Well when it started to thunder, I knew it would only be a matter of time before the power went out. Sure enough, as soon as I thought about it, the power went right out. Some guy came to the Sacrestia looking for an explanation as to why the lights were all off in the church, almost like he was blaming me. I told him there is nothing I can do, since the weather has a mind of its own and the church is pretty old. As much as I would love to, I cannot control the power here at the monastery. I told him that I have no clue as to when the power would decide to turn back on and he just stormed out. Somethings are just out of our control and you just have to deal with it.

One down, two to go

Saturday was one of those days where there nothing really to mention besides the fact that we prepared for palm Sunday. Sunday was a very windy day, which caused us lots of problems with the palms we gathered. Cecilia told me to set up the table outside with the palms in a basket so people could come by and pick them up. Well we didn't notice at first, but the wind was so strong that it could easily blow the palms over in the basket and scatter them onto the floor. Luckily I decided to check on them before they were blessed, because it only took a few minutes before the basket flipped over and the palms were spread across the ground. I had to pick them up, place them back into the basket, and stand there with my hand on top so they wouldn't flip over again.

Ever since I returned back to my shop duties, Clara has been grooming me to run the shop by myself. Well today in the afternoon the caffe machine broke down. I had to take a look and do a little machine test to see if it worked. Apparently the chocolate wasn't working properly so I cleaned it out piece buy piece and then put it back together. The only thing left to do was test it to see if I fixed it. It made the hot chocolate, but the thing is I don't drink or eat anything that has chocolate and I needed someone to test it. I walked all over trying to give it away, but no one wanted it. Finally Pinnucia accepted the cup. I knew she wouldn't let me down. 

Don Heriberto is a man of mystery. I found out during lunch today that he is a man of many talents. He can play the piano along with the accordion. I have never met someone who actually plays the accordion, but apparently he is really good. We have to keep this all a secret though, because if the Abbot finds out he can play the piano, he will move him down to Santa Scholastica. When Don Heriberto heard this from Don Luigi and Don Antonio, he immediately shook his had and said he would never move down. I guess the Abbot is some sort of collector when it comes to those who have talents with instruments.

I don't know if I told you guys this before, but Don Luigi has four turtles in his room. Cecilia told me about them a little while ago and said that they match his personality perfectly. Well today I got to see them inside his room. He has three pretty large turtles with one little one. I kind of always wanted to have a turtle, but have no idea what I could do with it. It's like having a fish; are it teaches you responsibility, but you can't play with it. Dogs are more my speed.

Cecilia has now signed me up to be a teacher for those who wish to learn English. A family came into the shop in the afternoon and mentioned that their son was taking English lessons. Cecilia said that John could be the one to practice his English with since he is American and the mom instantly looked at me and tried to encourage her son to speak English. I was then instructed not to speak any Italian and only English. I looked at Cecilia toif it were ok, because she hates when I speak English. Looks like I will have a head start on working with kids. I guess this will be good practice, even if it's only for a few weeks on Saturdays.

Tonight we had some of "Sardegna's gold", as Don Luigi put it. It is this sweet white wine from Sardegna that smells really strong, but taste really good. I told him the name fits.

Monday was the main event; the show everyone was waiting for: the title match between Miciotto and a tiny lizard. Since there were few people in the morning, Miciotto decided to do a little sun bathing and spotted this lizard on the ground. It was almost like he was in a trance or something, because he didn't even move when I shook the bag of food. I was trying to figure out what caught his full attention and then I noticed the lizard frozen in its tracks. I took one step closer and the lizard decided to make its move. It darted behind the trash can and Miciotto tried to get there in time. It was a close call, but the lizard managed to slither away from Miciotto, so the victor today is the lizard. Maybe next time Miciotto.

When you hear a couple of American voices almost everyday, that's when you know things will start to pick up very quickly. Well today I met a guy named Michael Angelo. Apparently he is a pilot for US Airways and told me to mention him the next time I decide to ride US Airways. Well I didn't have the heart to tell him that will never happen again. I had a terrible experience with the US Airways a little over a month ago and vow never to take US Airways ever again. That airline is just horrible. If you have a choice to take anything at all other than US Airways, even if your other choice is to walk, if I were you I would choose walking every time. 

Monday afternoon had to be the craziest I have ever seen in awhile. I of course had to give a tour to a group of American students studying in Rome. My group had about 40 people and there were supposed to be two other groups touring around the same time. Well I was hoping that my group would do the mass first, but of course people will do whatever they want to without thinking about the consequences. I had to skip through some of the frescoes since there had been another large group of people standing in the way. I would finish one section only to find that another group was standing in my next destination. It got so bad that I had to start screaming so that the entire group could actually hear what I was saying. Throughout the entire tour I kept apologizing for the craziness. Apparently another group of teenagers decided to show up during our tour creating more chaos. I just wanted to pull out my hair because I had to continue to wait for this group and that group. People need to at least let us know when they decide to visit so we aren't surprised or crowded while giving a tour for those who planned ahead, but that is wishful thinking. As I already said, people will do whatever they want.

Why people like to make things difficult? An English tour arrived early Tuesday morning, before we even open the shop. Don Antonio was greeted by a group of Philippines women looking for their tour guide. I got the call when I was still eating my breakfast and had to immediately rush to find them. Well Don Antonio told me that they were waiting inside the church for me. I guess I must have taken a long time, because by the time I got there, they had already started their own little tour. They were already down in the lower church taking flash photos. I can't tell how many times I told them throughout the tour that flash photos ruin frescoes. If you don't know how to turn off flash, simply don't use your camera. It's that simple people. There is nothing to complicated about how to solve the problem.

Well anyway I was apparently some type of celebrity since every photo that they wanted to take I had to be in it. Also everyone in the group had to get their own photos with me as well. I just felt weird taking so many photos over and over again, even when I hadn't finished the tour yet. It had to be the longest tour I ever gave. I started a little before nine and didn't finish until 10:30 or 10:45. 

After they were done with the photo ops, they made their way to the store where they cleaned us out. I mean they bought so much stuff that we started to run out a change to give back to people. I had to continue to refill baskets as they just wiped them out and multi task. It seemed that everyone wanted my help even though Matt was standing right there as well. I don't think anyone's receipt was less than 30 euros. By the time everything was done, the register was filled with only 50, 100, and 500 euro bills. It was my first time seeing a 500 euro bill. I was surprised that someone would just carry something like that around. Did you really expect to spend that much money in one place? The total they spent in the shop was at least 900 euros, but they still weren't finished giving out money. Even after all of their spending in the shop, they left me a 100 euro tip for the tour. When I ran into the Abbot in the afternoon, he was very pleased with all of the money spent in the shop. He gave me his congratulations for doing such a good job. Apparently John rakes in a lot of money.

I got another glimpse of Don Heriberto, the mysterious man. When I was heading back into the kitchen to continue cleaning dishes, Don Heriberto was walking into the dining room. I decided to let him pass before I went through the door and he did the strangest thing. He lifted the little vacuum duster used to clean the table, aimed it like a gun, and started to pretend to pull the trigger. He even made the noise of a gun going off. This is just completely unexpected from Don Heriberto. He is usually very quiet and keeps to himself, for the most part. I guess having Don Antonio around brings out the unseen side of Don Heriberto.

I said things would be different here at Sacro Speco with Don Antonio added to the mix. Well I am pleased to say that I am definitely loving the change. I found out Wednesday that Don Antonio was playing this little trick on Don Heriberto. He told him the other day that there was a group from Columbia coming to visit the monastery and they wanted a tour in English. To my surprise Don Heriberto volunteered to do the tour. I guess it's not often that we have visitors from Columbia, since it is so far away. Well something that Don Antonio said about the group wasn't sitting right with me. He said that they were coming around the time we were having lunch Wednesday. I checked the agenda to see if it were true and found there was no group scheduled. I had a feeling, since Don Antonio always picks on Don Heriberto and jokes with him.

When Matt came in the shop and asked me Wednesday about the Columbian tour, I told him there was no such thing. He was surprised because he saw Don Heriberto studying the guide and frantically trying to prepare for his tour. We both could not help but laugh at this situation. I know it is awful if you really think about it, since Don Heriberto was a completely different person after hearing a group from Columbia was coming to visit. All day he was asking when if the group had arrived yet and to let him know. Everyone scolded Don Antonio for making up such a believable lie and leading Don Heriberto on. Poor Don Heriberto; he got his hopes up for nothing.

Today in the shop there was this American girl who almost bought out the store. She spent over 200 euros, the most I have ever seen before. Since she had collected all of these things together and placed them on the counter, a nice little pile accumulated. Some Italian woman comes into the shop and notices the pile. She starts to rummage through it like its a yard sale. She then starts taking items from the pile and says she is ready to pay. I just look at her in shock, because these things will be bought by someone else in just a few minutes. Like it is so hard to go and find the stuff on your own. The nerve of some people.

I am happy to say that I am now mobile again. By that I mean I now have another cellphone. Don Luigi gave Matt and I cellphone so that we can always be found. Our work responsibilities have now changed and will be moving around a lot outside. Having Don Antonio here makes it easier for me in particular to do other work. So I guess now I am like the maintenance worker here from now on. I will definitely have my hands full.

Monk trading

Looks like I might have to find something else to do while I am here at Sacro Speco. Since Mattia will be moving down to Santa Scholastica Monday morning and Don Antonio will be replacing him, seems like I am out of a job. Don Luigi hinted to it on Sunday morning when I was in the Sacrestia talking with Don Ignazio. Everyone says that I am doing a job job in the shop, but I really do fear where they will put me next. Every time I have to change a position, it is always something beyond my capabilities until I become accustomed to the change. I have been left in the shop so many times that I now don't fear a hundred people at once and only me to help them. I know where everything is along with the prices, so there isn't much else to it, except of course questions in Italian that I might not know. If that ever comes up, I just simply say that I don't know and it seems to work just fine. 

Remember that entry awhile ago about how I almost ran into a wild boar, well today I finally got the best of that boar. It was a surprise for me today during lunch when I heard we would be having wild boar. I always wanted to try it after Don Carlo said it was delicious. Well believe me when I say that the wild boar is beyond delicious. If you can think of your favorite type of meat, just imagine wild boar being twice as good. I now welcome the challenge from a wild boar so I can kill it and bring it back to the monastery and devour it, so look out boars, here I come!

After that wonderfully delicious lunch, I walked into the kitchen to thank Pinnucia and Italia for the wild boar and noticed this weird look on Italia's face. Mattia was trying to say something to her, but apparently she didn't really want to hear it. Mattia didn't notice the look, but it made me laugh hysterically, so much that I had to leave the room and come back. Italia just simply cracks me up every time.

While on shop duty in the afternoon, I walked outside for some fresh air to find Don Luigi in front of a camera crew. Apparently this isn't his first time of TV, but I only had one mission; get on that camera somehow. I told Matt that I would run all the way to the Sacrestia, which was in the background, and wave my hands frantically back and forth just so they would focus on me for at least a second. I have never been on TV before and now would be my perfect chance. Well as soon as I got there, the camera guy moved the camera. Just my luck, right? Well if Don Luigi is as famous as Cecilia told me, I think I will have another shot pretty soon.

Another opportunity to play match-maker came up in the shop in the afternoon. This time it was Don Antonio's turn. This really pretty girl kept coming back to the shop buying something new each time. She had to have come around at least 3 or 4 times before she finally left. Well the last time she left Don Antonio gave me the look suggesting that I should go talk to her. He said she is a pretty girl and gave me a little pat on the shoulder for encouragement. What people don't understand is that I would love to talk to these girls, but I am kind of lacking an important factor, mastery of the Italian language, or at least enough to have a conversation. If I could form complete sentences without hesitation, then I would have no problem talking to them. I guess this will be my motivation for the next time someone decides to play match-maker.

My body is starting to fall apart. I had a very rough start Monday morning. I first woke up not feeling 100% because of this tiny cold that I somehow developed in beautiful weather. I thought a nice hot shower would clear it up, but it actually made things worse. As soon as I got out of the shower my nose started to bleed. I was debating on whether or not I should go to morning prayer, but decided it would be best for me to go.

Later that day I noticed I was having an allergic reaction to something, but everything that I ate that morning was typical and nothing was different. My allergies have been bothering me for some time here in Subiaco, but I have been taking my medication. I guess I have to wait a little while for it all to kick in, but it better be sooner than later. I do not want to have breathing problems again like I did this morning. It seems like my body is not really enjoying having to switch back and forth between different locations. Maybe I should take a rest after my three months are up and stay settled in one place.

Today was the last day for Mattia here at Sacro Speco. He had packed up his room and was on his way down to Santa Scholastica. While he was cleaning out his room, Matt, Don Ignazio, and I were preparing Fr. Francisco's old room for Don Antonio. Apparently they were switching places, which is actually best. Don Antonio works in the shop and has been traveling back and forth almost everyday. This will make it easier on him and on me as well. I now have someone there in the shop at all times to help me. The pressure is off and can relax a little. A little side note, Fr. Francisco had a ton of books. It took all morning to move them out into another room, along with some other items collected over the years. At least I only have to do this once right.

Talk about being pulled every which way. On Tuesday I must have worked with or done something for everyone. Don Ignazio started things off. Matt and I were assigned to clean the garden of all the weeds growing out of the walls. Some of the were clearly out of my reach and I had to maneuver and shimmy up rocks just to grasp a piece and hope to pull it out. Within an hour or so of cleaning, Don Ignazio called me in to move some furniture around in Mattia's room. We must think alike since we both came up with the same layout for where things should be placed. It didn't take very long and I returned to pulling weeds.

I was back in the groove when Francesco showed up wanting to move more of Don Antonio's stuff into his new room. I helped him unload the car and drove with him down to Santa Schoalstica to load up more stuff. It was my first time actually seeing inside of where the monks live at Santa Scholastica. Francesco showed me his room, along with the library and of course Don Antonio's room. His room has a nice little balcony overlooking the back of the monastery. When I walked in I knew that this was not going to be the last of the things we needed to move. We were just doing books and clothes right now. Don Antonio's room still had plenty of stuff for us to pack up. Once we were done selecting what to carry, we made our way back up to Sacro Speco to unload once again.

After I was done working with Francesco and finished pulling weeds, I went to the shop to see if Clara needed some help. Well I got there just in time to help Clara burn some weeds. The weeds we pulled and cut from last week and placed in a pile were to be burned today. She had already started on one pile before I got there, but we did try to burn the cactus pile. Unfortunately that thing just doesn't want to leave. We'll have to wait for next week until we can tackle that task. While on the roof, I did notice all the weeds that we just finish cutting were growing back as if they had been there for months. They just won't die. It will be another fun-filled week of cutting and burning.

It must have been bring you dog to work day, because I was surprised when I waled into the church and found one of those hotdog dogs running around. I almost stepped on him because I am not used to dogs running through the church. I was about to pick it up and take it outside until Cecilia showed up. She said it was hers, so I guess I could let it slide.

This afternoon I had to do a little shopping with Pinnucia. We drove all the way to Fiuggi, which is apparently where we always get our groceries. It seemed like it took almost an hour to get there, but it gave me time to practice some more of my Italian. Pinnucia says that I am getting much better with it, which means a lot to me. EVeryday I have to look up more words and try to use them the next day to practice. Maybe by the time I leave I will be able to have conversations in Italian and understand them completely. 

After we closed the shop, Matt, Cecilia, and I went to Roma Est to do some shopping. Matt wanted to buy a camera for his laptop and I just simply wanted to browse around and hope to find something worth buying. Unfortunately or fortunately, however you decide to see it, I did not manage to find anything. We got there a little too late and I was unable to shop around. Maybe some other time, but I will definitely buy something huge when I am on my way back home.

Had another rough start this morning. For whatever reason, last night I could not sleep well. It must have been because we got in around 11:30 pm last night. I thought it was a little earlier, but the clock wasn't changed in the car. I think I woke up every hour to blow my nose. It was the worst sleep I have had here, including when I first came from the states and switched time zones. I struggled to go to morning prayer Wednesday only to find out that no one was there. This was the second time I had woken up and found no one in morning prayer. Well I decided to take advantage this time and try to reclaim some of my lost hours of sleep with a quick hour nap.

When I woke up and made my way downstairs, I found Don Ignazio in a fantastic mood. Matt had gotten him some new DVDs last night when we went shopping. He is a big action fan, mainly a big Bruce Willis fan. When he saw that Matt picked out the last Die Hard movie for him, his eyes lit up like a kid at a candy store without supervision. He was so excited and could not wait until after dinner to watch them.

I had a little surprise waiting for me once I got to the shop; it was Don Antonio and Francesco with more stuff to move into the room. Once we finished unloading everything, we then had to organize his book collection. He had just as many books as Fr. Francisco did, because there wasn't an empty space left on either book shelf.

I think Don Antonio will be a good addition to our group here at Sacro Speco. Lunches have never been more entertaining than now. Everyday Don Antonio picks on Don Heriberto and their little commentary always makes us all crack up. Welcome to Sacro Speco Don Antonio. 

I am now a true believer in the powers of gocce. Thursday I started to feel better after putting in a few drops of gocce into my tea. I have been drinking tea and taking gocce for the past couple of days and have started to see signs of my cold lifting. I guess it must be the placebo effect, because I am twice as good as I do a few days ago. One thing I can say for sure is that it does make my tea taste and smell a whole lot better. I am telling you it's a cure for whatever ails you in a tiny bottle. I should be the spokesperson for this stuff.

Thursday was honey day in the shop. I had to help Clara prepare honey for the shelves. We are running low on some of the types of honey we sell, while the others we have a excess amount that could last us until next year. We just prepared what we could to fill the shelves and left the rest in the back. Clara showed me where to hide the honey so that no one would come in and eat it, mainly the Abbot. He has a craving for honey. I actually saw him one day just pick up a bottle of honey, open it, and raise it to his mouth to guzzle it down. Clara told me under no circumstances was I to show where the honey was hidden, because the Abbot would open it and eat it. She wants to save the bottles to distinguish between the different types of honey. She hid it so well that even Don Antonio couldn't find the jars and I had to show him where they were hidden.

I think Italy must have missed the memo that it's now spring, which means beautiful weather. Friday was by far the worst day, weather wise, I have seen here for quite some time. It reminded me of being here in December, because I could see my breathe outside. People were coming up to Sacro Speco today wearing winter jackets. And apparently it had snowed last night up here. It's like living in Minnesota all over again. And here I thought I was done with weather acting usual after leaving, but I guess wherever I go weird weather will follow me. I feel sorry for whatever place I visit next, because they are in for a year of weird weather.

Since we had finished almost everything that we could think of in the shop, I did some on-line shopping with Clara. She has this tiny backpack that I always wondered where she bought it. Well she showed the site of the store and told me that she would be heading there sometime in the net week or so and she would get me one. They are not too expensive and would be perfect for me. I found the one that I want and I know I will love it. I have a thing about tiny bags and backpacks. I cannot tell you why, but I have to have them. The one that caught my eye is a plaid style bag with blue and black. I will make sure I take pictures for you readers.

Today must have been the last straw for me with dealing with children. We typically get at least one group of kids a day, sometimes two or more. Well the ones who came in the afternoon really tested my patience. I first had to deal with them screaming and yelling all throughout the church, and watch them touch the walls as they made their way through the church. The breaking point was when a group of them decided it would be funny to blow out the candle representing St. Benedict as the patron of Europe. I almost lost it when I saw it on the camera in the Sacrestia. I rushed down there ready to crack some skulls, but just decided to light the candle again. This is why I think kids should not be allowed in the church unless they are strictly supervised. They have no respect for the church, let alone understand the importance and beauty of what is in front of their eyes. I am not worried about these kids, because the world has it way of dealing out what is coming to each and every one of them. It is a vicious cycle and they will learn that soon enough.

Jack of all trades

There is an endless flock of children coming to the monastery nowadays. Almost every day we have to deal with these little children, who seem to come in groups of sometimes one hundred to tour the monastery. Sunday was just like a revolving door of a building during rush hour, where the seemed to be no end to the line of people coming in and out. I did however manage to step out for a few minutes in the morning to accompany Matt on his second Italian tour.

He said that I might have to help him fill in some words that he might have forgotten, but to be honest, I don't know how much use I could possibly be considering I am still lacking many Italian words. He managed to give a very brief tour, since Cecilia had another group with her and everyone in our group seemed to understand that our Italian isn't the best yet. Maybe someday I will be able to give a tour in Italian, that is only if I can remember all the words and dates.

Later that day I saw a group coming to the monastery carrying camera equipment. Apparently they were filming a documentary on the monasteries in the area and Sacro Speco was on their list. I think I might have been in a few of the shots or photos, so be on the look out for some black guy with a fairly large afro. I mean how hard can it be to spot me, the only black guy up here working in a monastery. And if you do by chance see me, let me know.

The days are starting to get longer here, because in the afternoon I did not finish working until almost 7:45. That's way longer than I have ever worked here. We close the monastery at 6 pm, but there was a group still inside and I had to make sure they all got out before I locked up. They did not finish until sometime around 7 and decided to make a stop inside the shop, which meant that I had to help. I basically did all the heavy lifting when people wanted to buy statues that are kept in the storage area above the shop. When I finally managed to get down to dinner, which had already started at 7:30, I was so beat that I didn't even eat as much as I normally would. Once I was done, I made my way to my room and immediately crashed. What an exhausting day.

Like I said before, there seems to be an never-ending wave of children coming to the monastery. There was nothing written on the schedule for Monday, but apparently the children didn't know that. I was standing in the shop helping Clara fill the shelves from yesterday's chaos when I heard them coming. I looked at Clara and we both knew it was going to be a long day. Luckily Don Antonio showed up, but he came with the worst possible news. On his way up, he noticed 4 buses parked down at the entrance. That means that there is more than one group of kids here today.

I don't think I ever got a break all morning, considering after one group was finished another would come in and buy out the store. It was hard for us to restock the shelves before the next wave hit. We even started to run out of change to give, because these kids would pay with 10 and 20 euro bills for 2 or 5 euros worth of stuff. And to top it off one little girl continued to ask me, "how much does this cost". I knew that she was just trying to test my patience, but I continued to indulge her, until I finally said look here. I mean come on. Why continue to pick things up and then ask what the price is. Use your eyes people!

Tuesday was delivery day for the shop. The boxes of liquor we were expecting arrived early in the morning; a little earlier than expected. They arrived when mass was still going on and I noticed Clara standing in the back of the church. She told me that the boxes had arrived and to make it down to the shop as quickly as possible, so I skipped breakfast altogether and ran to help. She was surprised to see me there so soon and I just told her that I did not eat anything yet. She tried to force me to eat something, but when there is work to do, I would feel terrible leaving her to do it all alone.

There had to be at least 40 boxes of liquor delivered. I think there was enough liquor to get a small town drunk and still have some leftover for the next two days, but the shelves were completely empty, so I guess the amount was appropriate. I don't think we will need to order any more for at least the rest of my time here.

Pinnucia finally returned sometime in the early afternoon with a little gift. She brought cookies for us to snack on after lunch. I didn't even know that they were there until Don Luigi came out with one for me. As soon as I ate it I had to have another one. Luckily Don Luigi gave me another two to quench me appetite. Mattia, on the other hand, wanted to be sneaky and try to steal more cookies. He was like a little vacuum cleaner going back and forth trying to steal cookies when Pinnucia or Italia weren't looking. Well Italia finally caught him and chased him out of the kitchen waving a large wooden spoon. It was a classic scene from any number of family shows when a kid tries to be sneaky.

I tried really hard this afternoon to get a quick nap in, since I was just wiped from carrying boxes and restocking shelves, but the weather had something else in mind. As soon as I got to my room it started to rain, which then turned into hail. It was just pounding on my window and I had to turn my sleep music all the way up just to barely hear it. When I finally was able to sleep, it was already time for work. And I had another surprise awaiting me once I reached the store.

The jars of jelly and jam were waiting for us down at Santa Scholastica. We of course had to take two cars to cart the stuff up to Sacro Speco, which went a lot faster than this morning. There was only one pallet of jam, which fit into each car equally. On the way down, Clara asked if I could drive manual, because she would let me drive back up. Unfortunately I am not there yet. Maybe I will learn here in Italy if Clara lets me practice. And one thing that I realized on our way back to Sacro Speco is that Cecilia is a little speed demon when it comes to driving. We left at the same time, but didn't see her until We almost reached Sacro Speco. Matt told me that they almost went off the edge at one point. I will take driving with Cecilia over driving with Mattia any day.

I thought I was through with excitement for the day, but I spoke too soon. After dinner I went straight to my room only to find the power just went out. I thought it was strange, since there was no sign of a storm or something else that could have knocked out the power. I was on my way to check out what happened when the lights came back on. Apparently the monastery was using too much electricity at once and it overworked the system. Good thing I am prepared with my little flashlight next to my bed. I just now have to charge the batteries for the next blackout.

Looks like there was a little confusion on Wednesday morning. I was prepared to head to the shop and help Clara out when Don Luigi called my room asked if I were ready. I had no idea what he was talking about, so I asked and he told me that I was helping Fabrizio, Mattia, and Matt move some furniture from La Rocca Abbaziale back to the monastery. I quickly ran to change my clothes and tried to catch Fabrizio before he left, but it was too late. I heard his little 4 x 4 truck pull off, which only left riding with Mattia. 

Like I told you before, the man has no driving skills whatsoever. I mean even before we were able to leave the monastery, we almost got into a terrible accident, because he wasn't paying attention. There's a blind spot when pulling out of the monastery where everyone knows to slow down and wait to see if it is safe to go. Well Mattia thought otherwise. He was about to floor it when I yelled wait! If I didn't do that, I think our journey would have been cut very short and I might have died.On the way there he somehow got us lost in the small town, almost running into a wall when trying to turn around and just barely missing cars we passed by on turns. Matt and I were both fearing for our lives, me a little more so since the seatbelt was somewhere stuck between the seat and the truck. I vow to never again ride with him even if he is the last person who can give me a ride. I rather walk or pay an obscenely large amount of money to get where I need to go.

It was almost like a little party up at La Rocca, because shortly after we managed to get there Francesco, Diego, and Fr. Daniel showed up. The only thing that was missing was some music, beer, and American girls dressed in bikinis, as Francesco put it. While we were there they showed us around each of the closed off areas that needed keys. Luckily Fabrizio is like the key master with his ring of keys to everything. We walked all up and down that place taking photos. I tell you the place was like a maze and if someone weren't there to help me find my way, I think I still would be there wandering around trying to find my way out.

We safely reached the monastery with the table that we took from La Rocca and I kissed the ground. I had to ride with Mattia again, which was another adventure in itself. It took him at least 30 minutes to park the car and by the time he was done we had already unloaded most of the table from the truck. The last thing to go was the base, which was the biggest piece. Italia's car was in the way where we had to carry the table, so I folded the mirror and hoped Mattia wouldn't hit the car. Fabrizio pretended to be superman and tried lifting the car once he saw that we were going past it. Today was just full of laughs and fear. Just that type of mixed day I guess.

When I finally got to the shop in the afternoon, I was surprised by a little meow from Miciotto. I looked around but didn't see him, and then he meowed again. To my surprise he was on top of the roof looking down at me waiting for his lunch/supper. I was a relatively slow afternoon until a group from Texas walked in. It was two old couples who were looking for some souvenirs for there friends back home. I was a little surprised when the woman walked in and said you look like you're from the states, New Jersey I would guess. They had run into Matt before and he told them. They gave me a little nickname while they were shopping, "Jersey", which I found a little funny, because it was almost close to the nickname I had in college, Jersey D. That was my snowboarding name when I went to the mountains with a few friends.

Tonight was movie night at the monastery. Don Luigi found this movie called the Men of God and decided to watch it during dinner while eating pizza. It was the first dinner that we have had in the tv room drinking wine and beer. The movie was actually pretty good I believe, but I won't spoil it for those who wish to see it sometime. What was strange was that they spoke in both French and Italian throughout the movie, but I could follow the subtitles in Italian. It was my first real test of Italian knowledge.

When will the days of gardening end. Thursday morning I spent outside trying to clean up the garden where the statue of St. Benedict is. I got halfway done with the sweeping when I spotted a group of Koreans. I already knew that I wasn't going to finish, plus I was kind of tired battling bees while trying to sweep, so I called it quits and headed back to the shop. I spent the rest of the morning helping Clara stick labels on jars and restocking the shelves. Things are starting to get a little redundant here. I don't think I have given a tour since the first week I have been here, and I have been here a month now, believe it or not.

Today's lunch was a special treat, or should I say specialties from Sardenia. Every dish that was prepared is something typical of Sardenia. The reason for the feast was because we had another visitor in the monastery. To tell you the truth I don't even remember his name. Now some of you would think that is horrible, but you have to understand something. Every week we have another visit or two from somewhere different. After some time they all just seem to run together. The monastery is something like a revolving door for others to come and visit, have lunch, and then be on their way.

More and more kids in the afternoon. I think I am starting to get the hang of dealing with the little ones. I see this as good practice for the years to come or for my next adventure in Chicago. Well today a little girl wanted to buy these two books that both cost 2 euro. She only had 60 cents and I told her the price. SHe just looked at me with the look on her face like she had just lost her puppy trying to persuade me in giving her the books. I might have done it if she had 2.50 or 3 euro, but let's be serious. I cannot sell something that cost 4 euros to a kid for only 60 cents. I just looked at the teacher to explain that to her, because she wasn't hearing it from me.

Today I played the role as a mover. Remember how I said we took stuff from La Rocca, well this morning we were finally deciding on where we were going to put it. There was this huge cabinet that could only fit one place perfectly, right in front of the kitchen. Before we moved it Don Luigi gave us a little speech. He said under no circumstances are we to say that any of us placed this here. Don Carlo doesn't really like change so much and would have a fit when he would return this afternoon. Mattia stepped forth and said that he could take the blame, since he is moving down to Santa Scholastica by the time Don Carlo notices it there. Well I think it is a nice new addition to the hallway. It is almost as if it always belonged there.

Well Don Carlo surprised both Matt and I in the shop. He walked in all dressed up wearing this suit. Now if you ever did see Don Carlo, there were two possible outfits he would be wearing: his habit, or this track suit. It throw me completely off guard when he walked in all fancied up. I guess the trip must have went really well.

Just your typical Saturday morning packed filled with tours and crowds of people filing into the shop. This time it didn't seem so busy to me, since Don Antonio was here and I spent most of my time in the back preparing some little pins Clara asked me to do for her. In the afternoon Don Antonio told me that I could leave and do something else, since there were so few people. He didn't have to tell me twice, because I knew I could finally get some studying done. I went to the Sacrestia with Mattia and tried my hardest to get through my notebook, but of course Mattia had other plans. 

He first wanted to talk about computers and how Macs are so great, but limited. He was telling me of all these way he managed to get these programs for his Dell laptop and didn't have to pay for them. He said it is impossible with a Mac computer to do something like that. I just told him you have to know what your doing and anything is possible. The reason the discussion of computers came up is because Mattia wanted to listen to some music. He first played some artist named Abele, which was good and then decided to play some Abba. I just shook my head because he was trying to sing along with the songs and dance at the same time. Luckily no one was walking by the Sacrestia, because they would have thought something was wrong with him from the way he was moving. 

People don't believe me, but Don Heriberto sometimes forgets to call to tell me that the church is closed. Today was a perfect example of that. I waited until 7 pm for him to call and it never came. The church door was still wide open and he was just gone. Luckily Don Luigi came into the shop to get me and tell me to close. After we finally closed everything, some guy decided to try and get inside the monastery. Don Luigi told him that we are closed, but he must not have understood the concept. Even Don Luigi is surprised by how some people just don't understand that we do other things here at the monastery besides just opening and closing the doors for people to visit. 

Changing of the guard

Is there no end to these weeds? That's what I thought on Thursday, because again we went up on the roof of the shop to do more chopping. This time Clara was more prepared and brought a saw with her, along with some scissors. Our main job today was to cut down this cactus tree we came across while cleaning weeds.

This thing had to have grown for years, because the base of it was huge and almost as thick as a small tree. We first had to find our way inside, taking into account all the possible thorns we would run into if we just ran in blindly. So Clara took one end and I took the other and we worked our way to the middle. And that is where I found it. Some people find out that they have a green thumb, but I found out today that I have a green heart. I found it perfectly lying in the middle of the huge tree. It was a surprise and of course had to take a photo of it. Clara asked if I would keep it, but in the end I knew it would only stick me and wither away, so I tossed it back into the pile. 

While clearing away some more weeds, I noticed a set of stairs that were leading to this door in the distance. I asked Clara what the door led to, but she didn't know. I smell another possible adventure for yours truly; that's if I can manage to clear a path to the door. You should see the amount of weeds we have already cut down and we aren't even half way close to being done.

Today had to be the quickest and smoothest lunch I have ever had here at Sacro Speco. The main reason was because Don Carlo and Mattia were not present. They are usually the ones who have these long stories to share, holding us from finishing lunch and cleaning the dishes. Don't get me wrong, I sometimes enjoy listening to the stories, but other days I just want to go so I can either clean my room or sleep. Today was one of those days where I was just wiped and wanted to recharge as much as possible.

When Don Carlo is gone we begin to clean house. The first thing Don Luigi did was throw his little napkin into the fire, because it was dirty and had not been washed in so long. Don Carlo is very particular with things, so in order for them not to upset him, they wait until he takes a vacation somewhere and begin cleaning. He is very old school and has his own way of dong things.

I noticed the Abbot looking at me in a strange way today in the shop. Little did I know he was thinking about who I reminded him of. He asked who was the actor that I said looked like you before. I just lowered my head and said Eddie Murphy. Looks like not only has John come back to Sacro Speco, but also Eddie Murphy. Here we go again.

This Friday morning was a little unusual for me, considering I was the only one at morning prayer. I sat down and waited for the others to come, but no one showed up. I decided that I would do silent reading on my own and maybe someone would finally join me. Apparently I was not told that there would be no prayer this morning, considering Don Carlo was gone and Don Luigi was tired after picking Matt up from the airport. Yep folks, Matt is back. So now we are finally complete here at Sacro Speco and things have returned to normal, or as normal as things go here.

Another day spent on the roof cleaning up after the weeds. This time we were trying clear some of the rocks from the ground so we could use the weed wackier and make life a little easier. We were halfway through when a group of nuns showed up in the shop. Since it was only Clara and I in the shop today, we had to run down and open up. I don't know if I have stressed this enough, but the language barrier is a huge problem when we have guests visiting the monastery. well this group of nuns did not speak any Italian or English. Clara and I went down the list of languages we know to try to communicate until finally they understood. The language Clara and the nuns knew, and lucky for us, was French. Unfortunately that left me completely out of the loop, so all I could do was just stand behind the counter and point to the total. When I did ring someone up, she apparently changed her mind and wanted to switch some items that she bought. Well of course I didn't know this at the time and rang up another separate receipt. I now had to stop handing out receipt until the totals matched up.

While we were cleaning up the weeds, Clara noticed something delicious: asparagus. She took out her little scissors and began cutting away. This was now her own personal little garden where she could find asparagus to put in her pasta dishes. Well I for one can say that she doesn't have to worry about me stealing asparagus from the roof of the shop, because it is not on my list of things I enjoy eating. 

Later that night we had to go down to Santa Scholastica for vespers, dinner, and a discussion with Walter Kasper. The only problem was that since Don Carlo was gone and Don Luigi went down early, we had to ride with Mattia, or should I say cling for dear life while Mattia drove. Matt and I both jumped into the back seat, figuring if something happened we would be safe for the most part. Well poor Don Heriberto was the only one left and had to sit in the front. We all told Mattia to slow down and drive carefully, because we wanted to live and make it to the discussion. On our way back I reminded ohm again about being careful while driving, because on our way down, Mattia thought it would be funny to let go of the wheel for a few seconds, but he was the only one laughing. I think he was a little offended when every doubted his driving skills, but what can you expect when I hear the week I get there you totaled a car!

It has to be spring time now considering the chaos there was on Saturday. We had three groups in the morning all requesting mass and a visit, along with a unscheduled group of kids. Well I was in charge of setting up all the masses and directing traffic. Things got a little hectic when no one wanted to stick to their schedules. Everyone wanted to completely switch which they would be doing first. I tried to persuade some of the groups that things would be cramped in the church if they all went on tour now, but they didn't seem to understand what I meant. So here I was stuck directing traffic in the lower church, trying to get people to their respective spots and along comes the other group wanting to do mass first. 

Well the problem here was that neither one of the groups that arrived at 9:30 were done with their tours and would soon need to use the chapels. I had to switch the books, run around trying to prepare another room, and clean up after each group as they finished so the next one could file in. I was again the one man army doing everything. So you can understand if I am a little burnt out right now writing this journal entry. Why can't people just stick to the schedule they set up before? Why must things always be so difficult? These are the unanswered questions of my life.

On a positive note, I finally got to meet Walter Kasper. Don Luigi was giving him a tour of the monastery and introduced me. We shook hands and Don Luigi mentioned I was from St. John's. His eyes lit up because he visited the monastery once to see the famous St. John's Bible. I wish I had my camera with me then, because that would have been a great photo for you all to see.