Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Chatter

No matter where you go, it's all people want to talk about.  Well, actually, there are two topics:  the weather and the flu.  I'll start with the weather, and I'll close with the passing of a Wilkes-Barre legend.

The average high for this time of year is 34, so I consider anything above freezing to be a bonus.  Dry and above freezing is a gift from heaven.  Sorry skiers, but last year was a fantastic winter.  Snow is dangerous.  I won't complain if we have another below normal precipitation season.  Yes, I realize I live in northeastern Pennsylvania.  Moving is not an option.

This week will see a warming trend.  I didn't do research.  My evidence is anecdotal.  After chatting with people at the gym, Walmart and a drug store, most people are happy with this little taste of spring time.

Now, on to the flu.  I received my shot in September.  I take my vitamins and wash my hands all the time.  There's always a bottle of hand sanitizer close by.  It seems to be a reasonable course of prevention..  Several people at the office are down with the illness.  I can't shutter myself in the house.  I have to be out.  There is a disgusting thought at the back of my head that somewhere out there is bacteria with my name on it.

There's an old saying-- expect the worst, hope for the best.

Former Wilkes-Barre councilman and bar owner Jim McCarthy has passed away.  He was on council while I was on the radio.  McCarthy was in radio for a long time, most notably CBS in Washington, DC.  He always had an interest in it, so he unfailingly managed to find a few minutes to answer my questions, and he liked to talk.  Let me correct that.  Jim McCarthy LOVED to talk.  McCarthy answered the questions on Wilkes-Barre government, and he'd always toss in a tale or two about his time covering Washington.  It was tough to get a short answer out of him on anything, but you really didn't mind because it was an opportunity to hear his wonderful voice.  Jim McCarthy was 77.