Yesterday was a good day. As was usual I flipped on the radio in the morning as I was waking up and started listening to the Jim Rome in the Jungle sports talk radio show. In the third hour of the program a caller named Brad from Corona (Cali.?) called in with an all time great call which included a Tasmanian devil / Troy Palamaulou (an NFL champs Pitt. Steelers defensive player) impression. I was laughing so hard. This cat Brad is the next "big new thing" to play his way into the Jungle's annual smack off. Continuing into the day the weather was incredible and the temperatures kept climbing as the day wore on. Later that night the Vancouver NHL hockey team ended an 8 game loosing streak and their new star and 10 million dollar player Mats Sundine finally played a good game and won the first star honors for the game. Right after the game ended I indulged in one of my guilty pleasures by watching a reality tv show. What made it so entertaining was the fact that I know one of the contestants in the show and she received major attention and lots of coverage in this particular episode. The show and especially my friend that is in it had me laughing really hard once again on that fine day. Laughing truly is medicine for the soul.

The Jim Rome show helps me feel connected to the sports world and culture I left behind when I headed for the north lands some seven years ago. During my 7000 mile journey to Alaska by myself (save for my two dogs) I listened to the radio of course and during some stretches I got no stations at all on any AM or FM frequencies. Static across the dial. But there was a long stretch through parts of Nebraska and Wyoming and Montana where there was nothing but one station and The Jungle could be heard coming through loud and clear. It was awesome. It actually gave me goosebumps. The listeners to The Jungle are called the clones, and they will be the only ones to catch any inside jungle jokes or references, so when I say that I hope I don't make Marty from Detroit jealous with my story revealing my admiration for Romie the clones know exactly what I am talking about. I started listening to Rome when I worked a state job driving around in a truck all day by myself (like Marty). I hated on Rome for a long time because of the "Chris" Everit incident and like the New York Jets I thought Romie did mostly negative interview with athletes. After the 9-11 World Trade Center attacks talk radio entered my life even more and during that time I listened to NPR all day waiting for the next thing to happen. After a few weeks I went back to listening to the Jungle. One thing about Rome that finally clicked for me: You have to realize and recognize his southern Californian accent and attitude, and then his often satirical and sarcastic style makes way more sense and then he and the show is much funnier. Being isolated for seven years now its great to know that on five days a week I can just switch on the radio and feel connected to the world I left behind. And a small world it is. Every now and then I hear interviews from people I know and met and used to see on a regular basis and its about the only time I ever get to hear anything about my beloved Iowa Hawkeyes (which is a rare thing actually). I have written many a letter or e-mail which I never sent to the Jungle - they were all way to long and way to wack for that sort of medium. My vocabulary most definitely includes what I call "Rome-isms" so I thought I would give a shouts out to the Jungle Crew for bringing a little humor and entertainment into my life, and to the "next big new thing", Brad from Corona, in this years smack off!