[…] the same crowded conditions in each of the five one-room and my friends' two-room (for five adults) subapartments of the communal apartment.

The family leaves over enough food from Sunday dinner for Monday lunch and dinner.

They hermetically sealed the kettles to accelerate the cooking.

[…] I was part of the project selection team that met each year at the Office of Naval Research, to accept or reject funding requests. […] Of course, the projects that made it up to our top level had already been triaged by lower sponsoring commands. One of the briefers was a real comedian, introducing himself as from the Department of Redundancy Department—a phrase I am fond of quoting in my own talks since then.