April 1978 was a watershed momemt when I first time that I completed an entire Sunday NY Times. Finally I felt that I could legitimately call myself a cruciverbalist. Since then, the Sunday NYT crossword has become a weekly ritual, supplemented with crossword anthologies for long plane rides and vacations. That achievement 33 years ago is more meaningful…
Read MoreEver since I can remember I have always wanted to wear glasses. I grew up before contact lenses or LASIK surgery became available, and to me anybody who wore glasses was immediately unique. How many times did I sit at the school lunchroom table and alternatively try on everyone else’s glasses with insightful comments on…
Read MoreI remember one dinner table conversation years ago when all of us kids were challenged to present and defend our favorite word. My father’s favorite word was “magnolia,” which I thought was a sissy word for a family patriarch, and wondered why he did not choose something more high-minded like peace, justice or equity. His…
Read MoreI suppose childhood can be characterized as a process of sorting out misconceptions from reality – the misconceptions can either by foisted upon you inadvertently by adults, or intentionally by perpetuating cultural icons or mores (think Santa, Easter bunny or tooth fairy here), or self imposed. Emerging maturity then is represented by a series of…
Read MoreI arrive past midnight after a long day of traveling – a one day round trip from Chicago to San Francisco and back – and the house is still. Only the dogs are up to greet me, but instead of the appreciative thump of a tail on the floor, they just fuss about me with…
Read MoreIt has been almost two years since my parents died and we cleaned out the house, but I still have a few boxes of random mementos sitting here in my office. Every month I have promised myself to do the final sorting, but have made limited progresses. In this month’s feeble effort I came across…
Read MoreA previous Fanagram discussed the refined art of puttering, an activity that I have mastered. Hanging out is a related but distinct discipline, and one that I completely suck at. Puttering is a solo act that involves some physical activity, while hanging out is a social activity, but one that implies no physical activity. Hanging…
Read MoreI set the five cans on the kitchen counter, awaiting Ellen to conduct the taste test. I will only try one, since to open all of them would be too wasteful; my choices include Harvest Moon, Wild Buffalo Grill, Mediterranean Banquet, French Country Café and New Zealand Summer (which is of course our winter). Each…
Read MoreAs someone who enjoys fiddling around with words, I have always found in interesting to consider how food is described, either on menus or on packaged goods. Here the copywriter has a very limited space to convey as many messages as possible: smell, taste/mouth feel (silky, creamy, hot, spicy), audio (crispy, crackling), sight (beauty shot…
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