TODAY WAS CENTERED AROUND OPENING A BANK/DEBIT CARD ACCOUNT IN MILANO...I THINK IT IS EASIER TO ROB A BANK WITH A BANNED GUN THAN IT IS TO OPEN A BANK ACCOUNT....IN TODAYS EURO WORLD AMERICANS CAN GET HIJACKED TRADING DOLLARS FOR EUROS EITHER AT EXCHANGE HOUSES OR AT ATM'S
FORTUNATELY THE SOLUTION IS MY TALENTED AND EXPERIENCED RIGHT TACKLE, PEPE..OR BETTER KNOWN IN THE PROPER BANKING WORLD AS MAURO SALVEMINI..PEPE IS A 20 YEAR VETERAN OF AMERICAN FOOTBALL PLAYED IN ITALY..HE IS A CONTRARIAN...HE DISLIKES MOST THINGS ITALIAN..HE PREFERS AMERICAN FOOTBALL TO SOCCER..HE LIKES BUDWEISERS OVER VINO ROSSO AND HE LIKES TEXAS BARBEQUE OVER PASTA..HE ALSO HAS AN EASY GOING SPIRIT, A PENCIL THIN MUSTACHE, AND A HEART AS BIG AS BERLUSCONI'S BANK ACCOUNT...
SO TODAY WAS DICTATED BY OUR TRIP TO VISIT PEPE IN DOWNTOWN MILANO TO GET MY ACCOUNT SET UP..BERGAMO TO MILANO IS A 30 MINUTE TRAIN RIDE WITH MANY STOPS ALONG THE WAY..EVERYTHING IN ITALY IS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE, AND TODAY WAS NO DIFFERENT..AFTER PURCHASING OUR ROUNDTRIP TICKET FOR 16 EURO WE EMBARKED ON OUR 12:02 TRAIN ON BINARIO 4...20 MINUTES INTO THE RIDE THE CONDUCTOR CAME TO COLLECT OUR BILLIGLIETTI..WE SURRENDERED TO A PROBLLEMMA...WE NEVER HAD OUR TICKET STAMPED BY A MACHINE PRIOR TO ENTRY..SO IN THEORY WE COULD REUSE OUR TICKET OVER AND OVER UNTIL COLLECTED...THE FINE FOR NOT HAVING TICKET PUNCHED IS STIFF...$50 EURO STIFF..I HAGLED IN BROKEN ITALIAN FOR 10 MINUTES..WE GOT THE CONDUCTOR OFF THE 50 EURO FINE DOWN TO 30 EURO..FINALLY THE CONDUCTOR RELENTED AND SAID ALL WOULD BE FORGIVEN IF WE JUST SLIPPED A 10 EURO SPOT IN HIS BACK POCKET..IN OTHER WORDS IT WAS AN ESCALATING EPISODE FROM THE SOPRANOS...WE COUNTERED WITH OUR BEST BROOKLYN ACCENT.."FORGETABOUTIT!"..WE SAID WE ARE AMERICANO AND DID NOT KNOW BETTER..."AH" SAID THE CONDUCTOR..."AMERICANO AMERICANO"..ALL WAS FORGIVEN WITH A CREST TOOTHPASTE SMILE AND A HIGH FIVE AND A ARRIVIDERCI THAT SAID...."WE ARE GALD YOUR'E HERE..DON'T SCREW UP AGAIN!"
PEPE WAS WAITING OUTSIDE OF MILANO CENTRALE .NEAR THE BUS STOP FOR US..IN ORDER TO MEET HIM WE WALKED THROUGH A TRAIN TERMINAL THAT LOOKED LIKE A NATIONAL ART GALLERIE..DOLCE AND GABANA ADDS THE SIZE OF FOOOTBALL FIELDS DOTTED THE INTERIOR WITH OSTENTATIOUS ORNAMENTS, AND VAULTED CEILINGS THE SIZE THAT JERRY JONES COULD INSERT ONE OF HIS JUMBO SCREENS INSIDE OF WITH MOLTO ROOM TO SPARE
BANCO POPULARE DI MILANO IS A LARGE BANK THAT DOES A LOT OF INVESTMENT BANKING..PEPE SPENDS MOST DAYS DECIDING IF A NEW BUILDING HAS ENOUGH FINANCING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION LOAN TO KICK IN..TODAY HE DEALT ASSIDUOUSLY WITH MY CONCERNS OF OPENING A DEBIT ACCOUNT THAT WOULD CHARGE ME NO FEES FOR TRANSFER..NO FEES FOR WITHDRAWL AND OFFER ME THE BEST RATE IN ITALY FOR EXCHANGING AMERICAN DOLLARS FOR EUROS..AFTER SIGNING PAPERS FOR AN HOUR AND ASKING FAR TOO MANY QUESTIONS FOR AN EXPERIENCED INVESTMENT BANKER..MISSION ACCOMPLISHED..
WE CELEBRATED MY NEW BANCO POPULARE CARD WITH AN IL PRANZO AT CAFFE' PIAZZA..BIRRA..PANINI TO REMEMBER FOR LIFE AND AN ITALIAN INSALATA FULL OF TOMATOES, LETTUCE, MOZZARELLA GLAZED WITH LOCAL OIL OF VIRGIN...CAPPED WITH AN EXPECTED SHOT OF ESPRESSO..PERFECT DAY.
BLUE SKIES AND WARMING TEMPS GREETED US ALL AFTERNOON UNTIL PRACTICE STARTED..SOMEWHERE BETWEEN DUSK AND DARK THE CLOUDS DARKENED AND RAINED ON US ALL NIGHT...TO OUR GROUP OF 35 PLAYERS WHO SHOWED UP AT 9 PM TO WORK TOWARDS OUR DUAL GOAL OF ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS AND EURO CHAMPIONSHIPS WE HAVE ADOPTED MY MANTRA FROM THE US MARINE CORPS.."IT NEVER RAINS ON THE RIFLE RANGE."..IN OTHER WORDS WE WORK HARD AND SHOW UP REGARDLESS OF OF THE WEATHER
PEPE PRACTICED GREAT..38 AND NOT THE ATHLETE THAT HE ONCE WAS, WAS FIRST IN LINE IN ALL DRILLS...HE TAKES TO COACHING THE WAY ITALIANS TAKE TO FOOD..IN FULL PADS AND LIVE CONTACT IN ALL DRILLS THE HITTING WAS CRSIP AND SHARP...
I AM A HAPPY GUY IN BERGAMO...I HAVE MONEY IN THE BANK AND I HAVE AN OFFENSIVE LINE THAT IS PRACTICING HARD AND IMPROVING DAILY..WHAT MORE CAN A FIRST TIME COACH ABRAOAD ASK FOR?
STAY CLOSE...THE ACTION IS JUST GETTING STARTED!!!!
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