Word: octogenarians
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...footloose and broke, I decided I would pay a visit to my favorite writer, the essayist E.B. White, then residing, as he had for 50 years, on a saltwater farm along the coast of Maine. I was sure White would welcome the visit--after all, I reasoned, what ailing octogenarian writer doesn't long for the company of an unemployed 20-year-old houseguest with no visible means of support and no reason to leave?--but just as a courtesy, I decided to send him notice of my arrival. Already I had in hand a friendly letter from White, written...
...remarkable powers of persuasion, he got "concurrence" from the board on The Catcher in the Rye--"that rare miracle of fiction," Kip called it, "a human being created out of ink, paper and the imagination." Kip was also a master of self-deprecation. When a memoir written by octogenarian William Shirer came in, Kip, a fellow octogenarian, fussed: "One should never reach the age of 80 because by then you realize your life is not worth a good goddam." After hearing all his projects in recent years, I finally got up the nerve to say, "You ought to write your...
...With the re-release of "Gone With the Wind" last summer, I (and every octogenarian in the woodwork) thronged the theaters to see Clark Gable in his original technicolor splendor. To the words, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," I found myself in cinematic raptures that almost resulted in my gagging on a popcorn kernel. In fourth grade, when every other girl in my class aspired to be Paula Abdul, I wanted to be Scarlett O'Hara. During this formative time, I underwent a mercifully brief period where I let Scarlett's Georgian accent bleed into...
With the re-release of "Gone With the Wind" last summer, I (and every octogenarian in the woodwork) thronged the theaters to see Clark Gable in his original technicolor splendor. To the words, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," I found myself in cinematic raptures that almost resulted in my gagging on a popcorn kernel. In fourth grade, when every other girl in my class aspired to be Paula Abdul, I wanted to be Scarlett O'Hara. During this formative time, I underwent a mercifully brief period where I let Scarlett's Georgian accent bleed into...
Although she hasn't ever won a substantial jackpot (the jackpots can reach up to $2,300 in a given month) the spunky octogenarian continues to play because "it gives me a night out with my girlfriends." In fact, it is precisely this social lure to which many of the players are attracted. For most, this is their only night out on the town, and thus their sole opportunity to see old friends and make new acquaintances. Moreover, the attraction to gambling can't be forgotten as a catalyst for the deluge of people spilling into the cafeteria each week...