½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

Within the first weeks of dragging the caravan onto our land, and setting up some kind of "home" our next thoughts were to provide ourselves with some fresh and home grown veg. So armed with nothing more than shovels and picks managed to dig and seive (giving us enough rocks to build a wall!) a small patch of land about 10ft by 15ft. We raked and tilled & planted a  random mix of  seeds we had brought with us from the U.K. Yes, you live and learn. Our neighbours took great pleasure in watching and pointing and shaking there heads, and telling us that the moon phases were not conducive to planting. Asking us what curly kale, cauliflower, sprouts and parsnips were. Translations were duly given. More shaking of heads and eyes cast to the sky & mutterings of the Inglese. We watered and nurtued and failed. But, we were inundated with barrow loads of veg from neighbours far and wide. We were overwhelmed by their gratitude and help. Our first attempt at growing on the hill in fact grew the roots of many close friendships. Sprat

Hi Esme, Anastasia/Anaglypta, La Fenice......... or whoever else you think you are this week, Pilch here. I don't have time to indulge too enthusiastically at the moment............... I have a Wallaby to skin........... but till later, have a read of this & tell me if it reminds you of anybody.     WHAT IS INFERIORITY COMPLEX? According to WIKKIPEDIA, Inferiority complex in the fields of psychology and psychoanalysis, is a feeling that one is inferior to others in some way. Such feelings can arise from an imagined or actual inferiority in the afflicted person. It is often subconscious, and is thought to drive afflicted individuals to overcompensate, resulting either in spectacular achievement or extreme antisocial behavior, or both. Unlike a normal feeling of inferiority, which can act as an incentive for achievement, an inferiority complex is an advanced state of discouragement, often resulting in a retreat from difficulties.   Another term for having this syndrome is having a very low SELF ESTEEM. Many of us suffers this phase one way or another. Those with inferiority complex are more likely to be miserable, unhappy, ill-tempered and argumentable. They are ones who always feel rejected, unloved and useless. The confidence level is way down hell and attention span is way over heaven. Extremes, right?   So what could be the reason? Would it be how you were raised by your parents? Could it be how successful your friends are now? Was it because you were dumped by your EX because of that sexy chick he's going out with? Was it because you thought all along that you will be promoted but you were not? Or would it be for a fact that you just feel that you are NOT GOOD ENOUGH?   Whatever the reason is, we should know how to overcome it. I'll come up with another hub on how to manage it. First, let us know the signs that you have this so-called inferiority complex.    TOP SIGNS THAT YOU HAVE INFERIORITY COMPLEX FAULT FINDER - Since you don't really feel good about yourself, you also have difficulty feeling good about others. You really find ways to enumerate their imperfections. You look for ways on how you can make these people not feel good about themselves too. That's what we call crab mentality-we pull them down with us. These are the people that will never feel confident and superior unless the competition is away. You have the tendency to blame others to cover up for your shortcoming. If your friend is having an ultimate time with her boyfriend, and you don't have any, you will discourage your friend by saying things that might make her break up with him...so you'll have someone who will be as miserable as you are. DESTRUCTIVE CRITICISM - These people know their flaws or shortcomings and yet, whenever they are being given an opionion they take it seriously and that will make them feel worse. Since they have extremely low self esteem, they feel like they didn't do well but if you point that out, well, that will be the day! TENDS TO BE TIMID ON A CROWD - Those people who feels inferior has the tendency to create a hermit out of themselves, avoiding social gatherings and meetings. They would rather be alone in their own world than having the world know their flaws. They feel that they aren't as smart and as interesting like others. It will really be hard to have this kind of person to speak up, because he feels that he will just make himself a laughingstock out of himself, afraid that he'll say something embarrassing or senseless. These are the ones who avoid debates, forum,etc. FLATTER ME! - You want to always hear others complimenting how you look, how you did on that article, what you did great or what have you. Because you are so desperate, there are some instances that if nobody praises you, you'll start telling people what you did so you'd get nice compliments. Or you will start asking people, "Do you think I did great?", "Do I look good tonight?" ...so you'd get complimented. (What if the person you asked said otherwise? Well...that wil make your self esteem way way low) DON'T FLATTER ME! - You don't want to hear any compliment, even you really did well. For you, that's just a way to make you feel a bit better, you feel like the comment isn't really coming from the heart. You refuse to listen to positive comments since you know inside your heart that you are not good enough. UNHEALTHY COMPETITION - You really don't love competing with others but if you do, you'll find all ways on how you can outdo your competition. Because if you loose, then you'll feel that you aren't that good enough and you will instill in your mind not compete with anyone for you will never win at all. You envy those who are always on top of everything and you feel you will never be like that even in your wildest dreams. So, do have inferiority complex? Do the signs fit your personality? Well, do not worry, like what I've said, it could be just a passing phase. You can always outsmart your feelings. There will come a time that you will realize how these signs can make you a better person...   Now read it again: properly this time. Pilch

It's easy to get carried away & gold-plate the job by spending a fortune on an all-singing-&-dancing system. I'd suggest you set you sights lower, unless you're loaded, & consider something like a Jotul secondhand off Ebay. 

Yes, welcome Esme.

Try Italsure. Pilch

I'm afraid that no Comune or ASL office will accept your US purchased Health Insurance, even if it is global & gold plated. Now that I've said that someone will quote an occasion when one did but, hey, this is Italy. From my experience they will insist that all documents should not only be written in ½ûÂþÌìÌà but have also initiated in Italy, which will effectively exclude your US insurance. The only chance you may have, in order to avoid purchasing another insurance from an ½ûÂþÌìÌà company, might be to get the ASL office or Comune to agree to you providing them with a government authorization/translation, fully stamped, signed, counter-signed & triplicated. It's an idea; maybe a bad one, but an idea. Talk to a US based ½ûÂþÌìÌà Embassy or the US Consulate in Italy maybe. Us Brits, being European Union members have all sorts of reciprocal rights within other EU states. We apply to the relevant government department in the UK (DWP or IR) & they send you the documentation that demonstrates you are a fully paid up member of the British state welfare system. The Brits screwed up & sent me the English version which is an exact copy of the ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ, German, French etc versions, even down to the layout, type-face & document code but, the ½ûÂþÌìÌÃs refused to accept it until the Brits sent me a fresh one in ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ. I got told by my Comune Anagraphe, a man who bore a remarkable similarity to Benito Mussolini, that he did not give a rats rear end if the documents had been personally signed by Berlusconi; if they were not in ½ûÂþÌìÌà & initiate in Italy, then he would not accept them. The ASL office had worked out, bless them, that although the UK did not use the Euro, we were, in fact, EU members & fortunately it is they that vet documentation relating to the issue of health cards. Phew. Pilch 

ICI is an tax annual tax payable to the local comune & is the equivalent to Council Tax in the UK. Recent changes by Berlosconi mean that residents no longer have to pay it while non-residents still do pay this rather piddling amount. IVA is a tax of 20% charged on all goods & services (with some excluded categories) & was originally supposed to finance the European Union. God knows where the money goes. If you do not gain residency within 18 months you WILL be made to repay the tax break you recieved & you will be penalized. I helped a friend negotiate her way through this stressful process so I speak from experience. If you really DO intend to be resident, & you WILL be checked out  & visited (depending on how tight or relaxed the people at the Comune are), visit them ASAP & make the application explaining your position. Ask them, if at all possible, to make a formal record of you requesting residency although they may claim that your application cannot be formally recognised without your supporting documentation. Shake hands & smile a lot. There are loads of eastern europeans & africans resident in Italy, even Brits, so I can't see them objecting to an American so long as you can clearly demonstrate that you have a very modest amount of money & health insurance. You'll need to show them your passport(s), a recent ½ûÂþÌìÌà bank statement showing you have €5k+ per person, a health insurance policy issued by an ½ûÂþÌìÌà insurer that will pay for all possible medical expenses & hospitalization. Pilch

I'd concur with all the advice given so far but try not to have expensive surveys done on every house you are considering. Ask the agent for a site meeting with a good local Geometra & get him to give you a verbal assessment & price which he is prepared to commit to paper in the form of a preventivo. His survey will form the basis for his quote & will tell you if the structure is poor or not. After some years of first-hand experience, I am not a fan of the widespread use of sand & cement renders in ½ûÂþÌìÌà houses. If using it on the outside were not bad enough, the internal walls are also covered in the stuff & this makes for a very unhealthy living environment. Us Brits grew up & lived our entire lives in houses that are"plastered" internally. Plaster regulates the moisture content of the air inside the building by absorbing excess when humidity levels are high & giving it back to the air & the surrounding structure when humidity is low. Plaster is a good thermal insulator whilst sand & cement are not. Coupled with the fact that even modern houses seem to lack effective ventilation, the growth of black mold, especially behind furniture, after a winter period is a clear indicator that the environment is not a healthy one. What does Alan H reckon? Stripping it all of & replacing internally with plaster & re-pointing externally with lime based products like Keracol is the ideal, so long as you can live with the hotch-poch of repairs & other works that have been done to the old walls.  Pilch

I must admit I have never had an egg straight from the hen, so to speak. Was it much nicer than the shop bought product? 

Did you dip your soldiers in it for breakfast?