Category Archives: Personally Speaking

Report from Hurricane Sandy’s Path

By Roger Catlin | Published: October 30, 2012

It was the second hurricane aiming toward D.C. in just over a year since we lived here, so we sort of knew the drill. Though there wasn’t an effort toward sand bags this time, there was plenty of pre-warning. Schools were canceled and trains were stopped before a drop of rain fell. Wind was part [...]

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Remembering George McGovern

By Roger Catlin | Published: October 22, 2012

George McGovern, who died Sunday at 90, was a decent guy, an anti-war candidate with a crackling, plain-spoken voice – the perfect guy for a recent high school graduate to spend his summer supporting and working for in the fall. Yeah, I was slightly too young to vote for him that time, but did my [...]

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The Grind of Homecoming

By Roger Catlin | Published: October 19, 2012

Got this email note for parents from school regarding this weekend’s homecoming dance. One might think the homework requirements are a grind for high schoolers, but not as much, apparently, as the dance. A report from the dean of students held a warning for ninth graders, who had a great time at the ninth-grade-only dance [...]

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Another Way Newspapers Are Failing Us

By Roger Catlin | Published: June 25, 2012

The decline of American newspapers is a sad thing to watch, especially for those of us who were trained to go into an industry we had the impression would be around at least until our retirement. Well, that pipedream is gone, and along with amazing shrinking staffs and lighter-weight content, there is the item of [...]

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Second Letter from London

By Roger Catlin | Published: April 15, 2012

The old and new are crashing in on eachother in London these days. It’s the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens’ birth and all the squalid, dank details of the Victorian underbelly are being celebrated, in a way. There is a big exhibit at the British History Museum, for example, but the Charles Dickens Museum, installed [...]

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First Report from London

By Roger Catlin | Published: April 11, 2012

The giant illuminated billboard at Heathrow declares: “We’re ready.” But the mobbed scene in Terminal 5 says otherwise. The train between terminals pulls out empty, causing the next to be packed. Then those people ascend to “baggage reclaim” on jammed elevator only to meet people coming up the suddenly operating escalator. The hapless guides try [...]

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At Baseball’s Season Opener

By Roger Catlin | Published: April 5, 2012

The start of baseball season is a day always filled with joy and hope – a triumph over winter and the promise of summer all with the crack of a bat. It was better than ever this year as I got to go to the designated season opener at the new Marlin Park in Miami. [...]

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Report from Cherry Blossom Central

By Roger Catlin | Published: March 26, 2012

The two week Cherry Blossom Festival was kicking off Sunday night with a concert event. As for the trees, they had peaked a week before. I’m just getting used to the cycles of the trees ringing the Tidal Basin, subject of even more celebration this year because it is 100 years since the gifts from [...]

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FTD Fail, Candy Hearts and Other Valentine Stories

By Roger Catlin | Published: February 14, 2012

Got a timely Valentine’s Day e-mail today. It was from the FTD.com floral spot that I had done some business with the other day. “Despite our best efforts, due to exceptionally high seasonal demand, we regret we were unable to fill your order as requested,” it said. No “Be My Valentine,” no nothing. The site [...]

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Facebook Sells Me Out

By Roger Catlin | Published: February 5, 2012

It’s tough for me to feel sympathy for the Winklevoss Twins, but with talk this week of Facebook going public with a $100 billion valuation, it only makes me feel once more that I’ve been had, on the internet – a pawn in somebody’s get rich quick scheme. The last time I felt this way [...]

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