When I first moved to Aspen almost three years ago I was in the habit of waking up, gathering a bowl of cereal, and being in front of the t.v. at 7 am to watch the first 22 minutes of the Today Show. They do not break for commercials until roughly 22 after the hour so it’s all “news” up to that point…efficient t.v. watching if you will.

I felt it kept me in the loop. If there was major world news that day it would be in those first 22 minutes…and no commercials with which to contend. Sometimes the whole first hour is newsy and other days, they shift to celebrity interviews right after that first commercial break.

I also used to watch it for Katie Couric. We are alumnae of the same college, the University of Virginia. She is one of the more famous grads. She lived on the most prestigious part of Grounds, The Lawn. She just strikes me as smart and friendly. So I would watch for her. I’m not anti Matt, Ann, or Al. I like them well enough too. Al does a nice job on the weather.

Anyway, after about a year I got out of the habit. Now, I completely live in the Aspen bubble and have no clue what’s happening passed the ABC (I would say “passed the roundabout,” but I work at the ABC). Really though, it just started to feel icky to begin the day watching t.v.

But, this morning, I reverted back to my old ways. I only made it through the first 10 minutes or so. Usually I would stay on until the first commercial break, but today I stopped after the cereal was gone.

The show started with a report about tropical storm Alberto in Florida. Winds shouldn’t get above 60 mph and the storm will bring much needed rain to areas. As Matt put it, “a silver lining” to a tropical storm.

Then “to the day’s top stories with Ann Curry over at the news desk.” Lots of headlines…one about a train wreck in Israel. She mentioned it very briefly and it sounded like it was an area I had been in last month. So, I also turned it off because I wanted to run up stairs and get on my computer to find out more.

Yes, last month I was on that exact train route. Heading from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv to Northern Israel. A quick google search revealed a CNN report and an AP report among others, but the most informative account was on jerusalempost.com. Funny enough, this is not the main newspaper of Israel. It is written and printed in English. Most Israelis know English, but it is their second language. My understanding from when I visited is that the most read newspaper by Israelis is Haaretz.

So, yes, I have read the account of the truck that was caught in the tracks. Apparently it was waiting to cross and then another vehicle hit it from behind, pushing it on to the tracks. The truck stalled. The reports are the five are dead and 78 are injured.

The Jpost website is organized much like the NY Times website. I wonder if they are connected? A quick check on the “about us” section reveals no such connection, but they may be. Anyhoo, starting the day on the computer like this feels a little icky as well. I am going to read my book a wee bit, get dressed, and start my carless commute to the ABC…stopping at the Red Brick to drop off a birthday present to a friend. It all sounds like fluff compared to being seriously injured or dead from an arbitrary train wreck. Oy, and to add that there is a KSPN Killers softball game tonight. That really sounds like a fluffy life.

I will be resolved to the fact that life has peaks and valleys and the quiet day I am having today is a blessing because there are certainly hard days. And a quiet day can turn into a tragic day in an instant…like it did for the poor passengers on that train. Sadly, there are many places in the world right now where every day is a beleaguered…dedicated just to surviving that day and making it to the next.

I resigned from my full-time position at KSPN last Monday. It was a labored decision. But that’s an entry for another day.