Monthly Archives: August 2017

Connecting to WiFi in a Doctor’s Office

Posted on August 30, 2017 by Roger Walck

Because of my wife’s medical problems, I have been spending more time in doctor’s waiting rooms. Almost all have password-protected WiFi available for use with my tablet, and the receptionist cheerfully gives me the password. That was a big help … Continue reading →

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The Great Eclipse Flop of 2017

Posted on August 28, 2017 by Roger Walck

On Monday I was in the midst of people with protective glasses all excited by the so-called solar eclipse and what they actually saw was a brief celestial dimness. Any Midwestern thunderstorm is vastly more spectacular. —Garrison Keillor I agree … Continue reading →

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Uncle John, Blowin’ Off the Stink

Posted on August 25, 2017 by Roger Walck

My Uncle John (uncle by marriage) came from South Philly and talked exactly like Frank Rizzo. He even looked a lot like him, heavy-set, but solid, not flabby. Uncle John worked for Tasty Baking and supplied the family with rejected … Continue reading →

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The Girl That I Marry

Posted on August 23, 2017 by Roger Walck

I’ll admit it here, but don’t tell anyone else. I was watching an old Lawrence Welk program dedicated to Irving Berlin. (Hey, it was a rainy day!) I was carefully listening to the lyrics of “The Girl That I Marry” … Continue reading →

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Lonely In a Crowd

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Roger Walck

BBC Online: http://www.bbc.com/news/av/magazine-40973529/lele-tao-the-online-goddess-who-earns-450k-a-year/ I look to Asia to see our future, and it is of isolation in the midst of increasing population. It is also about attempts to relieve loneliness with Internet connections. This latest series of the BBC documents … Continue reading →

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Octogenarian Sleeping and Eating Habits

Posted on August 18, 2017 by Roger Walck

In my college days at Penn State, naps were a planned activity, not just something  casually drifted into. When asked about my schedule, I might say something like, “I have an early lab from 8 to 10, then back to … Continue reading →

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My Occidental Face

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Roger Walck

When my Asian wife and I were first married over 55 years ago, I quickly recognized a fundamental difference in the way we started each day. My face has two definite sides, and I wash each separately, first one side … Continue reading →

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Buddhism-2

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Roger Walck

“American Nirvana,” by Adam Gopnik. The New Yorker, August 7 & 14, 2017. I don’t recommend this article to everyone. Adam Gopnik is a prolific staff writer for The New Yorker, and has a great mind, but a mind often … Continue reading →

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Bat Catching

Posted on August 11, 2017 by Roger Walck

Most evenings in reasonable weather, winter and summer, I walk counterclockwise around the Unitarian church across the street before I go to bed. I cut through their side parking lot, through an adjoining parking lot belonging to an MRI medical … Continue reading →

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Speaking German: Sun Tickle

Posted on August 11, 2017 by Roger Walck

Years ago, while I was lifeguarding part-time at our local Jewish Community Center, a German lady would come into the pool almost every day. She was very proud of growing up in Berlin, and would constantly tell everyone, even strangers, … Continue reading →

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