Published in ILLUMINATION·Jan 18Member-onlyA MOVING EXPERIENCE: SHINGLE WELL SHOCKI was living in Italy when a friend stateside uttered the world “shingles. Shingles? Wasn’t that something from an 19thth century Dickensonian novel? So old-fashioned: surely no one gets shingles in this day and age. Except that my friend had gotten it, twice, and emphasized how unpleasant it was. It’s…USA3 min readUSA3 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Jan 17Member-onlySee Naples and LIVEThe first time I visited Naples, I had not heard the expression, “Vedi Napoli e poi muori.” It wouldn’t have made sense to me anyway, not as Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe intended when he immortalized the saying in 1786. Back then, Naples was at the height of its Renaissance glory…Naples3 min readNaples3 min read
Dec 18, 2022Member-onlyA Moving Experience: Bah, humbug. The American DreamOnce upon a time, Europeans — not all but many — looked across the ocean to the American Dream with admiration and envy. Americans were more pragmatic, more positive, more energetic, more upbeat, and more honest. None of the dangling cigarette cynicism of the Italian intellectual, the entrenched ennui of…Irs5 min readIrs5 min read
Dec 11, 2022Member-onlyA Moving Experience: Officer Krupke and the Call Center Blame GameOne thing that call centers in Italy and the US have in common — the reps you speak to are most likely NOT located in Italy or the US. One difference is that Italian call centers state explicitly that “the person you will speak with is in Albania, say, or…USA4 min readUSA4 min read
Dec 5, 2022Member-onlyA Moving Experience: The Agony of American Auto-mated InsuranceOf the MANY aspects of American life that have changed since I last lived in the US, one of the more dramatic is the change in auto insurance. That difference was pounded home when we had a little fender-bender in early November. A young man, rushing home, sideswiped our car…Auto Insurance6 min readAuto Insurance6 min read
Nov 22, 2022Member-onlyA Moving Experience: Why is Thanksgiving better abroad?Peeling the spuds for Thursday’s mashed potatoes, I had the feeling that something was off. I was about to celebrate the most important American holiday in its country of origin, the weather was appropriately brisk, my tablet was pouring out seasonal music, and a turkey dinner at a relative’s house…Food6 min readFood6 min read
Oct 22, 2022Member-onlyA Moving Experience: An expatriate meets Joe BlackIn the movie Meet Joe Black, the Devil is reminded that death and taxes are the only two inevitabilities. But why is insanity attached to them, especially the latter, and especially in the US? I have been butting heads with the IRS for 385 days for money that they erroneously…Taxes4 min readTaxes4 min read
Oct 3, 2022Member-onlyDESIGNING DARWIN INTELLIGENTLYIf you are an animal lover, the Galapagos Islands, 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, are heaven on earth. You can have a close encounter — on land or in the water — with wildlife that exists nowhere else on our planet. …Travel6 min readTravel6 min read
Sep 15, 2022Member-onlyA Moving Experience: Comparing apples to meleIt doesn’t make sense to compare life “in the US” with life “in Italy.” You have to compare apples to apples — Gala versus Gala or Fuji versus Fuji. A fair comparison means you need to be specific about WHERE in the States and WHERE in Italy. In some ways…USA5 min readUSA5 min read
Sep 9, 2022Member-onlyA Moving Experience: is voting easier when you do it twice?Voting in one country can be complicated. Remember Florida’s hanging chads in the 2000 US presidential election? So what happens when a civic-minded individual with two passports tries to vote in both? …USA5 min readUSA5 min read
