I Was the Latin Speed-Declension Champ of 6th Grade

Last night, a friend told me I am "in transition." I now realize I feel transitive, which is possibly more accurate.

tran·si·tive (trăn'sĭ-tĭv, -zĭ-) pronunciation
adj.

1. (Abbr. trans. or tr. or t.) Grammar. Expressing an action carried from the subject to the object; requiring a direct object to complete meaning. Used of a verb or verb construction.
2. Characterized by or involving transition.
3. Logic & Mathematics. Of or relating to a relationship between three elements such that if the relationship holds between the first and second elements and between the second and third elements, it necessarily holds between the first and third elements. Examples of transitive relationships are equality for numbers and divisibility for integers.

No, I take that back. I would like to feel transitive and not in transition. At least then there is a direction to point my discontent. You know, an object to blame.

Do you know it is not that hard to teach yourself to read Greek? When I studied Latin (for seven years, yes, my frightened children, seven), I had the opportunity to study Greek if I wished, as well. I did not. I have always regretted that. But in a back-of-the-mind regretting way, not in a conscious enough way to pursue actually studying it. Then I read "The Professor and the Madman" last week, about the OED editor and a crazy contributor, and realized I can actually sorta read Greek. The beginning of each chapter has an OED word definition. Greek roots are written in Greek. And, shockingly, I learned that Greek letters are nearly like their Latin relatives. That and the fact that I still recognize things like "theta" from high school math. (Which is a shocker, considering I spent most of high school calculus drinking coffee and eating egg-and-cheese sandwiches at the local deli. My teacher, Mr. Econ [real name], used to ask us to get him some coffee, pronounced "cawfee," too.) It's kind of a geeky head trip to try to read Greek, and then to write about trying to read Greek, but I'm pleased to know that things I thought were long-lost desires are still possible, and possibly more transparent than my brain had decided.

Everything, occasionally, is within reach. Transitively.