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Thursday, November 17, 2016
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I've been hacked!
Regular visitors to this blog will be disturbed to learn that something has changed... Mostly, after 3 years, 8 months, and 5 days, I've actually updated something on this site. Gone is the top-most post from 2013 (you can find it below.)
I was notified by my hosting provider that I was hacked in early November. It's taken a few hours to try to recover, and, of course, I can't really find any of my backups.
Thankfully, most of the real content on GuyOnTheAir.com was really hosted over at Blogger, which, is, apparently, still a thing (thankfully.)
So, combined with archive.org, and reviews of some files that appear not to have been compromised, most content on this site it now available again.
Some pictures, independent HTML code, and such will not be able to be recovered, and is lost forever, but most content here is actually quite old anyway, so who cares!
Some internal tools that I've used for years and some internal sites were the most hit, as I lost everything. But, life goes on, and it's a reminder that I need to back things up. I probably did, but I don't know where that is.
Monday, May 09, 2011
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Mac Antivirus products
The Mac media is all atwitter with talk of viruses coming to the Mac. Although one pundit took a few moments to point out that they've been talking of Apple malware for at least 6 years. http://daringfireball.net/2011/05/wolf
In any case, I thought I'd go over a couple of free choices for Mac Antivirus, for those users who you know will get something. I've also put a couple well-known paid versions at the bottom.
PC Tools iAntiVirus - http://www.iantivirus.com/
This tool is perhaps well-known in some circles, but even the Web site notes a 2008 copyright date, and many believe the program hasn't been updated since then, either. I've installed on my machine for a couple years, and it's never really done anything. NOT recommended.
ClamXav - http://www.clamxav.com/
ClamAV has long been a staple of opensource PC antivirus, and there's been a Mac version for some time that uses the same engine as the PC versions. I've had this on my home machine for a couple of years, and while I've never gotten any viruses, I also don't know if I would've gotten them without it. I have used the software repeatedly to scan files that I've downloaded for questionable sources, and no other Mac or PC antivirus has ever argued with what ClamXav had to say! I do like that definitions files and such appear to be regularly updated.
Sophos Antivirus for Mac Home Edition - http://www.sophos.com/en-us/products/free-tools/sophos-antivirus-for-mac-home-edition.aspx
With the recent "outbreaks" of virus problems, almost every article on the topic ends up quoting something from Sophos. Of course, Sophos is also hanging out the welcome banner with this free versino of their software for Mac. Sophos is a respected name in antivirus, so this might be a good pick.
Avast Mac Edition - $39.95 - http://www.avast.com/mac-edition
Avast Home Edition seems to work fine on PCs, and isn't as obtrusive there as products like AVG Free. If the Mac product is similar, then, okay. And Apple links to it in their software store! But, $40 is more than I'll pay.
VirusBarrierX6 - $49.95 - http://www.intego.com/virusbarrier/
Been around for quite awhile, and believes itself to be "the best antivirus for Macintosh." Also includes a ShamWow and registry cleaner, and for a limited time, includes a magnetic bracelet guaranteed to charm your socks off! Has an annoying interface, but MacWorld liked it, in 2008.
Thursday, May 05, 2011
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Lip service on Facebook shows rogue restaurants or managers, and is more annoying than the initial problem
Today I returned to Chipotle on Sunset in West Hollywood. Upon asking for the quesadilla with tomato salsa cooked inside, I was told no. A manager, Humberto Rosales, Apprentice, was summoned. He told me emphatically, "We are not going to do that. We WILL NOT do that." He also said that he had been with Chipotle for 4 years, knew what was going on, and that no matter what I said, my request was "NOT going to happen." He then basically dismissed or turned away from me, even when I referenced this communication on Facebook.
At this point, what bothers me more than being unable to get the stupid quesadilla, is the attitude of management and staff at the restaurant. This is not a customer service attitude, but one of total disdain for the customer. Emphatically denying a customer ANYTHING as the FIRST course of action is ridiculous.
Further, to be promised by Joe, representing Chipotle on Facebook, that things would be taken care of, almost a month ago, and still it is not resolved, shows that the Facebook representatives either have no clue what is going on, or, what they say is meaningless.
I would like to hear from the office of the president at Chipotle about what will be done to resolve this situation, or someone with authority to make and implement a policy that will guide this issue.
For more information, please read these previous posts:
I've recently become fascinated with QR Codes, those things that look like this:
These little guys are like awesome bar codes, and can contain all kinds of information. The one above contains the link to this blog, for example. QR stands for Quick Response.
More complicated QR Codes, meaning that the random dots are more dense, etc., can contain all kinds of information. If you overdo it, as noted here, you'll end up with something like this:
That's up to 1852 characters of information. And, I can hardly hold my phone still enough for it to even read this code properly.
But, it seems that QR Codes are popping up everywhere. In fact, on my business email account, I've gone to putting a QR Code in the signature that contains my complete contact information.
QR Code Readers, such as found in the App Stores of iPhones (try QR Scanner or QR Reader for iPhone), Android (try Barcode Scanner), and PCs & Macs (try Desktop QR Code Reader), can see these codes, and respond accordingly. If it's a Web address, the scanner app will ask you if you want to open it in a Web browser. If it's contact information, your scanning software might ask you to add it to your Address Book or Contacts. On Android, you can even create a QR Code for a wireless network, telling the device the name of the network, or SSID, and the wireless key or encryption key needed to join that network. And, since it's all embedded in the QR Code, you don't even have to give the password out!
http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ has a simple QR Code generator, that you can create whatever you'd like, and save a copy for whatever you'd like to use it for. They'll even host the QR Codes you create, like the one above. QRStuff.com also has a bunch of handy tools, and a QR Code Generator.
So get to it. Download a QR Code Reader today, and try this QR Code first!
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
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Chipotle Mexican Grill? Maybe not.
I see that it's been close to a year since I last wrote on this blog. Apparently my life is so boring, that there is nothing to write, or maybe I just don't feel like sharing...
Until today.
You see, I just got off the phone with John Saucedo (maybe not his real last name, it is very difficult to understand on my voicemail) with Chipotle "Mexican Grill." John called me, after I left a message with the Chipotle corporate office, yesterday. I'll start at the beginning.
Since sometime in 2001 or 2002, I've been an avid customer of Chipotle. It started at the Chipotle that opened up down the street from me in Redlands, CA. While I enjoyed their vegetarian burritos, what became my regular was a couple of sides of their excellent cilantro-lime rice, with some of their tomato salsa on top. Fresh, this was tasty, but it even held up to refrigeration, and nuking a day or two later. As I worked about 3 doors down from this Chipotle, I was there regularly. Then I moved, and didn't have a Chipotle so convenient, or nearby.
In the last couple of years, this has changed, as more and more Chipotle restaurants popped up. About 2 or 3 years ago, a friend of mine asked me if I'd ever had a Chipotle quesadilla. I didn't even know they had such a thing, but tried one the next chance I got. (It's not on the menu at most locations.)
The simple cheese quesadilla was tasty, but I wanted a bit of tomato-ey goodness, so asked the restaurant to add tomatoes while they cooked the quesadilla. (I'd been spoiled by some little Mexican joint that did this somewhere along the way.) And goodness, with the tomato salsa cooked into the quesadilla, it was INCREDIBLE, the kind of thing you begin to crave.
Wikipedia defines "quesadilla" like this (emphasis mine):
A quesadilla is usually made with a corn tortilla and is filled primarily with cheese and other ingredients such as cooked meat, refried beans, and vegetables. The filled tortilla is then toasted under a boiler or fried, usually until the cheese is melted. Once the quesadilla is cooked, it is traditionally cut into slices, or wedges.
What's not to love!
Chipotle is careful to make their quesadillas. They start with the flour tortilla, add the cheese right in front of you, (and tomato salsa, in my case), and then wrap the entire thing up in a big piece of thick tinfoil. Then it's placed into their "grill presses". After, it's opened up, cut with a knife, wrapped back up, and given to you!
And then the trouble started. My next visit to a Los Angeles area Chipotle, I was told by the employee that they were not allowed to put the tomato salsa into the quesadilla. It was not an issue of cost, but that the grill presses couldn't accommodate it. That struck me as odd, as for the last number of times, the grill presses and employees had accommodated my request just fine!
Indeed, this started to become a problem at many Chipotle's that I visited. Almost every Chipotle was now saying it was impossible for them to add tomatoes to my quesadilla, until after it was cooked. Reasons varied from "it messes up our presses", to "it takes too long in the press", to "it will damage our equipment."
It doesn't take a genius to figure out why I want my tomato salsa cooked inside. Chipotle's cut up tomato salsa, or, really, pico de gallo, is a fresh salsa, with fresh tomatoes, perhaps some onions, maybe some cilantro, seasonings and a touch of green and hot pepper. Anybody will attest that a fresh tomato tastes completely different than a cooked one. And, when I could get Chipotle to put my tomatos into the grill presses, the flavor of the tomatoes, onions, and green and hot pepper seasonings would just spread throughout the whole thing. A light touch of zest greeted me with each bite.
Now, Chipotle would only add their tomato salsa, AFTER the quesadilla was cooked. Since a cheese quesadilla is just cheese and a flour tortilla grilled up together, adding some refrigerated salsa at the end had the effect of cooling down the quesadilla, and adding a fresh tomato taste, not the experience I was looking for.
The difference is amazing. The quesadilla with baked-in salsa? EXCELLENT. The quesadilla with ingredients added on later? BLAND, cold, and not at all notable.
This couldn't be right, I decided. I mean, why can't a restaurant honor a simple customer request? So, I went to Chipotle.com and submitted a note. As I wrote this on my iPhone, there are a few mistakes...
I've been to many chipotles and enjoy your food. However, in the last few months, the restaurants (more than just this one) refuse to make the simplest of items for me. I like a large cheese quesadilla with a few tomatoes (salsa) cooked into it. This should be simple for a restaurant that bills itself a "Mexican grill". The employees ans their managers refuse, saying that it hurt the grills or create a mess on them. Yet to create the quesadilla, they wrap the entire thing in tin foil. How could a few tomatoes get on the grill any more than the cheese that has been put in? And how would the cheese or tomatoes get through the tinfoil envelope they've created anyway? I would think that satisfying the simplest request from a customer would be more important than some arbitrary policy or procedure.
Thanks for writing us. I am sorry that you were not able to receive salsa on your quesadilla with your recent order from our Sunset Blvd. restaurant. I am not sure what the intensions were here, but we first cook the quesadilla, and then add in any additional salsas after it has been cooked. Did they put the salsa that you asked for in your quesadilla after it was done? If not, we apologize for this inconvenience, and we’ll follow-up with our team at this location and make sure that we assemble our orders as our guests request.
For your less than satisfactory experience, I’d like to offer you a free burrito card (good for quesadillas too). Simply send me your mailing address and I will get that to you shortly. When we miss the mark we really appreciate guests who take the time to help us realize how we can improve on what we do.
We hope that you’ll give us another try and come see us again soon!
Sincerely,
Louisa
Apparently Louisa didn't quite understand either. So I wrote her back (with my mailing address):
Hi, Louisa,
Thanks for your response. I understand that in general, for some reason that doesn't make any sense to me, that you want to cook the quesadilla first, and then add additional items. However, sometime you should really try a quesadilla with the tomato salsa cooked into it. The light green peppers and other flavors of the salsa really spread throughout the quesadilla, and make it very delicious. When you add the cold salsa after the quesadilla has cooked, it just makes the whole quesadilla cold, and the flavors don't react in the same way.
I really wish there wouldn't be a problem with cooking the salsa into the quesadilla. It's such a simple request, and makes the item so much more delicious. I urge you to try it!
Other mexican style grills in town, and even some "food trucks" so popular in Los Angeles are making a similar item, and have green chilies and such cooked into the quesadilla. It's so very tasty.
Thanks.
Louisa responded:
Thanks for getting back to me. Please share your request next time with our Sunset Blvd team and they will cook your quesadilla with the salsa inside. I will follow-up with them again and make sure that we accommodate this request. While this may be the standard way we prepare the quesadilla, we can certainly make it the way you like it too. I will send that card shortly.
-Louisa
I had one more question for Louisa:
Louisa,
Just curious: will only the Sunset team be permitted to make my quesadilla to my request?
Thanks.
She responded:
No, this applies to all of our locations. While we may have a standard way of preparing our quesadillas, all of our teams should accommodate your request. Just make it known to them and they will make it just as you’d like it.
I was thrilled. Now, I could finally have a tasty quesadilla again, and there shouldn't be any problems. I even made sure to save the email so that I could show it to employees who might have questions, and to show them that their Chipotle corporate office had approved the addition of tomato salsa into my quesadilla.
For about a month, I didn't go to Chipotle, for whatever reason, but one day, I began craving the quesadilla again! I stopped by the Sunset Boulevard location and asked for the quesadilla with tomato salsa cooked inside. The employee told me that it was not possible. I politely argued with the employee, who called over his manager. The manager would also not budge. Apparently, at Chipotle, the customer is NOT always right. So, I pulled out my phone, and looked up the trusty email from Louisa. I showed the email to this manager, who, after reading it carefully, decided that "this one time, we'll make an exception for you."
By the time I got to the register, I was being "dealt with" by 3 employees: the register person, the manager, and a new guy who, when asked, identified himself as Marc Montoya, the general manager. And, the manager also had a guy on a cordless phone he claimed was his boss, and I could speak to him if I liked. Each of them explained that I could not get tomato salsa inside the quesadilla, until after it was cooked. This time, Marc the general manager noted that putting tomato salsa inside the quesadilla while it cooked would cause the grill presses to crack.
When I pointed out that Louisa at the corporate office didn't seem to have any trouble with this issue, Marc let me know in sharp words that he didn't care what the corporate office had to say, as this was HIS restaurant, and if HIS employees broke the press that HE would have to pay for it, NOT the corporate office. I also declined to speak to the "boss" on the manager's phone, as I noted I already had confirmation from the corporate office, that would seem to be enough confirmation for me!
After my visit, on a lark, I dialed 1-800-Chipotle, and it rang to the corporate office. In the online phone book, I dialed in Louisa's name, and got her extension. I left a message for Louisa, explaining my problem again.
The next day (today), I got a message on my phone from John ???? from Chipotle. John, who called me from 530-301-0636, in Marysville, CA claims to be the regional manager, who oversees the Chipotle restaurants.
When I called him back, he explained that he cannot allow the restaurants to cook tomato salsa into the quesadillas, due to "cross contamination." He said something to the effect of "we can't have tomato juices getting into all of our products and our grills, in case people are allergic to tomatoes." I noted that if cross contamination was the true problem, then what about people allergic to cheese, what about that tinfoil envelope that kept everything inside of it, and what about vegetarians? The "buffet"-style setup of the Chipotle serving line pretty much guarantees that meat pieces, cheese, rice, and all sorts of products are mixed, even slightly, just in the normal course of business. Like the others, John was firm. His employees were NOT going to put tomato salsa into the quesadilla. I also asked John why I've heard so many different reasons for this "policy." John could only repeat his lines, and had no insight. I mentioned to John that I'm not here to run his business and tell him what to do, but it would seem that they could find a way to honor a simple customer request. I noted that I was not asking him or his employees to do something like "add a whole chicken to my quesadilla", that he could not accommodate, due to the size of the presses.
UPDATE, April 13, 2011: After I posted my questions on the Chipotle Facebook, a guy "Joe" there has vowed that I'll be able to get whatever I want on my quesadilla, except meat, which, if you know me, know isn't a problem. So, perhaps a happy ending? I'll have to try this, soon.
Let us hereby be reminded, before sadness and frustration overwhelm once more: Proposition 8 and its ilk are merely the last, fitful gasps of a long-dying ideology, markers of a certain kind of sad, conservative desperation. They are the final clawings and scrapings of a reactionary worldview that attempts to outlaw and punish all it cannot, will not understand. Same as it ever was, really.
One of the parts of this article that is great is a comment made by a 60 year old white haired woman:
If I remember correctly, Jesus said, "Love one another." He didn't specify gender nor whom you should. Those words came from a man who hung out with twelve disciples and a prostitute. He never married nor had children. I look forward to the time in our lives when this will be a footnote in our history. Hold on.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
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I QUIT!
The time has come! As of Friday at 5:30 p.m., GuyOnTheAir will no longer be on the air in any way, shape, or form at the company he has worked at for almost 5 years.
I like to think that those responsible and in decision-making positions about this event would not want this sort of experience to repeat itself in the future, and would be as upset about the situation I've described as I still am, weeks after the event. Most promoters know that patron goodwill, and positive word of mouth go a long way in making successful events.
A few words on Prop 8 (not my own)...
For fear that this may some day disappear from the MSNBC site, I've quoted the entire article referenced. From the Monday, Nov. 11 edition of "Countdown with Keith Olberman" on MSNBC, comes this*:
SPECIAL COMMENT By Keith Olbermann Anchor, 'Countdown' msnbc.com updated 6:13 p.m. PT, Mon., Nov. 10, 2008
Finally tonight as promised, a Special Comment on the passage, last week, of Proposition Eight in California, which rescinded the right of same-sex couples to marry, and tilted the balance on this issue, from coast to coast.
Some parameters, as preface. This isn't about yelling, and this isn't about politics, and this isn't really just about Prop-8. And I don't have a personal investment in this: I'm not gay, I had to strain to think of one member of even my very extended family who is, I have no personal stories of close friends or colleagues fighting the prejudice that still pervades their lives.
And yet to me this vote is horrible. Horrible. Because this isn't about yelling, and this isn't about politics. This is about the human heart, and if that sounds corny, so be it.
If you voted for this Proposition or support those who did or the sentiment they expressed, I have some questions, because, truly, I do not understand. Why does this matter to you? What is it to you? In a time of impermanence and fly-by-night relationships, these people over here want the same chance at permanence and happiness that is your option. They don't want to deny you yours. They don't want to take anything away from you. They want what you want—a chance to be a little less alone in the world.
Only now you are saying to them—no. You can't have it on these terms. Maybe something similar. If they behave. If they don't cause too much trouble. You'll even give them all the same legal rights—even as you're taking away the legal right, which they already had. A world around them, still anchored in love and marriage, and you are saying, no, you can't marry. What if somebody passed a law that said you couldn't marry?
I keep hearing this term "re-defining" marriage. If this country hadn't re-defined marriage, black people still couldn't marry white people. Sixteen states had laws on the books which made that illegal in 1967. 1967.
The parents of the President-Elect of the United States couldn't have married in nearly one third of the states of the country their son grew up to lead. But it's worse than that. If this country had not "re-defined" marriage, some black people still couldn't marry black people. It is one of the most overlooked and cruelest parts of our sad story of slavery. Marriages were not legally recognized, if the people were slaves. Since slaves were property, they could not legally be husband and wife, or mother and child. Their marriage vows were different: not "Until Death, Do You Part," but "Until Death or Distance, Do You Part." Marriages among slaves were not legally recognized.
You know, just like marriages today in California are not legally recognized, if the people are gay.
And uncountable in our history are the number of men and women, forced by society into marrying the opposite sex, in sham marriages, or marriages of convenience, or just marriages of not knowing, centuries of men and women who have lived their lives in shame and unhappiness, and who have, through a lie to themselves or others, broken countless other lives, of spouses and children, all because we said a man couldn't marry another man, or a woman couldn't marry another woman. The sanctity of marriage.
How many marriages like that have there been and how on earth do they increase the "sanctity" of marriage rather than render the term, meaningless?
What is this, to you? Nobody is asking you to embrace their expression of love. But don't you, as human beings, have to embrace... that love? The world is barren enough.
It is stacked against love, and against hope, and against those very few and precious emotions that enable us to go forward. Your marriage only stands a 50-50 chance of lasting, no matter how much you feel and how hard you work.
And here are people overjoyed at the prospect of just that chance, and that work, just for the hope of having that feeling. With so much hate in the world, with so much meaningless division, and people pitted against people for no good reason, this is what your religion tells you to do? With your experience of life and this world and all its sadnesses, this is what your conscience tells you to do?
With your knowledge that life, with endless vigor, seems to tilt the playing field on which we all live, in favor of unhappiness and hate... this is what your heart tells you to do? You want to sanctify marriage? You want to honor your God and the universal love you believe he represents? Then Spread happiness—this tiny, symbolic, semantical grain of happiness—share it with all those who seek it. Quote me anything from your religious leader or book of choice telling you to stand against this. And then tell me how you can believe both that statement and another statement, another one which reads only "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
You are asked now, by your country, and perhaps by your creator, to stand on one side or another. You are asked now to stand, not on a question of politics, not on a question of religion, not on a question of gay or straight. You are asked now to stand, on a question of love. All you need do is stand, and let the tiny ember of love meet its own fate.
You don't have to help it, you don't have it applaud it, you don't have to fight for it. Just don't put it out. Just don't extinguish it. Because while it may at first look like that love is between two people you don't know and you don't understand and maybe you don't even want to know. It is, in fact, the ember of your love, for your fellow person just because this is the only world we have. And the other guy counts, too.
This is the second time in ten days I find myself concluding by turning to, of all things, the closing plea for mercy by Clarence Darrow in a murder trial.
But what he said, fits what is really at the heart of this:
"I was reading last night of the aspiration of the old Persian poet, Omar-Khayyam," he told the judge. It appealed to me as the highest that I can vision. I wish it was in my heart, and I wish it was in the hearts of all: So I be written in the Book of Love; I do not care about that Book above. Erase my name, or write it as you will, So I be written in the Book of Love."
If the mood so strikes me in the coming days, I may post some more of my own thoughts on the passage of Prop 8. But, so far, all I've been able to put together is the wording of my "status" on Facebook. It reads, "GuyOnTheAir is discouraged that people feel justified in their hatred, based on their religion, when no religion truly supports hatred of people."
I have not followed, nor seen any of the Michael Moore movies. I don't know if I respect the man, or what I think about him. But I have to tell you, this clip makes me laugh, and makes me so very happy!
Monday, April 21, 2008
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Major GrandCentral outtage, and my response
I've become a huge user of GrandCentral, a service bought by Google, which claims to be your one stop shop for a phone number that won't change for life...
So, most people that know me now have my GrandCentral phone number. (Readers of private.GuyOnTheAir.com even have a button to click to call me directly from there...) And, overall, I like the features and service...except when it goes down, as it did on my birthday, just a couple weekends ago.
And, upon service restoral, shocker, they even posted something about it on the GrandCentral blog. So, I've posted my "comments" response. But, since my comments are awaiting "moderation", I have a sneaky suspicion they might never see the light of day. So, I publish them here, so that all the world can read, whether or not they become an "official" comment.
GuyOnTheAir Says: Your comment is awaiting moderation. April 20th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
I find it astounding that this service seems to be no more than a “mom and pop” setup. Sounds like it’s coming from someone’s garage.
A number of things are disturbing:
1) A colo facility, apparently now contracted by Google, had a “power issue” that knocked the whole service offline. Any colo facility I’d ever do business with would have backup power, generators, something. Did all of those fail? Were they even in place?
2) Every guy deserves time with his family, and Craig should be no different. But, is Craig the ONLY guy running GC? Is there NOBODY else that could deal with problems? Would not a variety of people be paged and consulted in case of an issue? Craig says “we were able to restore the service”, implying it’s more than just him, but I’m starting to wonder.
3) Keeping us informed would be great. It seems that all communication, save one or two blogs, has been cut off ever since Google acquired GC. As an end user, it would appear the service is doomed, as there have been no major developments, and changes, other than the mysterious end being able to invite others to the service. That doesn’t bode well, either. Is the service doomed?
I do appreciate that at least SOMETHING was written about this outtage. I’m sure most people don’t even realize this blog is here, though, and it certainly hasn’t seemed to be a complete resource for all things GC in ages…
I do hope that things improve.
Finally, can we get a way to call our GC number, look somebody up in our Address book, and then be able to call them, if we’re not able to get the web interface? That and text messaging are the biggest hurdles to making this service truly replace all my other numbers.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
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This is sad...
I live in the middle of the city. Well, yes, I live in the "valley" area of Los Angeles, so, some may consider that the suburbs. But, to me, it feels like I'm right in the middle of the city. Many days I wish I could get out of town, or have some peace and quiet. That's why I love to go camping, or up to the mountains, even for an afternoon.
I didn't grow up in "suburbia". I grew up on the outskirts of a town, and I'm not totally accustomed to hearing traffic, busses, firetrucks and sirens at all hours of the day and night. I'm not used to living for an extended period of time with noisy neighbors next to, and above me.
But in some regards, there's safety in that, at least as far as wild fires are concerned. We're in the midst of some terrible fires here. Ash has covered my car when I get out from work (I've not been riding the moped due to the poor air conditions, preferring the somewhat filtered air of my car.) There's smoke in the air, and the smell of something burning. And, at times, depending on the winds, the sky is dark with smoke. And, it's hard to believe that these fires that started in outlying areas, in areas with more trees, brush, shrubs and more, can really hit me. I'm in the middle of town. I have a fire station right down the street.
So, even though I pay my renter's insurance to keep my belongings safe or replaceable, it doesn't really feel real to me. The TV coverage has been nonstop for a few days now, but it doesn't really feel like it could hit me. So, while I'm concerned about those I know who live in affected areas, and have called and contacted them, worried about their well-being, it just doesn't seem to affect me much. Life has gone on, with only minor work problems, due to the situation.
But, then you come across something like this:
I'm not even familiar with Larry Himmel. I haven't seen him on tv when I've been in San Diego that I'm aware of. But, he's been around San Diego a long time. And, well, this clip brings tears to my eyes. I can think of how he must feel, and what it must be like. And yet, he has to carry on. Life has gone on for him, too, and he's reporting on how these fires of destroyed his life, in many regards.
Yes, possessions are just possessions, but some are irreplaceable, and no one can deny that they do provide comfort, and a sense of home and belonging. They're also related to hopes and dreams. I dream of owning a home someday, and I'm sure that Larry did too. So, then to have achieved that dream, and then having to report on it burning to the ground, must be quite an emotional experience indeed.
My heart goes out all those who have been directly affected by the fires, and I applaud the efforts of firemen, law enforcement, and others that have responded in the ways they should.
