1 FEB 03: DAY OF DISINTEGRATION

What happened with the shuttle Columbia today was the capstone of a wild week for me. I might never have heard the news until church in the afternoon - except I happened upon one of my station's reporters outside a downtown restaurant. She told me, "Everyone's being called in." I was NOT - so perhaps for once they misplaced my phone number.

I drove by the Space Science Center in town twice, looking for signs of a Columbia memorial. Only when I jogged by it after dark did I see any trace - a poster on the ticket booth window, with a few flowers left on the counter. Coca-Cola didn't even bother to take down its sign, so it could be called the "Challenger Space Science Center" again.

I drove to church around 1:30 p.m., and was surprised by all the flags still at full-staff. It was that way outside the downtown post office and fire station. Have we become so scared of the government that we have to wait for orders about such things?

I happened to be Worship Leader at church, and changed the first couple of songs to be more introspective and comfort-seeking. Somehow a song called, "Hallelujah, Praise God's Name" didn't seem quite right to start things off on this day.

(You could tell it was a different day at church. I walked in to hear Peter Jennings's voice on a TV set at the side of the hall. Most weeks, the only time Jennings would come up is if the Pastor bashed him for being a biased liberal.)

I couldn't help thinking about the Israeli astronaut on the Columbia mission. He told reporters before launch he'd honor Israel by keeping the Sabbath during the flight - but on the first weekend, he admitted he became so busy with experiments he forgot the Sabbath. [True/A.P. 18 Jan] I predict I'll hear about him from at least six Sabbath-keeping preachers in the next year.

Another marvel of the day was that my Pastor was AWAY from church today - just as he was the Saturday after Operation Desert Storm began in 1991, and the Saturday after 9/11/01. If he knows something big is coming, he should at least share the gift of prophecy with everybody else.

Am I the only one who was surprised by how life did NOT stop for the shuttle disintegration?

+ TV networks went back to regular programming tonight -- unlike 17 years ago, when Challenger exploded and all commercials were cancelled. The economy MUST be in bad shape.

+ College sports teams in town had their scheduled games -- and the OTHER television station, which did a 6:00 p.m. sportscast, somehow forgot to ask the coaches why they played.

+ That unnamed other station spent its final moments at 6:00 p.m. in "happy talk" with the meteorologist about his Friday birthday. "Are you old enough for the seniors' discount at Shoney's?" one news anchor asked. Maybe that guy should buy food for the mourning Space Science Center staff instead.

+ I stopped by MY television station for a few minutes - and the only caller demanded we investigate how much the city spends to keep an "eternal flame" for veterans lit downtown. Some folks stop mourning VERY quickly.

Oh yes -- I almost forgot to mention the "wild week" I've had. It's been so busy I haven't had time to post it all: For one thing, I was fingerprinted at police headquarters Thursday by an F.B.I. agent.. Before you ask - no, I have NOT had an affair with Laci Peterson's husband.

The reason for the fingerprinting was because of a threatening letter our TV station received, which I happened to open. The F.B.I. has asked me NOT to disclose the details of the letter - but I'll only say this: the way it was worded, the shuttle Columbia could have been a target.

So what else have you missed, that I have not?

+ I had a flat tire Friday -- and couldn't figure out how to use the new hydraulic jack I bought last year for emergencies like this. Couldn't Kmart at least paint the "release valve" in a different color, so I can find it?

+ The husband of one of my nieces was held up at gunpoint at his workplace -- and for some reason, the daily newspaper printed his home address the next day. I hope the reporter is planning to stake out the house, to make the citizen's arrest personally.

+ I was offered an opportunity to do commercials for an ad agency in San Antonio - IF I e-mailed the office an M-P-3 track. Trouble is, the recorder I downloaded from mp3.com records in every format EXCEPT M-P-3! Maybe that web site should be called EMPTY-3 instead.