Monthly Archives: April 2013

Parable of the Chinese pot

Posted on April 25, 2013 by stillalife

Thanks to college students willing to undergo a variety of tests and challenges, (without knowing the real purpose), for the price of a pitcher of beer, researchers have collected volumes of data  about human behavior. I don’t remember why I … Continue reading →

Posted in books or movies, inspiration, personal reflections | Tagged | Leave a comment

Japanese cultural immersion

Posted on April 23, 2013 by stillalife

The past few days I’ve been immersed in Japanese culture without leaving home. On Friday, Mexican and Spanish friends and I made sushi for a birthday celebration. (Birthday girl is absent, busy taking the photo.)  We couldn’t rise to the … Continue reading →

Posted in personal reflections, volunteering | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Why some of us are susceptible to scams

Posted on April 16, 2013 by stillalife

Can you read people’s faces well enough to know whom to trust?  New research says that the older we get, many of us can’t. When my mother was about eighty, she called to say, “You won’t have to worry about me … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, current events/themes, personal reflections | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Aloha Friday every day

Posted on April 11, 2013 by stillalife

Looking out the window as rain pelts our mossy lawn and weeds sprout in the garden, I see few reminders of our week in Hawaii.  I’ve eaten all the chocolate-covered,  pineapple-shaped, shortbread cookies, and given away most of the colorful … Continue reading →

Posted in travel | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Technology snails

Posted on April 9, 2013 by stillalife

We can all agree that seniors normally are not early adopters of technology.  Teenagers take the lead. Sometimes the rest of us take longer to jump on board. Travel back in time to Japan, the year 2000. Three of us, two social … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, personal reflections | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The secret of happiness?

Posted on April 7, 2013 by stillalife

What is the secret of happiness? A recent issue of the newsletter Brain Pickings offers three answers to this question from the book, Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life by Dr. Martin Seligman. He says the secret lies in: … Continue reading →

Posted in current events/themes, health | 1 Comment

Paper cutting in China and Denmark

Posted on April 2, 2013 by stillalife

There’s nothing like having a group of three- and four-year-olds as teachers.  Six years ago, when my husband and I visited schools in China, we got to spend a couple of hours in a lab preschool connected to a university. … Continue reading →

Posted in arts and crafts, travel | 2 Comments