newsflash!

Italian high court bans public crotch grabbing. I find this news ironic because of my most vivid memory from when I visited Milan for 24 hours in 1990 (the only trip I've made to Italy) with my travel partner in crime Gabriela. We were walking down a dimly lit street to get dinner somewhere near our hostel when we heard some foul grunting noises and saw a hefty old man wacking off in an adjoining alleyway. We laughed it off, and forgot about it over dinner. Hours later, on our way back to the hostel, the same man was in the same alleyway, seemingly still at work.

We went back to the hostel and didn't leave again until daylight. The next morning we caught a train bound for Geneva.

What do I remember from my one trip to Italy? Not the Duomo. Not La Scala. Not even the meal that I shared with Gabriela. But a freakin' Italian wack job.