"A fellow will remember a lot of things you wouldn't think he'd remember," says Mr. Bernstein in "Citizen Kane." It's a famous quote from a famous movie with lots of famous moments, but it's the one I think about the most. He tells of seeing a girl once, on a ferry, wearing a white dress and carrying a white parasol.

I came home the other day with an exciting story for my wife, something to keep the marriage lively.

I left my wife this past Sunday, Valentine’s Day, and went to the movies while she stayed at home, grading papers and watching the Olympics.

I’m a night owl these days, mostly by necessity, but I can’t deny a little nature, too. I always enjoy early mornings, the day stirring and the coffee brewing, but I also like to sleep. An alarm takes all the fun out of getting up, so I wander around in the wee hours and count my blessings.

Remember when it used to be cold? Yeah. Seems like a long time ago. All black-and-white, when people said, “Hiya, fella!” a lot and listened to Rosemary Clooney.

I remodeled a bathroom last fall, which came as a surprise to everyone. This is an afterthought sort of bathroom, hidden in a corner of the house, tiny and (for the most part) unnecessary. It wasn’t on my list of things to remodel.