Writings by Diane

While watching Good Morning America a few days ago, I saw a harrowing video from Houston TX. It was an eyewitness video of a fire at a construction site of an apartment building . On the fifth story was a construction worker stranded while the fire raged on a few feet away from him. The video contained the audio of the filmer’s panicked voice, as she watched helplessly through a window across from the construction site. My heart leapt as I watched the construction worker swung like a professional acrobat to the lower level balcony away from the fire. Just when the fire ladder reached him and he crawled  onto the rungs, the fifth floor’s blazing wall collapsed. Thankfully, the construction worker got off of the balcony alive. As I watched other news channels of this same video (it was much easier to watch knowing that is would end in good news) I was struck by how calm and methodical the construction worker was in this moment of crisis. He really inspired me step by step on how ...

Recently, at the dentist office, of all places, I heard of the newest station in Boise, KZMG FM 102.7. I could hear the crooning of Kelly Clarkson over the harsh drilling of my tooth. I must admit, listening to this newest station was the most pleasant part of my appointment. Afterwards, I entered my car and dialed the call numbers into the radio. As I listened, I realized that I hadn't heard any disc jockey’s friendly observations on this radio station, just the continuous flow of today’s hits.   As if to answer my question, a disembodied voice informed the listeners to go online to request songs . I thought this was a clever idea—after all, we do tend to go to the Internet for everything.  With listeners submitting their play lists on line was another reason for no DJs. I made a mental check list of the other radio stations sans DJ’s – Bob FM 96.  and 105.1 Variety Rock .  I began to wonder—are we witnessing a new trend now? I am of a generation where DJ’...

Yesterday I saw on Twitter the sad news that comedian David Brenner had passed away . I remember his comedic stand up act and appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson . I always thought he was very funny with his keen observational humor and distinct vocal delivery.  He definitely paved the way for other comedians like Jerry Seinfeld and Paul Reiser. However, my most vivid memory of him is quite serious.  When I was in grade school, I saw an interview with him on television.  He mentioned when he was a child, he cried so hard that his tears were blood.   Now I wonder: why does this snippet stick in my memory?  As I mull it over, I suppose it was my introduction to empathy. At this young age, I had never heard of anyone being so emotionally distraught that they would cry so hard to draw blood.  I found his flashback story about this so out of the blue. I thought the interview would be primarily showcasing is comic flair. Instead, the...

Many a time when I’m stuck in traffic, I look up and name the sky by its characteristics.  With the rain storms we've been having recently, I've been calling it a Mottled Sky--the clouds have been bubbly mixes of charcoal and pale grays. Some past afternoons, as the sun is setting, the color of the sky is painted with light blues, smoky pinks and iridescent purples. These times, I named it an Eye Shadow Sky. My favorite is a Jazz Sky—that involves fluffy, cottony clouds and a sparkling azure sky.  I came up with this name a few years back completely by accident. On our weekend drives before our son was born, my husband and I couldn't agree on a radio station.  My preference was (and still is) Smooth Jazz, like Spyro Gyra or the Rippingtons .  My husband believes there are two kinds of music to listen to while he’s in the car: Country and Western-- take your pick! Though Country Western music is not my first choice, I do enjoy it; however, my husband thinks Smooth...

On February 27th, I was listening to The Bob and Tom Show on my computer as I was getting ready for work.  Many a morning, their show has kept me in stitches and made me look forward to Mondays.   Not only are the hosts hilarious, this program also showcases many funny comedians. I had tuned into the middle of the show, and had missed the beginning. I heard them interviewing comedian Nick Griffin , who was speaking about Tim Wilson , another comedian who was a frequent guest of their show. I remembered the first time I had heard Tim Wilson on their show. It was a few years ago, and I was changing channels on the radio on my way to work in the morning. I remembered my husband recommending the Bob and Tom Show, so I punched the scan radio button to their channel.  I had tuned into the middle of an interview. I heard a distinctive southern drawl coming through the speakers. This man, who I later learned was Tim Wilson, was speaking about a book he had written about ...