In the bleak mid-winter cold
It was a strange week. Sunday was deceptively calm. Old movies (including one with a hilarious supporting role played by my spiritual godmother Eve Arden), watching the football playoffs and…
Reality
The new week begins with an event we've been anticipating for a while. Since November, there has been an endless array of think pieces about what it all means, what…
What might have been
January 2, 2025 As I write this, I'm in a hotel room in Athens, Georgia, a stone's throw from the University of Georgia's main campus. Tomorrow morning, I'm meeting with…
That was the year
As I began writing this, the last hours of 2024 were ticking away. I'm facing the weird feeling I always get when a year ends and a new one begins.…
The Christmas that was
When I was a kid, I couldn't wait for Christmas to get here. There was so much anticipation and excitement, hoping that Santa would make good on the items I'd…
The Video Archive, Vol. 1
Our family bought its first VCR in April 1985. To me, being able to watch movies on it was only half the fun. It was the ability to record stuff…
Time Capsule: Life, Nov. 24, 1958
Too many things on my mind are failing to cohere into a decent post (or series thereof), so why don't we dive back into the stacks, eh? Here's the November…
A fenced-in hallowed ground
Yesterday was Thanksgiving and we went over to be with the family. On the whole, it was a pleasant get-together. The food was good (and plentiful) and the antics around…
The Fifth Column of Decency: Life, Sept. 23, 1957
One of my favorite pastimes on a lazy afternoon is to leaf through old magazines in various online archives. The big Life magazine archive is a particular joy to me,…
A day with the Big Ship
I didn't have "weekend trip to Philadelphia" on my bingo card back in July. But life happened, as it will. The ocean liner United States has been a long-standing fascination…