Matt: At what age do you discontinue use of the term "Master" to address correspondence to a young man? Thank you. -- Roseann Schoen, the net Ms. Schoen, I'd say when you get to 95 …
August 24, 2006
Straight from the Hip
Archived articles
What's the Master?
New Planets? Horror-scope!
Help, Matt: Every day I read my horoscope in the paper. But I've just heard that somebody's discovered many new planets. Does that mean that everybody's horoscope is now wrong? What am I going to …
August 24, 2006
Moons Over Your Manicure
Matthew: Why do some people have a white moon on their fingernails and others don't? Does this mean you're lacking something in your diet or that you might have a health problem? -- Moonless, Ramona …
August 21, 2006
Up Your Nose
Dear Matthew: I can understand how the odor molecules get to our odor sensors, and I can understand that these sensors send the signals directly to our brain. But I cannot understand what are the …
August 17, 2006
Break a Leg, and Other Good Wishes
Hello there, oh great one: Where does the phrase "break a leg" come from? One source says it may have come from the whole incident with Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth. The same source …
August 10, 2006
Cat Sweat
Hi Matt: Do cats sweat? If not, how do they stay cool in this hot weather? -- Curious of North Park Ugh. Summer. Under our recent extreme conditions, Grandma and the elves have taken to …
August 10, 2006
Gavelmania
Dear Matthew Alice: Any time you see judges on TV they're always whamming away on their desks with gavels. I've never ever seen a real judge use one. Do real judges ever use their gavels? …
July 27, 2006
Sidewalk Bullets
Hey Matt: Who has been shooting bullets into our sidewalks? Everywhere I go downtown I see these round metal things embedded in the sidewalk that look like bullet casings. What are they? -- Matt Too, …
July 27, 2006
Two Fruits in One
Matt: I have to know where those "Siamese twin" cherries come from-- you know, two fruits, one stem? -- Judith, San Diego We've meddled with cherry genetics enough that some of the resulting cultivars exhibit …
July 27, 2006
Sick of Sleep
Matt: Sometimes in the afternoon I take a nap to feel fresh for evening classes. However, when I wake up,. I'm often very nauseated and wish I'd just stayed awake. Other people have told me …
July 20, 2006
National Matthew Alice Celebration Week
Dearest Matthew: I remember seeing a sign somewhere that said it was National Letter Writing Week. How would I go about designating a week of my own? Could I just as easily make National PMS …
July 20, 2006