Parla Pickup?

I'm sitting here with Ms. Stone and a glass of wine.

There is one word in Level 5 (yes, there's a level 5!) I obviously am not Italian enough to pronounce.

I'll get to that word in a minute.

I spend hours every day looking for new ways to improve my comprehension, reading, writing, and conversational Italian.

1) I've started focusing more on original language Italian films, vice dubbed over masterpieces such as Rambo (however much I still enjoy them). I have my own copy of L'Ultimo Bacio (The Last Kiss), which I watch with the Italian subtitles turned on - it helps to see the words.  I also credit this film for my discovery of how to effectively use the Italian equivalent of the f-word in many contexts as well.

2) I watch the news.  This morning there was quite the discussion about kebab stands infiltrating Tuscany (there is much more to the story, but no need to go into that here).  I whipped out my copy of La Repubblica, as I recall a kebab story in there as well, and proceeded to translate.  Me, my cappuccino, WordReference.com, newspaper, and TV - all immersed in kebab drama this morning.  So much for my review of Alsace and Loire Valley before class.  But I'm up on what the deal is with ethnic restaurants.

3) I do language exchanges with Italian friends, listen only to Italian radio, including the commercials, read every label, sign, wine bottle, Italian language blogs, tweets, and even have Italian "Words of the Day" e-mailed to me every day.  I sleep with an Italian text book IN my bed, as every night, and some mornings, I read a few pages.  I have an entire playlist of Italian songs on the iPod I listen to when I hike. I use only Italian in restaurants, stores, and have asked my Yoga teacher to not use English on my account if I'm the only foreigner in the class (although he does throw me the occasional bone with Sanskrit pose names).

4) I stuck a pink Post-It with the word "sgabbuzzino" on what I thought was my sgabuzzino (closet), but is really an armadio (wardrobe). Close enough. I like the word sgabuzzino, and snicker every time I walk past it, proud to now know the difference, yet, *snicker* ... "sgabuzzino" - the pink stickie remains.

5) Finally, Italian outbursts. If I'm in an English conversation and the next phrase comes into my brain in Italian, well, that's how it comes out of my mouth. Sometimes, out of nowhere, I'll just start spewing words in Italian because I'm happy to not have to think too hard about how to express something in this beautiful language. 

So the word that is kicking my proverbial ass right now on Rosetta Stone?  The word that has taken me a week to finally pronounce like, apparently, a "real" Italian would?

Pickup.  As in pick-up truck.  Seriously.

Yes, Level 5 is the lesson pertaining to industry, farming, and shopping (um, too late, I have the word stivali (boots) down pat, thank you very much).  Chickens, goats, donkeys, cows, tractors, coal, shovels, wood, steel, trucks, and corn. Yep. Although it's easy to confuse pig (maiale) and honey (miele), and ball (palla) and shovel (pala) - hey - this is important stuff here!  The only reason I already knew "wood" and "steel" was from reading the back of so many wine bottles - as it's important to know the difference between being aged in wood, steel, pigs, or balls.

And here I thought the word "agricola" - aGREEcola was going to trip me up.  Nope.  Pickup.

Peek-up.

Peek-a-up.

Peek-a-UPpa.

Peek-the-f**-UP.  Pickup!

Che c***zo?! Questo non e parola italiana! (What the f***?! This is not an Italian word!)

I'm screaming at Ms. Stone at this point. And like I said, I got the parolaccia (cuss words) down (see number 1). But, sadly enough, not the pickup.

NOTE: I have since been informed that pickup, like"internet", has been added to the Italian dictionary. 

A week later, I finally got peekUPpa down.

Tomorrow I'm going to a winery in Perugia - let's see if this lesson comes in handy, shall we?