I rent a room from a friend in Scranton. She donates the rent to an arts education non-profit she created, and sends me important mail. So, today I received a stimulus check, which I planned to deposit using mobile banking. I have two American accounts with mobile apps, and have used both within the last month. They were fine.
I logged on to the one for the national account. “This app is being retired, update now.” Okay. That took me to the App Store where the only option offered was “open”. That took me back to the sign-in page with the same message. After rounding that circle a couple of times more, I chose “Remind me later”.
A new version of the app opened after I signed in. I took photos of the check, front and back, but when I clicked on “amount of check” it took me back to the home screen.
I traveled that circle several times.
Then I tried the app for the Scranton bank, and had almost exactly the same experience. I looked up both apps in the Store, and both now require OS 11.0 or higher. I checked my phone; OS 10.5 installed. Choose update software. Message returned – software up-to-date.
It seems that to use a mobile app to cash my check, I will have to first buy a new phone (I am still using an iPhone 5s). (I know, ancient, but I just don’t get excited about electronic upgrades, anymore.) (I bought my first computer in 1983, I’m over it, okay?)
Of course, the reason I use WindTre as my carrier is that four years ago when I took this house, there was no reception for TIM, here, and even though once inside WindTre barely registered, it was something. Now I’m planning to move. That means, to be prudent, I’d best wait until I know where I’m moving to so I can test reception. No use tying myself to a plan with a service that has no reception in my new place, now, is there?
American cell plans get my head spinning, all such option-rich shopping does. I stopped buying potato chips decades ago for exactly that reason. And of course, Italian plans are in Italian, and while I think I understand what I’m reading, if the text is addressing something the least bit crucial, I’m never quite sure. So, chalk up another degree of complexity to this move. That’s alright, I’ll adjust.
Last night, I put out two of the five bags of garden leavings that Lucky generated on Tuesday. This morning, as I left for my walk they were still there. There was a tag on one. “Your registered container was not with this bag, inability to detect the tag.” I have no real idea what that means even translated. Maybe the barcode on the organic container has to be scanned for some reason. Is that because there’s an extra charge for garden trimmings? If so, I don’t know what to do, because when I took this house I never got around to changing the registration of the containers. That would have meant going down to the COSP office in Fontanella di Bardano, which seemed too hard by bus. I’ve paid my trash tax all along, but the bar codes are probably still registered to the guy here before me who is a restaurant owner in town, and Lord knows he has enough on his plate without having a charge appear out of nowhere for my garden trash.
At any rate, tomorrow I meet Rachel at the apartment under consideration so that I can test it out for the weekend. It is a great boon being able to do that. But there is the issue of packing. Overnight or for a month; except for socks and underwear, you have to pack more or less the same stuff. I’ll start early. I hope I like the place. I saw Massimo on the piazza yesterday, and he has people in line to see my house.
I’m very fortunate to have these niggling problems to worry about. So far, it seems that all my challenges are of a similar nature; mildly annoying but not existential. I’m tempted to feel guilty, but that would help nothing.
I received a series of WhatsApp messages this afternoon from a friend in Florida. He’s deeply involved in finding ways to produce plays that respect the safety issues now at the core of any public event. He also tells me that Actors’ Equity is insisting on safe conditions for its members, a bit of news that I find heartening. The union, lately floundering to shore up its reason for being, is finding a cause in a new, vitally important way of protecting its actors and stage managers.
The solutions my friend is cooking up with theatres are creative, effective, and fascinating. Reading his messages, I felt physically healthier. It was the kind of stuff I thrive on; how to continue to find ways of congregating despite the challenges and necessary restrictions. His work reawakened a great longing; to open the doors, seat the audience, and delight in their responses to a play while hiding somewhere out of sight. That’s my metier, my home base, my element.
But, for now, I’ll hope for more updates from Florida, and to see Orvieto’s restaurants and bars navigate a successful reopening. I’ve got a check to deposit and trash to get rid of.
The photo is of the famous azaleas on Via Garibaldi, just because they’re gorgeous.