Tuesday 24 May 2022

We have just pissed away a day and a night and about 200 USD to absolutely no purpose. As expressed to me in no uncertain terms this morning after an hour and a half wait from reservation time at Italian Consulate in Miami and possibly as located somewhere in the many thousands of words on conflicting Italian government websites in completely indecipherable terms we can request only two visas: Schengen, limited to ninety days, or Elective Residence, where requester plans to permanently live in the country. This last we could do, but passport will be kept by them for, under current conditions, ninety days. Upon return to Turkey we may try again at consulate in Izmir, which effort seems equally pointless, but it's only a two hour drive and offers another fun road trip. A possible Catch 22 is that if we get permanent residence, may have to import boat into Italy after ninety days (that number must have enchanted attributes) at eighteen percent of its value. We are beginning to have an inkling that Italy particularly and Europe in general only want non-Europeans to come in for a few weeks, leave thumping great stacks of cash then go back where they came from. Perhaps they'll let us stay if we obtain refugee status because, due oppressive politics and twenty four hour news cycle, we are engulfed in a hostile environment and can't find any safe spaces in US or Canada. That might work.

As every city in Turkey has an Ataturk Boulevard, every one in America has MLK, named for civil rights giant Martin Luther King - useful guy for self-serving politicians to thusly honor. Had he lived long enough for societal attitudes to develop, might have been elected president. Couldn't have done any worse than the crop we got. This not meant to disparage US, just its politicians. Fortunately we maintain institutions that, until eventually overwhelmed, keep most of government's inevitable and ever-expanding ravages to the margins.

Highway between Miami and Naples is called "Alligator Alley" due prevalence of lizard bowling. Or possibly because of copious large, gnarly reptiles that sun themselves on the banks of paralleling canals during cool weather. Florida has a few of the related crocodiles, but fortunately they are not the ill-tempered "salties" that inhabit Australia's Northern Territory, tend to be rather small and usually avoid people - probably looking for safe spaces.

Numerous signs on Interstate Highway 75 between St. Petersburg and Miami read, "Florida Law. Move over for stopped emergency vehicles". One wonders what common alternatives have created this concern?

Jack & Jan