eurobimbo's journey to enlightenment - the tuscany files

I can't say I have been as mad as I was today for a long time. The kind of mad that you have a long slow steady stream of carefully calculated deadly words overflowing out of your mouth while your eyes close to slits and steam evaporates out of the top of your head.

So we are going on vacation in a few days and I am trying to take care of things before we leave. Things like paying bills that will be due while we are gone and other seemingly normal things that responsible, civilized people do.

I will interject with the fact that I am continually amazed that this country continues to run on a daily basis considering the mountainous obstacles that block you from easily accomplishing any simple task. See where I am going?

Take paying the tax on your car for instance. Well first of all let me inform you that this isn't something you automatically receive a bill for even though it is due yearly. Nope. They only send you a bill if you have been delinquent for a couple of years and then it includes massive fines. No, you have to take it upon yourself to remember to pay this tax on the car voluntarily once a year. O.k.

So our tax on the car expires the last day of this month. Trying to be the responsible person I am I have it on my list of things to do before we leave on our trip and attempt to pay it on the convenient online website (gasp! I know I also almost fell off my chair from the shock). Come to find out my tax is still valid. Well yes. It doesn't expire until the 31st. So I can't pay it until it expires. Eh?! So you are telling me I cannot pay a bill until it expires and it is past due. Essato! Brava! Now you have it!

Even more dear to my heart is the mafia run car insurance you must purchase and bite the bullet and just smile while you are being screwed over on. Long story, but last time we renewed they actually started a new contract but didn't inform us. We also were lucky enough to pay a LOT of money, more than I used to pay for two cars to be FULLY INSURED FOR EVERYTHING in the U.S. Seriously, don't you wish you had my life? Our insurance also runs out soon, in early September, so I was researching online a different agency, other than the blood sucking Cattolica that we are insured with now. Well, come to find out contracts here run for a year and we aren't allowed out of the death grip of Cattolica until a year has passed, next March. So we have the wonderful opportunity to be screwed yet once again and pay through the eyes nose ears and mouth for this very bloated premium. Fun. I found this all out at the office of the bottom feeding agency of Cattolica today when Alessandra thought she would be able to help me get out of the policy. Seems not. Not only that but they can't even calculate what my next premium will be (with empty promises of trying to be gentle) because WE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE POLICY EXPIRES BEFORE BEING ABLE TO PAY FOR THE NEXT ONE. Huh. Apparently this office can't wait to see me again in September because I wasn't rude enough to them today. So I get to waste my time once again and get yet another chance to tell Cattolica what I really think unfortunately in English because I haven't added all those delicate words to my Italian vocabulary yet. Yet.

What a great day. This is funnnnnnnah!

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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 18 September 2007 )

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