This old truck
About seven years ago I was at a family get-together at my parents' house. When everybody else had left, and it was my folks and I at the kitchen table,…
Paid in full
A few days ago I did something I've been looking forward to for a long time. I made the last payment on my car. How I got here was an…
Time capsule: December 26, 1982
At Christmas 1982 I got a very special present. The year before, Santa had brought my brother a Sears stereo that had a cassette recorder with microphone jacks. I'd driven…
My time in Eden
Music and I have had a strange relationship. I've always loved it, but music hasn't always loved me back. For one, I have no musical ability of my own. I've…
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…
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…
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: November 19, 1979
Many years ago when I started working on a few projects, I made the investment into a Newspapers.com subscription. As it turned out, the projects took a back seat. Having…
Farewell to a friend (and to an era)
One of the sad things about getting older is that every year, you find yourself going to more funerals and memorial services. I've been to plenty as it was, but…