Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Have you noticed an increase in unwanted phone calls lately? I sure have.
Remember the days when a ringing phone meant that someone you knew, maybe a good friend, wanted to talk to you? As you heard the phone ring, you had the expectation of a nice conversation, some good news, maybe an invitation to a party. Except for the occasional wrong number, it was always someone you knew, often someone you wanted to talk to. Then things changed. Telemarketing became a huge industry and it got to the point that too many of your calls were from people you didn't know trying to see you something you didn't need. The calls would inevitably come when you were in the middle of something–usually dinner–and didn't have the time or the patience to deal with the stranger on the other end of the line who wouldn't take no for an …
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Some people are happy campers; some are not. I fit in the latter category.
In the summertime, going to camp is a major activity for lots of kids. Though many look forward to it, not all kids are happy campers. Allan Sherman's Sixties tune "Hello Muddar, Hello Faddur (A Letter from Camp)" illustrated that quite humorously. Back then, I think all camps involved what one thinks of when hearing the word "camp": the outdoors, nature, maybe sporting activities. Today, there are so many different kinds of camps, it seems there's one for every interest a kid might have. In Massachusetts alone, there are camps centered around theater, music, rock music, arts, technology, computers, science, Wizards & Warriors, particular sports – the list goes on. Since I was never athletic or outdoorsy, if various interest camps had been…
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
The old school newspapers provide an interesting glimpse into what was going on at Watertown High in the seventies.
In my last column, I mentioned finding and reading some issues of my old high school newspaper and I wrote about issues discussed in the paper that related to school governance. This week I'll talk about some of the other events at Watertown High that were chronicled in The Bulletin. There were plans to have a Sha Na Na concert at the high school, but according to the article, they had not yet sold enough tickets to afford to pay for the band. I don't think they ever raised enough money because I don't remember Sha Na Na ever playing at our school. Also in the papers were complaints about the behavior of students as audience members, whether for an assembly at school or a show in the evening. One scathing complaint involved a talent show …
42.370337
-71.178169
Watertown High School
50 Columbia St, Watertown, MA
/articles/more-high-school-happenings-in-the-seventies
768529
/locations/6768160
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Everyone has his or her own opinion on the semiannual changing of the clocks: here's mine.
"Spring forward and fall back." That's the handy phrase that we're taught to help us remember in which direction to turn the clocks at the appointed time each year. Last Sunday morning at 2 a.m. was the correct time to re-adjust our clocks from Standard Time to Daylight Saving Time. A lot of people prefer the switch in the fall to that of the spring because turning the clocks back means an extra hour of sleep that night. I remember my mother gleefully anticipating that extra hour, as well as bemoaning the loss of an hour's sleep when it was time to turn the clocks forward in the spring. To me, that difference doesn't matter much. No matter which direction we turn the clock, it messes with my internal rhythm and I find myself tired and …
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Though I like the fact that Watertown is close to Boston, I don't find the town to be convenient, either to going in town or to traveling elsewhere in the metro area.
Convenience is relative. Whenever I hear an ad touting the "convenient location" of the establishment being advertised, I have to chuckle. I think of a "convenient location" as a place that is quick and easy to get to, and I assume a place advertised as "convenient" is probably located near a highway. Though a store might be right along a major thoroughfare, if it's 50 miles from my home, it is not convenient to me. I've often heard Watertown residents cite its convenience as one of the reasons they like living here. I assume they are referring to the town's proximity to Boston and access to public transportation and roads that go into the city. They may also like the Mass Pike being a quick ride from their homes. But though I like the …
Monday, December 19, 2011
The ubiquity of Christmas music.
Are you sick of hearing Christmas music yet? Once Thanksgiving is over, it's played everywhere. I know that a lot of people love this music and it helps get them in the Christmas spirit. But for many others, hearing the same songs ad nauseam gets quite tiring, annoying, maddening. I was in Stop & Shop the Saturday after Thanksgiving when suddenly the sound of "sleigh bells" permeated my consciousness. I immediately tried to ignore it. I haven't been shopping much this holiday season, but when I was in Filene's Basement in the Arsenal Mall last week, Christmas tunes were playing nonstop. Fortunately, I am often able to tune out much of the musical background noise in a store. Retail stores are the worst offenders in going overboard with …
Monday, December 5, 2011
I have a problem with the winter parking ban, and street parking bans in general.
It’s that time of year again — time for the winter parking ban. From November 27, 2011 through April 1, 2012, no vehicle can be parked on the street for more than one hour between 1 a.m. - 6 a.m. Last year, the town’s web site read, “The Department of Public Works needs to have the streets clear of any parked vehicles in order to perform street cleaning, catch basin clearing, and the removal of snow and ice from the roads.” I would be very surprised if the first two activities are done every single night of the four months that the parking ban is in effect. And when the town declares a snow emergency, all cars must be moved off the street anyway to allow for snow removal; I would think this would suffice. So why must cars be banned from …
Monday, November 21, 2011
Holidays at our house were rather small and quiet affairs.
When I was in junior high and high school, my friends and I always went to the Thanksgiving Day football game between Watertown and Belmont. Since my cousin Judie was from Belmont, that meant a fun rivalry between us leading up to the big game every year. Then after the game, we all went our separate ways as we returned home for Thanksgiving dinner with our families. Thanksgiving was always my least favorite holiday. Holidays at our house were rather small and quiet affairs. Because I’m an only child, there were no siblings to hang out with. The only guests were my grandmother, one aunt (my father’s sister) and one uncle (my mother’s brother), both of whom had never married. Since they had no families of their own, they joined us for …
Monday, November 7, 2011
I've found lots of friends I haven't seen in years, including many who I grew up with in Watertown.
I had always resisted signing up for Facebook because I figured it would end up taking up too much of my time. I finally relented and went on board after a couple of my cousins who I never see requested that I sign up. I thought it would give me a better opportunity to stay in touch with them, and it did. It turned out I was also right about it taking up too much of my time, but I'm still glad I signed up because it has enabled me to catch up with a number of folks I hadn't seen or talked to in years. The wonderful thing about Facebook is being able to stay in touch with people I've known from different times and places in my life. I have Facebook friends from high school, college, church, a longtime workplace, political activity, and my …
Monday, October 24, 2011
A number of post offices, including two in Watertown, are being considered for closure.
The U.S Postal Service is currently considering closing the East Watertown Post Office in Coolidge Square and the New Town branch on Galen Street. The East End Post Office serves residents in that part of town as well as the many businesses in Coolidge Square. I can walk to that office if I'm so inclined, and many elderly people in the area also frequent that location. It's a quicker trip for me than the office in Watertown Square: going to the latter means a longer drive to get there and often a long line inside. I imagine that the Galen Street office is also important to residents in that part of town. Besides the locations in Watertown, a number of post offices throughout the nation are being considered for closure. Not nearly as many …
42.36082
-71.185509
New Town Post Office
123 Galen St, Watertown, MA
/articles/post-offices-closing
1380069
/locations/5657666
42.37057
-71.159017
East Watertown Post Office
589 Mount Auburn St, Watertown, MA
/articles/post-offices-closing
768549
/locations/5657667
42.37208
-71.1908
Watertown Middle School
68 Waverley Ave, Watertown, MA
/articles/post-offices-closing
768531
/locations/5657668
Marian Ferro
8:59 pm on Thursday, August 2, 2012
Hi Walter, Thanks for your comment on my article. "A blight on quality of life"--that's a good way to put it. more ›