Patrisha

February 3, 2007

Next: Yogurt Maker and Misc Other Stuff

First Entry Today

Italian Phrase of the Day: {These come from An Italian Phrase a Day desk calendar} La soddisferebbe di accompagnarci? Would you like to accompany us?

My comment on this: No, grazie! Voglio stare nella mia casa. C’è troppa neve! No thank you! I want to stay at home. There is too much snow! {Although, actually in real life I have to go out for a massage this afternoon.}

So far this morning, I have done some Very Confusing Italian homework with object pronouns and boiled the milk for some more yogurt. I have also rediscovered two things. There is NO shortcut for bringing milk to the boil without it burning at the bottom of the pan. One has to stay there and stir and stir and stir. I have also rediscovered that burned-on milk can be cleaned off a pan. {Not this batch, but the last which tells you how long I have had it soaking!.} The present batch of boiled milk is cooling down to room temperature in the refrigerator and then will be turned into yummy and nutritious yogurt.

Have I mentioned I LURVE my Italian teacher? I told her where I was think of going to school in Lucca and sent her a link. She has given me the email address of a friend of hers who actually went there! And she {la prof} gave me a couple of things to think about. She said that she could find no reference to Internet access for students on the site so I should ask about that and she also said I should enquire about being able to have accommodation on the ground or first floors {what Americans would call the first or second floor} because of the difficulty I have with a lot of stairs. So, I sent email with those questions. No answer as yet.
Things to do today:

work on the confusing uses of nessuno/nulla
as soon as the afore-mentioned milk has cooled to room temperature, make the yogurt and put it in the warmer to incubate
work on preparing a short oral explanation of why Bologna calls itself the multiethnic city. "Bologna si chiamo il città multietnica." {Incidentally, I am nowhere near as panic-stricken as I used to be when asked to explain something like this. It is, of course, because I have had time to prepare.}
clean off the snow from my car and pray it will start.
go for a massage

QUOTATIONS FOR THIS MONTH: Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Mark Twain

I don’t think about risks much. I just do what I want to do. If you gotta go, you gotta go.

Lillian Carter

Until later….

Pat

February 4, 2007

That was very nice of your teacher. I hope you get a response because those were very good questions. I do hope you have Internet access for very selfish reasons!

goodbye bleeder

I’m super proud of you for taking these steps to see about the trip. I also love your quote of the month, quite fitting. It’s super, super cold here. With the wind chill it’s about -26. Thankfully I do not have to leave the house either today.

LightButHearty

I could give you a whole explaination about lactose and burning but I’m feeling generous and happy…and I don’t want to make my friend Patrisha vexed at me.

TheWoodsprite

I hope they have Internet access for you and the kind of room location you want, so that you can go and not have to search for another school instead. And I hope your car starts, too! :o) !! hugs, Weesprite

bambamgotchatwice

I love the new quotes! I’m so intrigued by the yogurt maker. How much space does it take up?

Issued Puppet

There is something you do to the pan to keep the milk from burning or sticking or wrecking the pan….I can’t remember but think it’s in my old Joy of Cooking. I’ll dig it out and see if I can help you!

Mezzo

Amy and I are going for manicures, pedicares, and Swedish massages this coming Friday! I can hardly wait!!!!!!!!! Love to you! ~M

RiverCity

I wonder what would happen if you microwaved the milk. We have had a relatively snowless winter so far–but it’s of course bad logic to believe that February means the end of winter. Italy–cool!

Love the quotes for this month!!!

Lachlanne

I love the Mark Twain quote! 🙂 Good luck with nessuno/nulla. RYN: If you use Firefox as your browser, then the sound files won’t play. There are sound bites of Eva’s songs on Amazon — at least for her album Songbird, which is the one I purchased. ~

🙂 Go Patricia!

gray tabby

a good teacher can make learning fun. it was awfully nice of her to give you a contact name for your trip. making yogurt at home seems like it’s a lot of work. is it so much better than store bought that it’s worth the effort? take care,

Aloneforever

As a former teacher yourself, I’m sure you know full well that a teacher’s technique can either make or break a student’s capacity to learn. You’re fortunate to have gotten a good one. frank

raeven

Have you tried using nonfat, dried milk instead of the scalded milk? just make it with warm water and it will do just fine for yogurt.. and much cheaper as well…

What a helpful teacher! Ground floor accomodations and internet access are both things that you will “lurv”. 🙂 ryn-Thank you for the encouragement, Patricia.

Love Green Light

The car starting thing is actually a worry for me too each day now that it is SO cold outside. Our high was 4 today, but my car started this AM so I could go to the store. Thank goodness.

O.k., you guys must absolutely LOVE yogurt! LOL I can’t stand it. I think it has to do with being in the hospital so many times and that always being the first ” soft” food they bring me. UGH! HUgs, M

Does that say, massage? I want a massage! LOL! I hope your car starts. We have the luxury of a covered garage. I plan to plug in at work when need to.:) As for the Italian school, it sounds exciting.

I’m glad she gave you some things to think about! There’d be nothing worse than arriving there and realising you have to walk up 15 flights of stairs everyday.