I don't keep track of the bills to pay because they seem to come every few months without fail. All of them usually give me a few weeks to pay, except SKY (which is our Italian Satellite TV company) where I usually have only a few days. I received a letter last week from SKY telling me that I didn't pay my bill and that I needed to go to a ricevitoria SISAL (SISAL receiving office) to pay. I knew that I couldn't pay on the phone because they only accept Italian credit or bank cards. So, when I called SKY, they gave me three addresses of which the only one I knew for sure was the one I went to last year to pay for the SKY installation. The woman told me to pay both bills, the past one and the next one that I haven't yet received and is due at the end of the month.

Monday is the day I usually can't wait to go shopping at the mercato di Sant'Ambrogio. I try to avoid going to the market on Fridays and especially Saturdays. Larger crowds of people and exhausted shopkeepers don't make for a pleasant experience.

After living in Florence for over a year, I realized that I hadn't really visited many of the museums. I had visited most of the museums when I first arrived in 1997. I keep thinking that I have all the time in the world to visit the museums and then somehow I never seem to get around to doing so. Dave and I became members of the "Amici della Galleria degli Uffizi" and received a tessera (membership card), which gives us free entrance to the Uffizzi and all the state museums in Florence for one year. And today, I decided to go to Museo del Bargello in via del Proconsolo.

I love the movies. I love everything about them. And, I especially love going to the theater to see them. This afternoon, we went to the Odeon to see "Rumor has it..." At the Odeon, they show three different movies a week: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. We already came to the theater on Monday and went again today. Although Dave went on Tuesday by himself as I couldn't bring myself to watch "A History of Violence."

I have walked past the mosaici (mosaic) shop behind the Duomo a few times since we got back from California looking for Martina. The guys that I ran into near Piazza Pitti back in October told me that my friend Martina worked at this mosaici shop.

Today I went to go see my friend Simone at his restaurant. I hadn't seen him since before Christmas and he's been so busy at work and teaching cooking classes that he hasn't had any time to swing by our apartment. I walked into his restaurant and could smell his famous pâté with orange rind that he usually offers his customers as an aperitivo (appetizer).

Dave and I finally got to go to the movies here in Florence this afternoon at the Odeon (the only theater in Florence where they play the movies in English). They haven't been showing any English (or as they say "Original Sound") movies since before Christmas. It's highly unusual that a movie theater is closed during Christmas time since that is when so many new movies start playing. During Christmas time, Italians go to the movie theaters in droves.

Starting today for the next two months, saldi (sales) will be the one word on every Italian's mind. The word "saldi" is written in every shop window everywhere. The saldi take place twice a year: once in the winter, called the "saldi invernali" and once in the summer, "saldi estivi."

Today is the Epifania (Epiphany), which is the last holiday of the Christmas season and finally signals the beginning of the New Year (which will be Monday). Last night, supposedly a very old and scary looking witch, named La Befana, came by each of the children's house on her broomstick to fill up their stockings with either candy or carbone (coal) depending if they were nice or naughty.

I've been planning on getting us our carte d'identità (identity cards) for weeks ever since we finally claimed residency in Florence last year. We had to wait until we got our new permessi di soggiorno (permits to stay), which we picked up in November after we got back from the States. We really have no good reason for getting our carte d'identità except that we can...and they are valid for 5 years! The carta d'identità is used a form of identification in Italy, so we won't need to show our flimsy permessi di soggiorno any more.

If you've ever been to Paris, one of the most exquisite places to visit is Fauchon in Place de la Madeleine. It is a well-known gourmet shop where you can purchase a wide variety of French delicacies. We have a smaller equivalent to Fauchon in Florence and it's called Pegna. They are even a purveyor of a small selection of Fauchon items.

In the past, when I have moved someplace new, the one thing I always searched for was a place to buy Asian ingredients that I use to cook some of my favorite dishes. In Paris, it was quite easy because of the many Vietnamese. In Florence, the Vivimarket is in via del Giglio, which is a narrow street behind the San Lorenzo church leading back to the stazione (train station).

This morning we woke up to rain (as well as a few more SMS from my friends, wishing us a "Buon Anno!"). Some might think that it's not the best weather to have on January 1st, but for us that means that it's not as cold outside! The snow has finally melted away since it first fell on Wednesday and we didn't wake up practically shivering at the sight of the snow outside.

As this year comes to an end, I am hopeful with what the new year will bring to all of us. Right now we are having the coldest winter ever and the snow that fell a few days ago is still stuck to most rooftops. It's been dark and drizzly all day, but still we have hope for a bright new year.

One thing I would never accuse the Italians of and that is favoring Italians over foreigners in shops or at the open market. After going to the same places for over a year, I've come to the conclusion that they try to keep track of who is generally next in line unless there are huge lines and then, you have to do it yourself. And if you don't keep track, usually some of the other customers will. Of course, things are a little different in some open markets, like San Lorenzo here in Florence, but that market is mostly for tourists.