In my dotage, I find it more and more important to continue to read more and learn more and worry less. The main reason I have resisted the urge to join fellow retirees by moving to Florida is, I do not wish to end my life being eaten by an alligator.
And the second reason is that there are people around here I haven't irritated yet, but give me time. I will get to everyone on the list expeditiously.
A wise man I once knew advised me to make it a point to learn a new word every day, and friends, you are not going to learn many new words by watching the local news, where they can't even pronounce the words they know, or by listening to talk radio, where people who don't know much about the world, or sports, call a toll-free number to have the chance to display their fatuousness.
Reading a good newspaper such as the Washington POST used to be, or the New York Times, is a way to get that new word in your noggin daily. Yesterday, reading about the selection process for replacing the late Pope Francis, I learned that the camerlengo "is a key official within the Roman Catholic Church who serves as the acting head of the Vatican during the sede vacante (the period between the death or resignation of a pope and the election of a new one). In essence, the camerlengo oversees the day-to-day operations of the Holy See until a new pope is chosen."
The word camerlengo traces its etymology back to the Latin "camerarius," meaning "chamber officer. " Further investigation revealed that the word has no association with the Chevrolet Camaro automobile.
People with newborn babies look forward every night to see what little Junior or Sally Mae will be up to in the morning. I look forward to learning a new word, in the hopes of teaching it to Sally or Junior.
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