Life is simply too short.

I, like much of America (at least the Western part), have been following the horrible weather in the Pacific Northwest, and the stories of the climbers on Mt. Hood and the crisis in Seattle. Some of you may have heard about the woman who drowned in her basement when a flash flood (possibly caused by clogged and ill-serviced storm drains) destroyed the foundation of her house and trapped her in her basement.

What I didn't know is that the woman was Kate Fleming, award-winning narrator of over 250 audiobooks. (A callback to my previous job in the audio publishing industry.) My friend called me tonight to tell me that she was in Seattle for the funeral. This is the second time in the last two weeks that we have called each other to relay news of someone we know who has succumbed to an untimely passing.

Let us hope that the new year brings better things and no more phone calls like these. Life is too short.