Monthly Archives: January 2018

Janelle Monae and Her Grammy Speech

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Roger Walck

I turned off the Grammy Awards program somewhere midway though Janelle Monae’s speech, not because I was offended, but because I had heard much like it before. Someone who has become famous by their artistic ability or just because they … Continue reading →

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Suspenders

Posted on January 28, 2018 by Roger Walck

I have recently taken to wearing suspenders (Levi’s, Dickies, or Dockers, available everywhere), that are a sure badge of my Larry King geezerism. At least during the winter. Come spring, we’ll see. (Trivia: Suspenders did not always exist. Samuel Clemens, … Continue reading →

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Eagle Mania

Posted on January 26, 2018 by Roger Walck

Philadelphia is in the midst of Eagle football mania. Local news programs are filled with bar scenes of yelling, drunken millennials in Eagles shirts, some even in face paint, claiming they are number one! One news clip showed a kindergarten … Continue reading →

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Bratz versus Barbie versus Lilli

Posted on January 24, 2018 by Roger Walck

“Valley Of the Dolls,” by Jill Lepore. The New Yorker, 1/28/2018. Many a mother has given her approval when her young daughter asks to go to the mall to get a new Barbie doll, but comes home with a Bratz … Continue reading →

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Barren Island

Posted on January 21, 2018 by Roger Walck

“Time Capsule, ” by David Owen. The New Yorker, 1/15/2018, “The Talk of the Town.” Barren Island hangs down from Brooklyn and is not an island in the conventional sense. It is a desolate area with an abandoned airfield (Floyd … Continue reading →

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Tasting Spots

Posted on January 19, 2018 by Roger Walck

About a year ago, Nancy Leith Musser from our class sent me a Penn State hoodie. I love it! Hoodies are much more practical than I thought. They have a wide front pocket that can be reached from either side … Continue reading →

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Tell Me Something I Don’t Know

Posted on January 17, 2018 by Roger Walck

I came across a click-bait article  on the Internet titled “40 Ways Your Body Changes After 40.” Clever title, but that was the only clever thought in the article.  It is probably gone by now. It was so obvious, I … Continue reading →

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Ever and Anon

Posted on January 14, 2018 by Roger Walck

An extinct old phrase, ever and anon means “now and then,” with the implication of repetition and some frequency. (Anon alone means “in a short time.”) I first came across “ever and anon” in Melville’s Moby-Dick (which I consider one … Continue reading →

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Infidelity

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Roger Walck

“Infidelity,” by Zoe Heller. The New Yorker, Dec. 18 & 25, 2017. (Review of “The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity,” by Esther Perel.) This is a very dangerous topic because readers will assume I am posting this for some sort … Continue reading →

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The Death of Marel Harlow

Posted on January 10, 2018 by Roger Walck

I had a long brother-sister relationship with Marel Harlow. Our families were members of the Lansdowne Presbyterian Church, and our parents hoped we would someday marry, but that was not our relationship. I eventually married a Japanese-American, and Marel later … Continue reading →

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