Monthly Archives: December 2017

Knowing Everything

Posted on December 31, 2017 by Roger Walck

“Know It All,” by Kathryn Schulz. The New Yorker, 10/16/2017. Kathryn Schulz has become one of my favorite authors.  I have written about her before. The Oxford University Press publishes a unique series of books called the “Very Short Introduction” … Continue reading →

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New Year’s Eve At Ocean City and On the Chester Ferry

Posted on December 29, 2017 by Roger Walck

Many years ago, Jerry Jerome and his wife were living in Ocean City, and my wife and I were at their house for a New Year’s Eve party. After midnight, I walked alone to the beach and boardwalk. I walked … Continue reading →

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The Basement of the Peirce–du Pont House at Longwood Gardens

Posted on December 27, 2017 by Roger Walck

The older part of the basement (the south end) is a warren of small rooms that were built originally in 1730, or added over the many years since. The rooms join each other seemingly at random, so it is easy … Continue reading →

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The Ocean City Chatterbox For Sale Again

Posted on December 24, 2017 by Roger Walck

The Chatterbox restaurant in downtown Ocean City is for sale again, according to a newspaper clipping sent to me by Nancy (Leith) Musser of our high school class. The Chatterbox had been in business for a little over 80 years … Continue reading →

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Words Of the Day: Peplum and Ghosting

Posted on December 22, 2017 by Roger Walck

“Shirttails,” by Henry Alford.  The New Yorker, 12/18 & 25/2017. I came across “peplum” in The New Yorker’s The Talk Of the Town section, their collection of short pieces of local items that begins each issue. This one was about … Continue reading →

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Mistletoe At Longwood Gardens

Posted on December 20, 2017 by Roger Walck

There is none, plain and simple. Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that attaches itself to tree branches, sucking out water and nutrients. Severe infestations can kill the host tree, but only one or two results in stunted growth. The mistletoe … Continue reading →

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Safety In Car Commercials

Posted on December 17, 2017 by Roger Walck

I understand the new cars of today feature automatic collision detection and breaking. I understand that the auto manufacturers want us to appreciate the value of these new devices. But how did we manage before all of this automation? Their … Continue reading →

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Tooling Around In Our Cars

Posted on December 15, 2017 by Roger Walck

What must foreigners think of us? Especially Asians. We talk a good game about saving the world by saving energy, yet our advertising shows us wildly driving our cars just for entertainment. Our smiling mouths are wide open in glee … Continue reading →

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Speed Bumps At the Mall

Posted on December 13, 2017 by Roger Walck

For a short while, Delaware had a live webcam (now gone) aimed at a speed bump on a road that goes around the perimeter of the huge Christiana Mall. The speed bumps are spaced all along that road, about 1/2 … Continue reading →

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Why Cancer Metastasizes

Posted on December 10, 2017 by Roger Walck

“The Invasion Equation,” by Siddhartha Mukherjee. The New Yorker, 9/11/2017. When I was lifeguarding at an indoor pool, many users would come in wearing flip-flops. They would wear them right up to the pool ladder and leave them by the … Continue reading →

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