Category Archives: Uncategorized

THE RUM CAKE—A VALENTINE’S STORY. Annalisa sent me a story from Reddit. In 1956, while attending Fordham, the actor Alan Alda met Arlene Weiss, who was attending Hunter College. They bonded at a mutual friend’s dinner party; when a rum … Continue reading →

YOURS FAITHFULLY. I posted here about how Debra Tannen’s students treat an e mail to a professor as a formal business document with a “complimentary close”. I remembered that letters in the Economist used to use “Yours faithfully” as a … Continue reading →

MEDITATION COMES TO PATERFAMILIAS. Some eight or ten years ago, I heard a broadcast on NPR which recommended something like meditation for people having trouble going to sleep. The recommendation was a four step process which would help you pay … Continue reading →

SCANDINAVIAN EGG COFFEE. Annalisa sent me this youtube video showing how to make Scandinavian egg coffee. The process includes adding a whole raw egg, including the shell, to the coffee. The resulting coffee is less bitter. My reaction is: Why … Continue reading →

DEBRA TANNEN: EVERY USE OR NONUSE OF TEXTING SENDS OUT METAMESSAGES. In this article in the Atlantic (April 17, 2017), Debra Tannen describes some of the array of signals that accompany the words in an electronic message. She calls them … Continue reading →

WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU SEND BY HOW QUICKLY YOU RESPOND TO A TEXT MESSAGE? I posted here a week ago about the fact that some linguists and many people who text attach great significance to whether a text concludes with … Continue reading →

ACKNOWLEDGING LONELINESS. Isolation can be a rough measure of loneliness. Juric says that: “researchers have … found that, when it comes to health effects, there is little difference between isolation and the perception of loneliness.” Figures for Canada, the US … Continue reading →