Monthly Archives: December 2013

Belin the Cat at Longwood Gardens

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Roger Walck

I mentioned in the previous posting that Belin, the head resident cat at Longwood, totally ignored me on Christmas Day because I never feed him. Just a week before, the weather was unusually warm, and he was sunning himself in … Continue reading →

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A Perfect Christmas Morning at Longwood

Posted on December 27, 2013 by Roger Walck

At home, there has always been a gap in the Christmas Day activities between mid-morning, after everyone has exchanged presents and has had breakfast, and late afternoon as relatives began to gather for Christmas dinner.  Over the years, more activities—church … Continue reading →

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Hikikomori and Otaku

Posted on December 22, 2013 by Roger Walck

The June 22 posting discussed the current phenomenon of hikikomori, where huge numbers of young Japanese men remain alone in their bedrooms all day to play computer games, using sites like Facebook for their social contacts while their doting parents … Continue reading →

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LAHS School Board

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Roger Walck

There has been some interest in the old posting of 6/25/2005 on our school board.  That was posted on the Microsoft website who has since gotten out of web hosting.  They transferred all of the postings to the current WordPress … Continue reading →

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Nexus 7

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Roger Walck

I recently bought a Nexus 7 tablet mainly to show stored photographs to Longwood Gardens visitors, but that alone seemed extravagant, so I was looking for additional uses.  Sure enough, like so many others, I have already found I am … Continue reading →

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Winston S. Churchill, Author

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Roger Walck

I have never been aware of differences in writing style as clearly as I recognize differences in speech of those I know well.  Winston Churchill always spoke in an unforgettable style, so I thought I could learn something about writing … Continue reading →

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Silos

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Roger Walck

Has anyone noticed the silos that once dotted our countryside have mostly disappeared?  What has happened to them all?  A barn with an attached silo is an icon of rural America, but on a trip this summer through Virginia, Tennessee, … Continue reading →

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Girl Dialect

Posted on December 7, 2013 by Roger Walck

California girls have been known for talking in a dialect referred to as “valley girl talk,” or “uptalk,”  where they raise the pitch at the end of each sentence as if it were a question. Now, the BBC reports, the … Continue reading →

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Old Men Hitting on Old Women

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Roger Walck

As we approach our late 70s and into our 80s, our bodies become disgusting even to ourselves, and many ladies think, “Who would be interested in this?”  Then they get a big surprise. For about twenty years, I worked part-time … Continue reading →

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Snowy Days at Longwood Gardens

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Roger Walck

You hurry along the path to the Main Conservatory, hunched over on a morning that is dark, cold, and windy.  Snow is falling and already some is sticking on the grass and trees.  You wonder what possessed you to come … Continue reading →

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