Received this e-mail today from the San Giovanni in Fiore:

COMUNE DI SAN GIOVANNI IN FIORE (CS)
UFFICIO DELLO STATO CIVILE
Egregio Signor Thomas J. Lucente Jr.
In evasione alla Vs. richiesta, si comunica che consultato il registro degli atti di nascita di questo Comune dell'anno 1901, non risulta nata nessuna persona con le generalit� di ZAZA Immacolata Annunziata il 25 marzo 1901.
L'UFFICIALE DELLO STATO CIVILE
Rosa ALESSIOI

If I understand this correctly, they are telling me they could find no record of my grandmother's birth in that city. I know that is where she grew up but I was not clear if she was born there. That is why I sent requests to two cities for her.I am concerned, though. This is the city I always thought she was born in. I hope they find her certificate in the other city or I could be facing a serious stumbling block. I need her birth certificate.

Just checked my Freedom of Information Act request with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and I am request number 5,491 of 5,809 pending requests.

I think I have a wait.

I received a letter today from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services acknowledging that it had received my request for the citizenship papers of my grandfather.

The letter does not give a timeline, but it did give me a request number that I can track online, though apparently it is not in the system yet.

It's good to know that is in the works, though, because as I said before, this paperwork is probably going to take the longest to get. I haven't been in a hurry to get the other documents until I know I am close on this one.

"If the first father of the human race was lost for an apple, what would he not have done for a plate of tortellini?"

--a Bolognese poet

Today I mailed four letters to Italy seeking my grandparents' birth certificates and their marriage certificate.

Once again, I went to the post office and the line was even longer today than yesterday and there were only three windows open. When I finally got to the window, I had the same guy as yesterday. Instead of printing out 94-cent stickers he put actual 94-cent stamps on the envelops in case "someone over there collects stamps."

Although I am only seeking three documents, I had to send four letters because I am not completely sure in which town my grandmother was born, so I sent a letter to both towns hoping one of them is right. Though, I had to send the letters in Italian so for all I know, I could be asking to adopt an Italian child or insulting the memory of someone's mother.

In other news, it has now been two weeks since I faxed my Freedom of Information Act request to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I have yet to even hear an acknowledgement that they have even received my request and assigning me a control number as their Web site claims I am supposed to get. If I don't hear anything by Monday, I am going to begin faxing the request every Monday until I hear something. I predict I receive my documents from Italy before I get anything from USCIS. Anyone want to take that bet?

What I thought would be a simple task turned into a minor inconvienience today.

I went to the U.S. Postal Service here in Lima, Ohio, to purchase international reply coupons. I was afraid they wouldn't have them, this not being what you would call a large town. However, I though there was a good chance they would have them because the nearest large city is more than an hour away so the post office serves a fairly large population.

I arrived at the post office around 3 p.m. thinking it would be an in-and-out operation. It was not to be.

First, there was quite a line and only two windows open. I can't help but think if the post office were a private company instead of a government entity, more windows would have been opened in the name of customer service.

When I finally made it to the window, they gentleman was surprised that someone would want such a thing and made it clear he has not sold any of those in years and that they are anachronistic. I don't think they are, but that is neither here nor there. He then began searching through cabinent drawers insisting that some were in there, but he couldn't find any. Finally, he was able to ask someone about them and they had to go to some hidden safe and retrieve them.

Then he wasn't sure what needed to be done to sell them so he had to seek the counsel of others once again.

But, in the end, after about 40 minutes, I finally got my coupons.

Now I have to go back tomorrow and mail some letters to Italy seeking documents. I hope that goes more smoothly.