rome: cultural wasteland

As an American living in Rome for the past 4 years, I've come to know and love this city for its rough edged beauty, its history, and the pride of its citizens. What I'm getting a little tired of is its notable disinterest in the updating its culture. I mean, I'm really stuck in fetid backwater here. No, not stuck, mired. But, I refuse to become like all the pond life I find around me.

How do I combat cultural inertia? I police cyberspace. Thank you Bill Gates and Steve Jobs and all of you geeks past, present and future for providing me with a way to connect to the ideas, images and sounds of other little individuals in this big, big world.

So, with the best of intentions and with coffee-and-donut-fueled vigor, I begin my vigil here. This is my very first post.