Radio dies; dozens mourn the loss of ga ga.

Please don’t try to tell me that radio died thirty years ago. I know that whole story. Maybe in your world that’s the way it went. In mine, radio lived until about 24 hours ago. When I was a kid my grandparents had an old-fashioned wireless that would’ve been right at home alongside one of …

A foolproof method for looking smarter without actually being…well, smarter

I’m sure you’re expecting me to give you sage advice about how you can improve your intellectual life by performing various yoga positions, by drinking lots of ginseng tea, or by reading through the entire syllabus of a college literature course. I’m not going to do that. Firstly, I am not a sage. In fact, …

Call me, maybe, not

Why do kids always think their life will be so much better once they grow up? Or…do kids still think that? I often find myself observing that kids’ lives today are already so much like those of their parents, there’s really no point in growing up at all. I’m frequently stunned by what to me …

Where have you been all my life, Rosemary?

No, I’m not talking about George Clooney’s aunt. I know she’s dead. I’m talking about Rosemary the herb, and I’m going to write her name like that, capital R, because for me, she is the Queen of All Things Culinary. I grew up in a culture of daily home cooking. We are not a people …

Everyone’s favorite toy, no more

You are looking at the last Lego brick from my once large childhood collection. Out of hundreds of pieces I had as a kid, this is the only one left. The others weren’t lost in some kind of senseless Legocide. I don’t want you to think that I was a violent child, one of those …