The Era of Darkness Begins...

134 days until pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training 2008
183 days until opening day 2008
-P

My favorite quote from last night's 30 Rock...

Jack Donaghy to Liz Lemon: "Never go with a hippie to a second location."

Wildfires

From the number of emails and calls I have received over the last 48 hours, it is apparent that the rest of the country and world (hello England & Bulgaria) is now very aware of the massive wildfires burning in Southern California. I am very fortunate that my rustic cottage and the homes of my friends are safe. I do know people who have been evacuated and are currently residing elsewhere.

My thoughts are with the people who must spend their days worrying about whether all their worldly possessions (however few or many they had as of last Sunday) are still intact or if they are ruined by the Santa-Ana-fires. I also think about the people who already know the sad fate of their homes. The local organization and evacuation efforts seem to be running very smoothly and successfully. Some evacuation centers were overwhelmed with volunteers & donations. Another positive coming out of so much destruction and sadness is that dogs, cats and even horses are being cared for when people must evacuate. One headline read "Regardless of Zip Code, We Are All in this Together".

The last few evenings I have gathered with friends for food, drinks and games - a great way to have fun and take our minds off of all the bad news. We are very fortunate that we have such an option. San Diego American Red Cross Donations-P

When I saw these fires break out on Sunday, I asked the network to send me. My job isn’t to man the fire lines, or help evacuate neighborhoods…it’s to tell the stories of those who do and to inform the public. But for me, it’s more than that. My wife and children have close friends here. I have friends here. I love this place.

So it’s at once heartbreaking, and awe inspiring to see a fire line roar up the side of a mountain slope, or race through bone dry brush. And when you’ve worked enough fires like this, you learn to spot the sign of a home erupting in flames beyond the next ridge line. A surge of black smoke billowing into the sky, the smell of nylon and household chemicals burning, another dream home…however humble or magnificent…lost.

This fire will eventually go out. The thousands who’ve lost their homes and businesses will rebuild and move on. But the memory of a fire like this lasts forever. - Don Teague, NBC Correspondent

Sirius, I Seriously Need You

While at work clearing out and updating a retired emeritus' office, I knew I could use some noise to keep me entertained. I brought in a boombox the department had stored and tuned to some local stations. I went about my work and soon realized I was annoyed: nothing but commercials. I really don't care about the quality of girls at Deja Vu Gentleman's Club nor do I have a drinking problem, thus needing the Alcohol Rehabilitation business advertised. No music? I changed stations: more ads, more "wacky" disc jockeys with the lame gags. Finally, some 15 year old Sade tune. But after that, more ads. This got me missing my usual fix for talk radio or music, in the car or at home, always at my fingertips.

Back on January 8th, 2006 on a cold, dreary Sunday in Iowa City, I drove to my nearby Radio Shack and made a big purchase. I bought a Sirius Satellite boom box and car installation package along with a one year subscription. I spent the rest of the day unpacking the boxes, patiently waiting on hold to get my system set up. There was a backlog and I knew why. On Monday, January 9th Howard Stern would begin airing his show exclusively on Sirius Satellite radio. I had not been able to listen to Howard in over 5 years - since moving back to the Midwest and I missed him. Desperately. Seriously.

I got the hardware functioning Sunday night and set my clock for 4:58am. Why? Because Howard's east coast show would begin at 5 am my time and I wasn't going to miss a minute. I woke up that Monday morning and listened to the constantly pounding heartbeat sound that had been playing in anticipation of HS's show. And then finally! There it was! That low, semi-nasally voice! True to form, Howard was complaining about his staff and technical glitches in his studio within the first 10 minutes. Just like he did all those years earlier. I was happy and satisfied.

I pay roughly $13 a month for my Sirius Satellite subscription. (I would pay more - shhh!). In addition to Howard's two channels (his show does have some ads, so if they start, I just switch to the other Howard channel for that replay since they loop his daily show all day), I get access to over 150 music, news and comedy channels. There's First Wave the new wave music channel that I know almost every song on. There's Backspin playing some funk, the Bruce Springsteen and Frank Sinatra-only channels. And then there's Sirius Love always good for a sappy love song and where I am most likely to hear my beloved Air Supply. To me, those channels are all free and I pay for my Howard fix - the serious Sirius addict that I am.