La Bagnata Vita

SD8.5 Agent Update

Hmm, I need a code name for my encrypted radio transmissions. Any suggestions?

Best thing about today was the meal I just ate at a hole-in-the wall dive in Rome, Osteria del Rione as recommended by Time Out Rome. 5 courses, plus all the red wine I wanted for 16 euro. And the very adorable Scottish lad (who came in with his awful Channel Islands girlfriend) was all the grappa* I needed.

Worst thing about today was the 30 minute walk in a typhoon to get there. Umbrella helped for the waist up, but that's about it. Jeans are soaked and my Merrils will never recover.

That sadi, I am in Italy and probably can find some shoes tomorrow if I sniff around.

Hotel is lovely, but we're in a single room and the bed is smaller than a fold-out sofa. Ugh. Will try to get moved tomorrow. No sign of L (I'm truly a banking widow these days), but the bellman is delicisoso.

Maybe that small bed won't be such a curse after all.

Also, any rumors indicating this yet-to-be-codenamed agent was sitting in Heathrow with boozey tequila sweats this morning are surely exagerrated.

Interesting conversation with Italian counter-agent on 2nd leg of journey this afternoon**. He pretended to sleep then grilled my about my evening plans. He claimed to be returning home from a 3-month assignment in Philadelphia (he must have been very bad to receive that punishment) after spending a year in Havana.

His cover is "electrical engineer". You know he rewired Castro. You just know it.

He's indicated a hit on Ricky Martin next. Something about waiting for a long-term Puerto Rican assignment.

Over and out.

(cue static-like sound effect)

:: :: ::

* Grappa being the code word for the preliminary data I was sent here to collect.

** How come that Bristow bitch got the chartered jets all the time and I'm stuck in coach on Alitalia?