Rising hopes...

Did you know that there are about six different types of leavening to be bought here in Italy? None of which, of course, are familiar to me. Apparently my dismal returns on bread-making in the last month have all been attributed to my having used the wrong types of leavening, although the "Beer-yeast" for "pizzas and breads" sounded like a sure thing. The correct yeast, I have now been informed, is located with the butters in the refrigerated section. Go figure.

Tomorrow they connect the internet in our apartment... I've been looking forward to this date with such fevered anticipation that I can now hardly contain myself. Skype! Allrecipes.com! E-mail! Google! Because honestly, a heated discussion at midnight about the exact location of Helsinki begs to be promptly resolved.

I'll try not to let the newfound access to all things web-ly impinge on my reading spree, however. Since being unemployed again, I've been switching between Jane Austin, the "Twilight" series, and narrative explainations of the American health care system for immigrants. All of this has resulted in feeling rather bookish and intelligent, and helped to assure me that my 17 years of schooling havn't completely annhialated my will to self-educate.

For all these feelings of superiority, at least I have my temper to humble me. A bout of embarassing impatience at our Tango lessons last night has given me the homework assignment to control my more restless side. This extends from Tango box-step annoyance to the rage I feel every time I see Silvio Berlusconi's face on the TV. I hereby vow that I will not hit things when he denies the indisputable sexual exploits.

Apropos, does anyone follow him over States-side? I feel like his glaring hypocricy, corruption, and licentiousness would make him delicious fodder for the American media, but I see very little about him in my regular news sources.

Here's hoping that a job crops up soon... if not, the convenient thing will be being able to come home unhindered for Christmas!