Make this a top priority

It's one of those days when everything you had planned to do goes right out the window. The data link for Syracuse's doppler radar started getting flaky last week, and there's been some serious misdiagnosis going on. It's a classic scenario: people who don't really know how the system works have decided what the problem has to be, and they email everyone except the folks who are actually responsible for fixing it. Since rain is forecast for this afternoon, the news director got into the act this morning with the demand to "make this a top priority."

So even though I have no responsibility for this equipment, I dropped my own work and drove up to Pompey to deal decisively with it, terminating an unused subcarrier modulator with extreme prejudice. Marvin Martian meets Dirty Harry.

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The goose exclusionary zone next to our building seems to be working: the flock loiters around the new fencing, grumbling and pooping. The grass around the gazebo is safe to cross again, but the front driveway has become more of a minefield than ever. I noticed seven new goslings this morning: the baby boom is in high gear.

As with any other project, installing the fence has had unexpected consequences. Now that the geese are banished, a family of rabbits has taken up residence under the gazebo and robins have nested in its rafters. The robins go ballistic when the baby bunnies venture into the open to nibble, and dive straight at them. Yesterday one of our photographers was attacked and driven back into the building. It's a sad day when a weeks-old bunny shows greater fortitude than a 35 year-old news photog.

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The rain's started and thunder's not far off. I'd better make sure the radar's still working.