There are many cultural indicators of bad times. Demand for Spam strikes me as one of the most interesting. I’m not sure what I find more shocking — the fact that more people are buying Spam or the fact that the production line turns out 149,500 cans of spam a day. I ate a lot of this stuff growing up. Still, it’s hard to get past the description: “a gelatinous 12-ounce rectangle of spiced ham and pork.” Even for a pig lover like me, that’s hard to swallow.

Where are all the posts from the past? Why did this thing go down for a day and a half?

Well, the sad version of the story is that my blogging software melted down. I have a stable solution, but it may take a few days to get everything back online. Thanks for your patience.

The hot conditions and shifting winds spurred the Sierra Madre fire Sunday morning. By noon, we could see the flames cresting the west side of the hills. Helicopters pass over the house at an increasing rate, dropping retardant on the blaze then circling back into the pattern. Evacuations were ordered for homes to the west of Baldwin. We still don’t think our family will fall into an evacuation zone, but officials claim it may take 2-3 days to contain the fire, so we remain alert.

I made it safely back to Los Angeles from Dublin yesterday. I returned home to a giant plume of smoke. The Sierra Madre wildfire is raging in the hills just behind our house, less than a mile away. About 200 homes have been evacuated. Helicopters and water planes began hitting the fire hard again at 6:30 this morning. There’s smoke and ash everywhere. We are all safe and probably far enough away that our home will not be affected, but I’ll keep everyone posted.