Way Off Topic (was Bottom paint and fairing)

All this talk of Latin makes me wonder if anyone else encountered this ancient rhyme? O sibili, si ergo: Fortibuses in ero. O nobili, demis trux. Se vatis enum? Cowsndux. I did pretty well at pronunciation, even though my comprehension was not that good. (Buckling down to memorize vocabulary was never my strong suit.) So one day, the teacher asked me to read aloud one of the calligraphy posters mounted around the room, which was of the poem above. Of course, after I gave a perfect Latin reading... he burst my balloon by reading it aloud himself: Oh, see Billy, see her go: Forty busses in a row. Oh no, Billy. Them is trucks. See what is in 'em? Cows and ducks. This episode did not add significantly to my enthusiasm for Latin. Alfred Poor 1969 Cal 29 #132, "Pentaquod"

Alfred Poor wrote: > > > > > This episode did not add significantly to my enthusiasm for Latin. > > > I didn't have a lot of enthusiasm for learning anything in high school. That came later (my theory is that education is wasted on the young). At least your teacher injected a note of fun into the class--that's sometimes too rare in schools. In the movie last night, the Johnsons crossing Europe in their boat, it was Exy Johnson who handled the languages. The film showed her conversing in usable French and German with customs officers. It's a useful talent for sailors. Chris Campbell