Lydia Likes It

Pick-up line

The city of Newton sits adjacent to Boston; it's a vibrant suburb, home to several colleges and universities and shopping malls and many restaurants and ample green space. Some time in 2025, Ted and I plan to move to a brand new senior independent living community in Newton, and it's occurred to us that we don't know much about the city at all. Most of our activity -- cultural, medical, volunteering, and our previous work life -- has been centered in Boston. Imagine my delight to learn that Newton has a city-sponsored on-demand ride service called New Mo: Newton in Motion. NewMo, which operates Monday-Friday, costs just $2 per ride, anywhere in Newton, and works just like Uber or Lyft. (If you are age 60 or older, the NewMo Senior Service offers some additional benefits, like door-to-door and Saturday morning service and the ability to prebook for medical appointments.) Affordable, sustainable, easy to use on your phone: I can't wait to try it.

Hablas Español?

Do you hablas Español? Do you hablas French, or Russian, or Mandarin, or Greek, or Haitian Creole, or any second language (assuming English is your first)? In my New Jersey public school system, languages weren't a priority, and we didn't have the option of electing to study a language until high school. Having not achieved any fluency in Hebrew school when I was younger, I realized that language aptitude was not part of my makeup, so I convinced myself (and my parents) that taking Latin in high school would stand me in good stead academically, and give me a leg up in case I ever time-traveled to ancient Rome. Oh, how I regret that decision. Being good at crossword puzzles is one thing, but being able to travel and converse easily in Mexico or Costa Rica or Venezuela or Puerto Rico is much more appealing. ¡Debería haber estudiado Español! Now I can, with the aid of technology. Babbel, Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone are three sites to check out. Different styles, different prices, all with great reviews. It's never too late to learn. ¡Empecemos!