Just do it # 5: Learn to speak survival Italian

I wanted to learn thirty phrases of survival Italian because:

1. I have the bladder of a five year old and can definitely see myself needing to ask "Dov'e la toilette???" in a panic.

2. I think Italian is the sexiest language ever. Even "Where is the bathroom?" sounds better when it's in Italian (see #1).

3. My brain is becoming mushy from constantly surfing the most insipid websites. For instance, I spent a half hour tonight checking out an amateurish soap opera that was filmed in an Ikea. (Haven't seen Ikea Heights yet? Check it out for a laugh!) Learning even a little bit of a language will be a strenuous and much-needed mental workout.

4. I want to learn a few naughty phrases to whisper to Dan (see #2). Voglio il tuo corpo...


Dan and I board a plane for Rome in approximately 28 weeks, six days, two hours, and forty minutes. Not that I'm counting down already or anything! To start to plan our trip, we went to Tuscan Brio Grille, a chain restaurant near the local mall, and ordered several $3.00 Tuscan-themed appetizers and drinks during their happy hour special. We then set up camp reading our Rick Steve's travel book and practicing our Italian with flashcards. Before anyone says anything, I realize the irony of us going to a chain restaurant rather than one of the many authentic Italian hole-in-the-wall joints in town. We went to Brio for the cheap appetizers, but kept joking about the yuppie atmosphere. Dan wittily remarked at one point, "These marble tables must date all the way back to 2007."

What the restaurant lacked in authenticity, it made up with in cheap, yummy food that fit our Italian theme. We were able to dine on beef carpaccio, braised meatballs with marscarpone polenta, "Italian" burgers, two orders of roasted red peppers and fresh mozzarella bruschetta, and wash it all down with a little vino for under twenty bucks. I'm not sure what made the Brio burger "Italian", but it was still delicious.


It was so much fun to dream, even if our trip is still so far off. We debated Sienna vs. Assisi, planned one stay in a nice hotel, and read the mouth-watering restaurant descriptions as we noshed on our chain restaurant food. To be honest, with all the gorging and planning, we certainly didn't learn all thirty phrases over dinner. At least I've made the notecards so I can practice over the next few months. After all, I've still got time.

28 weeks, six days, two hours, and forty minutes, to be exact.

Verdict of "Just do it #5": Mi dispiace, but this challenge is still in progress. I'll update again in April! I'll also update on fun trip details once we keep planning.

***

For my next "Just do it Challenge #6", I'm going to take a six-week, creative writing class. This has been on my to do list for years now. The class starts Monday, and if I come up with anything decent, I may even share a bit of my writing here. I've got to say that I'm a bit nervous and hope all the other participants aren't the next Mark Twains and Ernest Hemingways...