the 36 hour day

After an uneventful 15 or so hours of flying, I walked into morning in Milan. The strange and familiar realization that I have no way to communicate with anyone closed in on me at some point, and on the bus ride from the airport I was reluctant to put on my seat belt at first, so as not to hamper myself any further. The bus dropped me off at the train station, where, newly bought panini in hand (it's not really so hard to communicate after all), I boarded the train for Verona. I happened to sit in a compartment with two sisters from Georgia, and a couple of Sri Lankens. From there, it was a connection to Trent, and then to Levico Terme, a picturesque little town just on the South side of the Italian Alps.

Yesterday was all about fighting to stay awake--even if it meant eating ice cream (in Italy, I have to table my ice cream ban)--and finding some basic supplies on a Sunday, when virtually every shop is closed. Today the talks begin, and though I'm up early, I'm hopeful that I'm rested enough to give myself a shot at understanding whatever small fraction of each talk might be accessible to me. Hopefully I'll get to meet some of the other mathematicians as well; even a day of isolation leaves me thirsty for company (I slept through dinner yesterday).In any case, life is good, I have plenty of pizza and ice cream of the highest calibur at my disposal, there's a lake nearby and so far everything's gone off without a hitch. If you send me a current address I'll try to send you a postcard. More updates to follow.