This morning I did get up early and made my way down the hill and down the stairs to Trastavere. There was some kind of crew blocking off a street near the Fountain of Paul and setting up some scaffolding. I'm wondering if they were getting ready to film a scene for a movie. It's a perfect place for it.

I bought what I needed at the Todis Discount Store, including a pair of fingernail clippers. I'm very glad for that. It's still hard to find food I like in Italian grocery stores. There is a kitchen, but another group here seems to think it belongs to them and they're just letting us use it. There are three refrigerators in this one kitchen and they are all packed full.

My hike back up the hill was a bit of a climb as usual. I passed a mother and daughter coming down the hill. She looked like she had her arm around her daughter very protectively. Then I saw why. There was a guy standing, waiting for his friend, who was off in the woods about 10 feet taking a leak.

it took a few hours to get all my laundry done. Reading, reading, reading. Every once in awhile I'll come across an idea or a reference and I'll go chasing it down. I also read two of the articles due for Thursday.

Tomorrow's the big day in Ostia. I know we're going to be at Isola Sacra. That's about all I have been able to remember. When people talk about directions to place, it's like they're speaking a foreign language. Well, they are, since all the streets and placenames are in Italian. It makes it very difficult to remember what people have said. But I'm slowly getting it.

Still no word about the Vatican Museum on Friday. Maybe we should go next door to the US ambassador to the Holy See and see if he can help us. See what I mean?