The Google map location of Via Ridolfino Venuti 21 (building indicated by red teardrop)
We settled into our Roman home from Sept 1959 to June 1960. It was on the second floor of a five story building. It contained nine marble floored rooms, was spacious enough for a foyer, a living room, a sitting room, a dining room, and a kitchen situated to the left end of the apartment’s grand entryway.
From the far right end of the apartment to the entryway was the bedroom wing. It comfortably included three bedrooms, and a bathroom. Along the entire front of our apartment were ample street facing windows. Inside were rooms with classic European furniture. In addition was an extra empty room where we stored our collection of steamer trunks. Neither in suburb outskirts with individual unattached houses nor a location in the urban city center either, Via Ridolfino Venuti 21 stands as a quiet, pleasant neighborhood.
The left end of Via Ridolfino Venuti 21, our nine room apartment in Rome as it appears today. This Google picture dates from 2022 showing substantial wear since 1959 when we resided there.
HOME
Getting an apartment made us official residents of Rome and and the true beginning of My Year in Italy. Putting in place the details of daily life follow. Getting set up for school, hiring a housekeeper/cook to shop for food, cook, and keep house. Meeting the neighbors. Navigating the neighborhood as children always do. Finding places to play and other children to play with are essential.
The Neighborhood
As children we had different priorities from our mother as well as tourists. For example, we didn’t need to know where the amenities of our life came from. Rather our lives revolved around making Italian neighborhood friends and finding fun things to do.
Real Italian not American Life Abroad As I mentioned in the Introduction, most American families abroad were attached to government jobs desiring to reside cloistered with other Americans. For example, American neighbors in American occupied buildings called the EUR. American superstores known as the American PX where one could buy everything American. In my opinion, why bother to live in another country if not to experience it with all one’s senses. Give me the real thing, not a transported veneer of an experience.
The Full Italian Package So without American government or corporate employment dictation, we were able to go with the full Italian living package. That meant we lived Italian, ate Italian, drove Italian, shopped Italian, and even learned to speak some Italian. Bravo.
A wardrobe steamer trunk, upright drawers and a case, in cream with faux wood grained mounts from Pinterest.com
Moving to Italy was the most amazing experience of my life. In fact, the story behind it is unique as well. I was a mere eleven years old at the time.
Actually, most families with school age children who lived in foreign countries did so due to a parent serving with either a foreign government, at a consulate or holding an international corporate job. But none of those reasons explain why my family spent almost a year between 1959-1960 living in Rome.
As a single parent with three children, my mother had the freedom to explore moving to Italy or other parts of the world without employment dictates. In addition to that, the hefty value of the American dollar could go very far in those days, 1959-1960 offering many residential choices in the world. As a result, we could have adventures then that would be financially prohibitive today. In fact, the dollar was worth six hundred lire at that time in contrast to much less today.
THE IDEA BEGAN DRIVING THROUGH THE LINCOLN TUNNEL GOING TO NEW JERSEY
In 1959 when taking our annual automobile trip from Long Island to New Jersey to participate in the Passover Seder, we made a stop in Manhattan to pick up my great aunt. Besides being a loving aunt, she was a great cook famous for her cream puffs with mocha toping. The cherry on the top was her ‘Auntie Mame’ adventurous personality. Since my mother and us three children had some geographic and financial freedom, my great aunt had an idea. She suggested that our family consider moving to Italy for a year. In fact, that was exactly 65 years ago this Passover.
S.S. Constitution, American Export Lines, by Tichnor Brothers, c. 1950s, from the Digital Commonwealth – 1 commonwealth 8g84mw21v. (1)
PREPARATION IN THE US
My mother took in stride what very likely would have seemed like a daunting undertaking to most people. For example, this included a thorough checklist of preparatory things to do:
• take a crash course in Italian
• get passports and necessary shots
• make reservations for the nine day voyage from NYC to Naples on the transatlantic S.S.Constitution for the five of us (dog included). At that time, airplane travel was limited and more expensive.
• borrow steamer trunks from every traveler friend, relative, and friend of a relative.
• sell our beloved 1955 two tone Oldsmobile and arranged to buy the latest Fiat to be picked up in Rome
• make reservations for a place to stay at the Villa Eva when we arrived in Rome. I remember this villa turned Pensione as popular with Americans, and a joy to inhabit.
A wardrobe steamer trunk, upright drawers and a case, in cream with faux wood grained mounts
ARRIVAL IN ITALY
There were additional preparatory tasks as well as others that would need make when we arrived in Italy:
• take the train from Naples to Rome
• sign in at the Villa Eva (Pensione)
• pick up our new Fiat (we got lost for three hours trying to return to the Villa Eva where we were staying)
• register us kids for the American-English, American-Arithmetic International School in Rome (aka)The International Overseas School of Rome)
• find a place to live, actually a nine room apartment
• hire a Italian housekeeper/cook
• and more things that any 11 year old could even imagine would need to be done
In retrospect moving to Italy was the most extraordinary thing my mother ever did for us. I have had other unusual and creative experiences but none that compare with such an international adventure.
Really Healthy Food is actually available nationwide. This is my latest discovery about food as well as the focus of this blog post. Specifically, my emphasis is on the diversity of products from small artisanal farms rather than on large farms that might still be organic, vegetarian, or vegan, but not local.
Included here is information mostly in video format about pasture raised animals including beef, chickens, lamb, pork, goat, and eggs. In addition, there is an explanation about a very special product, wagyu beef. Finally there is a section about produce (plant based products).
This blog post features three Formula One Race Car Champions. Each has a dramatic, unique story. By name, they are champion racers Nikki Lauder of Austria(1), Michael Schumacher of Germany(2), and Jann Mardenborough of Great Britain(3)(4). In fact, a mesmerizing Netflix movie, series, and excerpt exist here about each of them.
Nikki Lauder
Michael Schumacher
Jann Mardenborough
More About (F1) Formula One Racing(1), the Films and the Drivers
Of the three films, two drivers are actors and one is the actual driver himself. Daniel Brühl plays Nikki Lauder with the actual driver in cameo at the end. British actor Archie Madekwe plays Jann Mardenborough with a cameo at the end. Lastly, Michael Schumacher stars himself throughout his films and all media appearances.
Formula One Race Car Driver Champions
Formula One Race Car Drivers Niki Lauder, Jann Mardenborough, and Michael Schumacher.
Formula One Race Car Driver/Actors Resources
(1)”Since the inception of the Formula One World Championship in 1950, it is widely recognized as the world’s most prestigious motor racing competition, as well as the world’s most popular annual sporting series.
“The sport has always sought to innovate, constantly pushing the technological boundaries in order to find the quickest route to victory. (This) sport has frequently pioneered technology that has been successfully transferred to everyday transport.
“In 2014, with the introduction of a new hybrid 1.6 litre, turbo-charged V6 power unit, Formula 1 continued its aim to place the world’s foremost single-seat racing series at the cutting edge of automotive technology development. For the next generation power unit there is the commitment to move to 100% sustainable fuels in 2025/2026, remaining true to the culture of innovation, while at the same time preserving the capacity to thrill that has been at the heart of the sport since its earliest days.”
(2)”What happened to Michael Schumacher?
Michael Schumacher suffered severe head injury when he fell while skiing in the French Alps on December 29, 2013. His son was 14 when the accident happened during a winter holiday in Méribel. Since the crash, in which Michael Schumacher hit his head on a stone and his helmet was broken, the soon-to-be 55-year-old has not appeared in public.” Michael Schumacher Website
UNIQUE CINEMA CONNECTIONS can link TV series, movies and actors that otherwise would have no relationship. This technique doubles as a way to demonstrate one’s knowledge of film acting, movie themes, and cinema history as well.
Actually I find unique cinema connections fascinating, challenging, and even entertaining. These days movie watching at home is very easy since the proliferation of so many TV channels that are devoted to current and old movies.
abc breaking news intro blogspot
In fact the only requirement to make these kinds of connections is to have a sufficient body of film knowledge to make seemingly unconnected themes or actors connect. With sufficient knowledge, one can connect sets of films and actors using this linking system.
How It Works For example one can select two totally unrelated actors or themes, end to end. In this case, I have chosen JK Simmons at the beginning of the unique cinema connection and Susan Kohner at the end. Actually they never appeared in anything together. Their careers have no time crossover. Finally their appearance themes are unrelated. But in spite of these factors, they can be connected by following a set of unique cinema links.
JK Simmons bio on imdb.com
JK Simmons as the bar owner in LA La Land
JK SIMMON, the Musical Director in Whiplash
Miles Teller bio on imdb.com
Miles Teller in Whiplash (A LA GENE KRUPA or Buddy Rich)
Sal Mineo bio on imdb.com
SAL MINEO as GENE KRUPA
Susan Kohner bio on imdb.com
SUSAN KOHNER as GENE KRUPA’s girlfriend in the Gene Krupa Story
SUSAN KOHNER in Imitation of Life
In Conclusion
This post began with JK Simmons in two contemporary films and flows through a series of cinema links to Susan Kohner in Imitation of Life released in 1959. The two actors never appeared in anything together. Besides that they shared no beginning and ending themes. But through a series of cleverly selected links the former connected to the latter in some terrific movies over a period of about seven decades. This is the story of unique cinema connections.
Beyond Medicaid is an informational blog post that is part of a series based on my own experience with programs for individuals who need additional personal care assistance at home beyond Medicare and Medicaid.
For people like myself living in Nassau County, Long Island, New York who have qualified for and receive Medicaid through the Nassau County Social Services Department(1) but still need additional services or services beyond Long Island continue with additional services below.
In fact, these are outside of the range of what I refer to as plain ‘vanilla’ Medicaid. In order to proceed, the next step is to contact a ‘Simplified Medicare Agent’. I have had wonderful success with the person at the footnote below.(2)
Moving Along For my complex needs, I was assigned an agency care coordinator who navigated me through the ‘Baskin Robins’ flavors (as I call them) programs beyond Medicaid. This is exactly where the Beyond Medicaid extra help process got down to specifics for me. So let’s continue with the details.
The Central Nassau Guidance & Counseling Services
Central Nassau Guidance Services(3)
These are the step-by-step instructions for application and approved programs that I got assistance in my quest for extra help.
For example, the agency I get help from is Central Nassau Guidance Services. With the help of this organization, I have a care coordinator who guides and assists me with many personal and home care needs.
The New York Independent Assessor Application(4)
The next step in applying for extra help known as Medicaid Managed Long Term Care (MMLTC) is to contact the the New York Independent Assessor (NYIA). This process includes both phone and in-person interviews. If one qualifies, there are many services available.
But they are not as well known as programs like SNAP (food stamps) or as straight forward to receive. So it is very helpful if not essential to have a care coordinator to help one translate and navigate through the applications, then choose the assistance that may become available. When I started this whole dizzying process, it felt like a dictionary of foreign codes to me.
Medicaid Managed Long Term Care Program(5)
Medicaid Managed Long Term Care is the overall program you want to qualify for. It has a bounty of services with a variety of levels of home based care that may become available to an individual like myself who qualifies. Here’s what happened next for me.
Centers Plan for healthy Living Logo
Centers Plan for Healthy Living(6)
MMLTC is a program but not a place with public access. Therefore there are organizations that provide the next stage of service. One such organization is the Centers Plan for Health Living.
Through this organization, I have a care manager who oversees the care I get. In addition, she monitors my condition with a questionnaire to evaluate if I need more medical care or other services.
Current Assistance For now, there are primarily two categories of care in which I get supplementation. They are personal care and nutritional care. Each of these areas is overseen by the Centers Plan for Healthy Living but dispensed by independent agencies. In actuality, personal care is through the Cottage Home Care while nutrition is supplied by Mom’s Meals.
Cottage Home Care(7)This is a company that supplies home care aids to individuals who cannot manage completely on their own. Assistance ranges from a few hours a week to full time home care assistance. Meal preparation, personal hygiene, food shopping, laundry and light housekeeping can be included.
The Mom’s Meals logo
Mom’s Meals(8)This is a company that offers prepared meals delivered on a weekly basis. The number of meals provided is determined by the number of hours an individual receives in extra care to compensate for the need to prepare one’s own meals. In other words if an aid is available in the morning for 3.5/hrs per day 3 days a week, the aid can prepare breakfast 3 times per week.
Since I need help with breakfasts on the four other days and main meals every day, the total need for meal supplementation is eleven meals which are provided to me at no charge. I have found these to be a tremendous help. In fact, there are many meal choices to select from. The food is decent as well. All that is necessary is a short microwave warm up.
Conclusion This blog post, Beyond Medicaid may not answer all your questions about this topic. But it should cut down dramatically on the research you might have to do for getting extra help while you are still able to live at home. When you have to move on to assisted living or a nursing home, you will need other information. These are topics for future posts.
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES The development of financial technology machinery has increased the storage capacity and speed of financial transactions exponentially. But, the latest technology can also bring my activities to a halt.
For example, I find that many computer systems also known as apps inhibit the ease of use rather than encourage simplicity.
IBM’s First Personal Computer from 34 years ago on observer.com
My History
I did not grow up with the latest financial technology machinery. In fact the most complicated mathematical technology was the slide rule primarily for engineering calculations. This is a sample of the pre-computer computing machine, the slide rule from cheerfulcurmudgeon.com.
In addition to that wizardry was the electric adding machine which has evolved over the century. They still exist but can not fit in the relatively small space of a slide rule and especially today’s tiny smartphones. By the way, a slide rule is also known as a slapstick.
A vintage Victor 63 key adding machine on Pinterest. com
HOW MONEY IS EXCHANGED
It is still possible to pay for things in person with cash. In addition, things can be paid for through the mail by check, money order, or credit card. Today the most popular means of payment is by credit card in person or online. Rarely do I carry cash as I prefer to pay by credit card in person and online.
Guide to Choosing a Credit Card from Upon Arriving.com
Pre-My History Before the slide rule going back thousands of year was the abacus. Although it is of unknown origin, it actually had the ability to solve mathematical questions very quickly. It was also known as a calculating tool from Wikipedia. Here is what one looked like.
CONCLUSION
“Technology is the application of knowledge for achieving practical goals in a reproducible way” according to Wikipedia. There is no question that financial technology machinery has impact our world in ways that one can barely imagine. In spite of this, there are times when I wish I could return to an old fashioned ledger to keep track of my monthly numbers. Is this a possibility or just a nostalgic fantasy?
Boorum & Pease 66 Series Account Book, Journal Ruled, Green, 150 Pages, 12-1/8″ x 7-5/8″, Blue from amazon.com
My Bilt Mastercard imploded rather than earned points about a month or so after I received it. As advertised, the goal is to accumulate enough points to help pay rent as well as receive other benefits. But the opposite occurred.My BILT Mastercard Imploded
When I first discovered it, I wondered if I might not fit into the targeted demographics. But the BILT website was so appealing. It offered all kinds of irresistible perks that I couldn’t resist.
Beware Temptations But the following inconsistencies were a concern. Seniors my age usually don’t pay rent. Owning a home or other property is more likely. In addition, an older person might not belong to a youth oriented fitness club. Also, a vacation might not be the priority for a senior needing to reduce their rent payment.
BILT Mastercard fitness features
So Why Did I Persist? Other details about the practicality of the BILT Mastercard should have stopped me in my tracks. For instance, within a week of receiving the card, the company’s phone system went on the blink. So communication was limited to electronic means only. As a result, the important questions I needed immediate answers to did not get answered.
Travel points are featured on BILTRewards.com
One Solution Leads to Another Problem Once live communication resumed, I found that my calls went to a very noisy call center. Specifically there were several operators yelling over each other to the customers all at once. As a result, I could not hear my operator. But I did hear all the other operators yelling at their customers instead.
Antique switch board from qz.com
When to Charge, Then How to Pay? The next problem occured when I did use the card to charge purchases. I thought that I was billed more than once for the same items. In other words almost $1500 extra. As a result, I had to leverage and pay a $30. stop payments on my credit card assigned to bill payment.
Penalty Rather Than Payment Therefore, because of the $1500 discrepancy, I had to put a stop payment of $30. against the account that only earned $22 the month before. Eventually that fee was waived. But until then, I had to pay for being a BILT card carrier rather than earning points towards any featured luxuries.
Points can be used for hotel stays
Misleading Glamour Actually the promotions on the website were quite glamorous which made the BILT Mastercard very tempting. But the shock was that the point earned to payment ratio pathetic. In fact I was crushed when I learned that 1000 point only equalled $11. It would take forever to realize my needs, dreams, as well as desires.
Ultimately I had to stop all payments to the payments credit card. Therefore I now have the additional challenge of paying my BILT Mastercard charges on time.
The BILT Collection offered as part of BILT Rewards.com
Confusion So far, I still get very confused whether to charge purchases with the BILT Mastercard or make payments for them with my checking account. As a result, I received the following notice on my account online.
Temporary restriction imposed by Bilt Mastercard
After my inquiry, I immediately forgot how to charge something rather than where to pay for it. I repeatedly found this to be a confusing low paying, time wasting program.
CONCLUSION
The BILT Rewards Mastercard is probably the worst credit card I ever signed up for. For example, it is misleading and very hard to follow. Specifically, I have had many problems with the bookkeeping aspect of it. In fact, I have spend so much time and gotten so little in return.
Therefore as soon as this card is paid off, I will close it. As a result, it will no longer be part of my credit card wallet. In addition, I do not recommend that anyone else sign up for it. This is because all that glitters is not gold. Thus this one will tarnish very quickly. So beware and be forewarned, consumer.
The BILT Mastercard from Wells Fargo to help pay rent
The BILT MasterCard from Wells Fargo is one of the latest point earner credit cards. In fact it is a unique new comer to the credit card scene. It is designed to earn points towards paying rent.
I actually found out about it from the Wallet Hacks blog and my favorite financial guru, James Wang. For this and the below reasons I decided to give it a try. Lately paying my bills has become a serious challenge:
• our rent has gone up substantially
• our SNAP benefits have gone down sharply
CREDIT CARD BENEFITS COLLECTOR
I have a history of benefiting from credit card promotions. So I figured this might help also. To my frustration and disappointment, this card was not easy to use. It didn’t help that the BILT phone system was not working. So all my questions had to wait until their system was up and running again.
Once the phone system was working, I called only to learn that it took 1000 point to earn $5.50. Actually I was shocked. In fact, I considered dumping the card. But then I decided to give it some time to see if there were benefits that were not readily apparent.
A credit card that lets you earn point on rent.
CURRENT STATUS So far we have earned 2000 points since we opened the card at the end of July. Since we are managing to squeeze by in paying all our upcoming bills for September, I am holding on to the $11. in earned points for now.
In fact, I want to keep accumulating points for now as long as we can get by without using them. I’m waiting for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow when a substantial part of the rent is covered by my new BILT Mastercard. But for now it will be like keeping my savings under my mattress.
our account showing the accumulation of 2000 points
The NYS Social Services System has inconsistencies that can make financial security very challenging. For someone not familiar with this system, it might not make any sense. In fact, that is because it is not sensible.
Nassau County Department of Social Services
A Closed System
Social Services is a closed system. In other words if one area increases, another area will decrease rather than also increase. For example, when there is a COLA (cost of living) increase in monthly social security payments, food stamp payments will decrease.
Logic would dictate that if the cost of living increases, the cost of food also increases. But the closed system concludes that if an individual receives a greater social security payment, there is less need for assistance with food purchases.
Another example is that increases to income through other sources and benefits can lessen if not eliminate ones eligibility for food stamps. In other words, it can best to get a direct increase in food stamps rather than an increase in monthly income.
In addition, if an individual’s income increase is great enough, one can lose Medicaid benefits. That can result in a loss of coverage for medical expenses that are covered under Medicaid. Medicaid coverage is substantially greater than Medicare coverage. Therefore if one needs financial assistance from the social services system, it is better to qualify for more help rather than less help.
New York State Local Social Services Departments
The Inconsistencies
Because of the inconsistencies within the social services system, it is important to learn how it works. A good place to start is with a social worker at a community senior center. Actually these professionals often schedule visits to senior residential facilities offering their services at no cost.
The NYC Department of Social Services
In addition, counties have facilities where individuals can learn about and apply for financial assistance. To find one, check on Google. In the Sources & Resources section below are links to several social services departments. They include New York State and counties within it.
A vintage Victor 63 key adding machine on Pinterest. com
Guide to Choosing a Credit Card from Upon Arriving.com
