115. Rome

Rome’s a tad dirtier than I imagined. I mean, it’s got old buildings with bits crumbling off—that much I expected—but there’s an awful lot of graffiti and litter. But anyway, it’s Rome and we’re spending the day seeing the Roman sites like the coliseum and aqueducts and fountains and all that. I also bought a new white shirt and a dress suit so the others won’t have to bear with my stink much longer.

We took a tour around the St. Peter’s Square area. Lots of statues of saints here. I tend not to listen to tour guides as I just trust them to get me to the places that are interesting to look at. But one thing did catch my attention. She said “It’s not about awards, you know, not usually.” I looked up from the pizza stand I’d been eyeing and saw that she was looking directly at me. “Not usually,” she stressed, “but sometimes it is.”

I think she must have been referring to some story about Roman competitions, but I couldn’t help feeling that she’d been speaking only to me, and referring, of course, to the awards ceremony tomorrow night. I’ve been nominated for a Gregor Award and the ceremony is here in Rome. Maybe she recognized me. Maybe it’s a secret message.