Category Archives: Friends

HBO Intro (1983)

Posted on by


Lots of folks reading this weren’t born in 1972 when HBO launched. Hard to explain why it was such a big deal. If you wanted to watch a movie on TV back then, you waited for one of the networks’ “Movie of the Week” or something from a local affiliate. A cable channel that just showed movies (in those days) was a big deal. Met with a lot of skepticism (“Why would you pay for movies when you can get them for free?!”)

In 1983 HBO introduced a new logo that was revolutionary for the time. I share it because one of the people who worked on it (David Bruce) was from my little town. He did the Stargate effect which would be no big deal when computer generated graphics came along but was very cool in 1983.

Funny and fast

Posted on by

Barb and I were in DC in 2009 and during a cab ride back to our hotel, we struck up a conversation with the driver and asked about celebrities-he-has-driven. His list included: Telly Savalas, Senator James Lugar and the Reverend Jesse Jackson.

I came across this old post tonight and found this an amusing group of names and shared it with my friend David. Our chat thread (from earlier this evening):

My point here is that genuinely funny people like David are funny fast. They’re quick. And, yes, I realize you have no idea who Telly Savalas is or Carnac the Magnificent.

David Brazeal on COVID

Posted on by

A plague is upon us and I have hunkered down (a word one gets to use so infrequently). I’ve been using the time at home to call/text old friends, like David Brazeal. David almost certainly the most amusing person I know. Perhaps droll would be a better word for David. From just one short iMessage exchange:

The biggest hardship right now is that all my usual hypochondria, normally spread out over my entire body, is not centered in my chest and lung area.

This has also been good for me to discover which businesses still have my email address from a purchase I made 7 years ago. I am fully informed of the COVID-19 response plans of every business with which I have interacted since about 2010.

I have seriously neglected my hunting and gathering skills for 50 years.

David’s bon mots have shown up in my post often enough to deserve their own tag.

Civil War era log cabin

Posted on by

While visiting Paul Bandelier this week, he showed me the original home his ancestors built when they came to the U.S. from Switzerland (circa 1867).

The top photo is the front of the structure, the bottom the rear. Paul explained it was built as two log cabins with the entryway between. I’ve asked Paul for more information and will update post.