In praise of friends and relatives.

The man behind the eye is Ted, my nephew, although he's more friend than relative. See, I can choose my friends, and relatives I get whether I want them or not. But if Ted was not related to me, I'd still choose his company.

Ted comes down every year to sit in the dark with me and watch documentaries for days. The great fun is talking about the movies afterward and sometimes arguing, because he refuses to acknowledge that I am always right. Always.

I attribute his reluctance to his youth.

But sometimes even I can learn something from the youngsters and Ted, a film maker, has introduced me to painters, musicians and cork flooring.

A few years ago, Ted and his patient wife Jen, bought a house on the outskirts of DC, gutted it and rebuilt the interior, piece by piece, moving bathrooms and walls, wiring and plumbing, all themselves. It was truly impressive. You can see Ted's place on line because the Geico caveman lives there. Yep, that's his place you can snoop around in. Go take a look.

He's a great editor, hard-working producer, solid soundman, art collector, lover of music and man with a vision and the stamina to see it through.

But his most appreciated talent is his ability to listen patiently to his uncle talk absolute blather.

So, here's to friends. Here's to relatives. And here's to Ted, a man whom I admire and I'm happy to say is both.