“LOST MUSKET DIARY” Friday July 11, 2014

Sunny 80F/ 27C in Rancho Las Musket

Going through my mail this morning, I came across a flyer from nearby Saddleback College. Since I’m still one Algebra class short of an Associate’s Degree in History, I looked up Saddleback’s web address and started trolling. They do have the math class that I need, and, they also have a variety of classes for those of us who want to learn……….ta dah…….ITALIAN! Both are offered on line, which would give me a work around, because I’m hoping to be in Italy this fall behaving like an Italian. You know, ignoring stop signs and traffic lights and taking your dog into the restaurant with you, drinking espresso night and day and passing on that dish of ice cream to order Gelato. Seeing the Italian class on the schedule really helps solve a problem for me. I want to learn Italian, so I can better communicate with my in-laws in Rome and be able to get around more easily in general when I’m there.

Amazingly, San Joaquin Delta College, where I went when I was living in Stockton, dropped its Italian language classes in a budget cutback. This struck me as odd because this part of California was settled by Italian immigrants who brought their grapevines with them. When they failed to strike it rich up in the Sierra looking for gold, many of them came back to the flatlands and planted vineyards. The Lodi area adjacent to Stockton is now the Lodi Appellation, home of some of the finest red wines in the world. Lodi’s “Old Vine Zinfandel” is produced from vines which date back to their first plantings in the 1850s. To me Delta College’s choice for a budget adjustment was a slap in the face of a pillar of California History. So I had to take Spanish, which is very close to Italian, so I didn’t feel too bad.  I did pick up a class at the Italian Cultural Society up in Sacramento. But, that was just a starter course for travelers. Plus, I’m out of range now and I’ve been scrambling around to find a handy Italian class. So, I’m looking into this and I’ll keep you posted. I actually love Internet classes. You can study at any time of day or night and you don’t have to try to find a parking place within a mile of your classroom. Besides, college campuses are like the “Land of the Zombies” anymore. What with all these snot-nose kids lurching around staring at the screens of their I-phones texting to God knows who. The quad used to be so vibrant. Now it’s like any government office with acres of cubicles and little robots sitting in front of computer screens while the low hum of office equipment fills the air. I just wish the Italian Cultural Society offered Internet classes. I’ve still got my textbook and my Italian-English dictionary. Besides with Skype, I always have a way to practice my Italian with my Italian friends in Rome. I can even help them learn English.

Hmmm! Looking back over what I’ve written, I realize that I really deviated from my plan. I was going to send along an update on Lola and my life with my “companion dog.” But we’ll have to move that over to another day. I also think it's time to revisit the historical occurrence that lent it's name to the working title for this blog, "Lost Musket Diary." Until next time, gentle reader, think El Conquistador y el Trabuco. Until next time.....

Ciao,

MikeBo