Epic win

On Monday, my papers arrived. Weren't it for the strike of state employees, they would have arrived on Friday and I could have signed up for the university on Friday or Monday, the 15th being the deadline for signing up with a minor fee. From Tuesday, the fine is 60 euros. On Tuesday, I wanted to get things done so I went to the general area, the main jobs being paying the school fees at the post office and signing up. And getting the codice fiscale, whatever it may be, if there's time enough. The post office at Via Cavour is open only until 1330, I discovered, around three. I went to the postal HQ of Quartiere 1, somewhere around Sta. Croce (across half of the centre), waited an hour in the queue and got to the students' office three minutes after they closed. In such things, the Italians are very punctual.
I cussed and went home to knit.
On Wednesday, I waited in one queue to get the codice fiscale, there was a line for it in the enrolment form and since the form was already messy enough, I wanted to get at least something right, then went to the students' office to hang there in the queue. I sat, knitted the sweater for my secret Etsy Christmas/New Year swap partner, cussed the system with other Italians when someone shouted at me You're the one who went with me to the Finnish course years ago. Carola. Now, there are around three more people whom I haven't met yet and admittedly, those whom I don't really wish to meet too badly. The world is smaller than expected. We chatted for a while, exchanged phone numbers, then my turn came.
I told the guy that I want to sign up. He took my passport, computered for a while and then said But you're already signed up. It's not possible, I replied. They had me in The System since I was there as an exchange student. Anyhow, the guy read very carefully the papers, stared, said nothing and then went to print my student card. Apparently, nothing missing, no problem, no need to get my tax declaration or parents' birth certificates or a presentation letter from my church minister. I asked how do I pay the fines for late enrollment. The guy gave me a blank look, like, what fines? then checked in the computer and said that The System says that I don't have to pay any. I asked whether for sure, he said For sure and then I ran away. Just in case. I wonder whether the fact that they had my name and stuff in the computer since Pleistocene caused that it thought no fines for me but whatever it was, I seem to have saved 160 euros for the accumulated late submissions of various forms.
I went for a walk and some gift shopping. I planned to get some kitschy Catholic Christmas cards with some nativity scene in way too many colours but I didn't find any such even in the San Paolo bookshop full of religious books and such. I believe such materials are sold only in church sisterhoods to people with a good security check. At least the good old expensive Tassoti had something with awful kitschy angels in more colours than it should be legal so I got a pack of the cheaper ones (they were expensive. The less cheap ones would be damn freaking expensive) for the Completely and Pointless Card exchange, I plan to get those with a penis (this is an insider joke. Don't try to understand) to get the right feeling.
I took a few pictures of Florence but I have to photoshop them later.