Yes, learning is Fun-ny.

I am extremely lucky. That’s what I’m trying to tell Italians. In their language. Lucky, of course, because I am in Italy. In Sardinia. Living with my Italian true love.  Here’s the Italian for I am extremely lucky:  Mi sento fortunatissimo. Sounds beautiful. The phonetic English equivalent is mee sen-to for-too-na-tee-see-mo.  But how do I remember these words?  I do it by thinking of an editor I used to work for. His surname was Cento. I pretend I’m him. Saying ‘Me, Cento.’ Then I think of four fish. I say, ‘Four tuna.’  And I add the pleasant ending refrain of tee-see-mo.  I neatly rattle off the whole thing. Sounding like a learned Italian.  That may sound a bit complicated. But it works. When I picture in my mind Bill Cento and four tuna. Reminds me. When I was in grade school and a teacher taught me to spell geography by remembering the sentence ‘George Evans Old Grandfather Rode A Pig Home Yesterday.’ Yes, learning is Fun-ny. –Jim Broede