Pay Attention!!

Last night I was walking to the gym and I saw a kid almost hit by a car. He looked to be about 4 years old and he was running around the streets with his sister (I assume that’s who it was) chasing him. His father was across the street and right AFTER the father yelled at him “stai attento!” (pay attention!) He ran from between two parked cars into the street. A car coming down the street came to a screeching halt without touching him but it was close. I can’t believe I don’t see that more in the tight crowded streets. Sure I’ve seen cars knock mirrors from time to time or scrape against the corner of a building but not two cars actually meeting bumpers or people getting hit. Not like what you expect. It’s also weird when you can see something like that happening. It’s like it was in slow motion and you knew the kid was going to do that. I think even his father could see it coming and that’s why he yelled.
Another strange thing was related to the day before. The day before I went to buy something at a shop I go to regularly. I only had a 50 and naturally they couldn’t break it so I went next door to the Giornaio and bought a 20 euro card to recharge my phone, because you can always use a recharge for the phone. So with the change I went back to the store next door and bought what I needed. Then yesterday the storekeeper stopped me and said the 20 euro bill I used to pay with the day before was a fake. Now the storekeeper knew I went next door to get change so she went in and bought a 20 euro recharge card for her phone with the fake bill. Lesson learned, I need to pay more attention!!!
I thought about it and it would be easier to pass off a fake bill on foreigner but I’ve been here long enough that I should know. Also that makes sense why in the past I’ve had shopkeepers check my bills closely when I pay. It’s not that they think I’m a crook (well maybe they do?). It’s probably more that they know it’s easier to pass a fake bill to someone less knowledgeable about the money. Then that person would pass it on not knowing any better. I think 20s are the problem. I noticed that Bancomats generally don’t give 20s just 50s and 10s.Last but not least. A follow up on the Godfather, Bernardo Provenzaro, caught in Sicily. It is just too funny, well now that he’s caught. The press is obsessed with everything about him. How he has been living “on the run” for over 40 years? Who he voted for? The best fact has to be that the boss of the bosses was caught in a villa in the countryside just outside of the town of Corleone. Yes, the exact town that inspired the Godfather movies. Also he wrote messages that told what he wanted done on a very old typewriter and had cousins and relatives deliver them. He didn’t use a cell phone because he knew the Police could listen in. Also he kept a big wad of bills in his underwear in case he needed to make a quick getaway from the villa. The Police are saying no one “talked” it was just a matter a tracking and watching friends and family until a pattern was found. Also Berlusconi is still refusing to accept that he lost even after the highest court in the land has said he lost. Pictures next…