May 12-18 

May 12. A serif is a typographical term for the little ledge at the end of a letter's stroke. A typeface is classified as either serif or sans serif, depending on whether these small structures are included in the construction of the letter. Times is a serif font; Arial is not.

May 13. Looter, retool. Spam and maps.

May 14. In his book Story-Writing and Journalism, Sherwin Cody reports that "newspapers want local articles, which need not be timely. Perhaps a dilapidated old man lives in a shack on the outskirts of town, and has lived there for some years." All a reporter need do, Cody advises, is to write this up and submit it, with photographs, to any newspaper accepting submissions, and it will sell readily. As there is no shortage of dilapidated old men in shacks, reporters should find ready work.

May 15. On this day in 1817, a hospital called the Asylum for the Relief of Persons Deprived of the Use of Their Reason opened near Frankford, Penn.

May 16. The suggested luncheon for May 16, according to the Hotel St. Francis Cookbook, features Canapé St. Francis, Eggs Mirabel, sour schmorrbraten, noodles, Roquerfort cheese and crackers, and coffee. Dinner includes olives stuffed with any kind of fish.

May 17. Full moon, 4:08 a.m.

May 18. If you were too weak-willed to cut your lilac flowers when they bloomed, you must do so at once or you won't have any next spring.