Monthly Archives: April 2016

Gay Talese’s Latest

Posted on April 28, 2016 by Roger Walck

“The Voyeur’s Motel,” by Gay Talese. The New Yorker, 4/11/2016. Gay Talese is probably today’s best writer that you’ve never heard of. He writes non-fiction. Readers of non-fiction are drawn to the topic and rarely notice who wrote it, but … Continue reading →

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A High Fashion Fable

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Roger Walck

One day long ago and far away, maybe ten years ago, maybe in Ohio, a small group of high school students noticed the coolest guy in the hood only tucked in the front of his shirt, leaving the rest hanging … Continue reading →

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The Death of a Classmate

Posted on April 24, 2016 by Roger Walck

Nancy Leith Musser lost two of her high school friends: Blanche Kurtz recently, and Beth Mellott last year. I don’t usually report the deaths of classmates, mainly because I hear of so few, yet I know there must be many … Continue reading →

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Bill Walton, Recreational Cycling, and Jason Gay—All-In-One

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Roger Walck

“Bill Walton’s All About the Bike,” by Jason Gay. The Wall Street Journal, 4/21/2016. Cycling is something I’ve been doing daily for over 40 years, even taking my first son on a pajama ride through the neighborhood before his bedtime … Continue reading →

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Jason Gay’s Way With Words

Posted on April 20, 2016 by Roger Walck

“Let’s Sell New York With Phil Jackson,” by Jason Gay. The Wall Street Journal, 4/18/2016. As I mentioned before, I am a fan of Jason Gay, a sportswriter for The Wall Street Journal. I read him for his way with … Continue reading →

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Horn & Hardart Automats

Posted on April 17, 2016 by Roger Walck

As an almost-Philadelphian, I am an almost-expert on the Automat. Every person who grew up in the Philadelphia area around WWII has been to an Automat. It was free entertainment for children, and adults loved to take us there. It … Continue reading →

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But I Love Calculus!

Posted on April 15, 2016 by Roger Walck

“Calculus Is So Last Century.” by Tianhui Michael Li and Allison Bishop. The Wall Street Journal, 2/5/2016. Math came alive for me when I took calculus. It was trigonometry I hated. Trig involved a lot of memorization of equations, called … Continue reading →

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Lansdowne’s Owen House and Sycamore Tree Park

Posted on April 12, 2016 by Roger Walck

I was reading an early post of May 28, 2007, where I mention the historic Mary Owen House, first built in 1732, and Sycamore Tree Park that preserves a huge sycamore. At the time, I knew nothing about them, but … Continue reading →

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Aging Gracefully According To Cicero

Posted on April 10, 2016 by Roger Walck

“Notable & Quotable: Cicero on Growing Old” (Taken from a new translation by Philip Freeman in “How to Grow Old”). The Wall Street Journal, 4/4/2016. Cicero (106–43 BC) is quoting an imaginary conversation between Scipio and Cato, but we all … Continue reading →

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A Second Career

Posted on April 8, 2016 by Roger Walck

Ta-da! I am employed again, only temporarily, but that is fine because I am temporary, too. I am working as one of those people you see in the TV political commercials scurrying behind and listening intently to the local politician … Continue reading →

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