Women write longer postcards than men, and...

Women write longer postcards than men, and their messages tend to be less cheerful and less legible than those of men.

That’s the conclusion of Professor Patricia Walsh of Loyola Marymount University, who conducted a study of examples drawn from the school’s collection of one million postcards, most of which were donated by the late photographer Werner von Boltenstern.

Using a male and female rater, Walsh’s survey analyzed 280 postcards written at intervals between 1899 and 1970, the years covered by the Von Boltenstern collection.

Walsh, a psychology professor, found consistent differences between the cards sent out by men and by women throughout the period, though pointing out that it’s possible that the women’s movement may have “caused an increased similarity in the language� in recent years.

The study found that men’s cards--31 words long on average, compared to 40 for women--were more likely to mention the weather and be self-praiseworthy.

Women’s cards were more likely to:

--Contain a salutation and complimentary closing.

--Use the words “so� and “lovely.�

--Express love for others.

--Apologize for not writing more.

--Mention work.

--Mention rest.

--Mention money.

People come up with all kinds of excuses to get out of jury duty. But it was hard to argue with the alibi of one woman who received a notice this week. She’s already a juror in the McMartin Pre-School molestation trial.

She notified Superior Court Judge William Pounders, who is presiding over the trial, now 26 months old.

“It prompted some chuckles,� Pounders said. “But I guess two years and two months after someone was selected, it’s only logical that the person’s name would come up again for (jury) service. Apparently they don’t cross-check their lists.�

Pounders contacted the jury commissioner and the excuse was found to be acceptable.

Speaking of the McMartin case, Pounders has expressed the hope that the trial will conclude by the fall.

But the jurors are somewhat skeptical. One asked the judge the other day what the dates of their Christmas vacation would be.

Los Angeles’ only subway died 34 years ago this week.

Cars rumbled through the two-track tunnel that stretched for a mile from the downtown Subway Terminal Building on Hill Street to the intersection of Beverly and Glendale boulevards.

Members of the Electric Railroaders Assn., who made the last run on the 30-year-old line, unfurled a banner that said, “Oblivion.�

There’s been talk of someday including the tunnel in a future transit plan.

But it hasn’t been completely idle in the meantime. Hollywood dressed it up as a Philippine tunnel on the island of Corregidor for the movie, “MacArthur.�

KNX radio entertainment reporter Tom Hatten reports that while he was attending a performance of “Africa Oye� at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, a woman behind him began talking so loudly that he asked her to be quiet.

When Hatten turned around, he noticed that she was talking on a portable telephone.

There’s the Gregorian calendar and then there’s the Caltrans calendar.

Motorists exiting 4th Street off the northbound Harbor Freeway this week might have been a bit befuddled by the temporary sign warning that the off-ramp would be temporarily closed “Sunday June 28.� Caltrans finally came into conformity with the rest of us at midday Thursday by correcting the sign to read, “Sunday June 25.�