Well, here we go again. It’s 6 a.m. and time for another day on the treadmill. It seems to be staying dark later, and somehow that makes this daily agony even less enjoyable.

I read several different papers to try and pass the time more quickly, but I haven’t kept up like I normally do. The pile of unread literature is taller than your typical 5-year-old and seems ready to topple.

I write a lot about what’s going on here in Federal Way, so let’s see what’s going on in other cities. There must be something new and exciting happening out there.

East of the mountains, they celebrate the arrival of migrating birds with the annual Othello Sandhill Crane Festival. This year it has been canceled due to lack of volunteers. Hmm… how will the cranes know they have been canceled? Won’t they still show up anyway? And with no one to greet them, how will they know where to check in? Or how to find a good restaurant? I wonder if they have a tourist bureau in Kennewick?

Next door in Auburn, one thief was easy to catch. He wheeled a stolen 50-inch television past the police department. I would imagine a television that big being wheeled down Main Street might get someone’s attention.

Also, in Auburn, City Hall found that clear communication with its residents is essential. The deputy mayor felt compelled to send a letter to the editor of the Auburn Reporter to clarify a community misunderstanding. Some citizens were upset with city plans for “transient oriented development.” She wanted to clarify that it was “transit” oriented development. Glad we got that cleared up. Other cities might have seen Auburn as a transient destination point.

Criminals in Issaquah make it far to easy for the police. One man reported to court on a charge where the judge sent him to jail. During booking, police found a bag of marijuana. His comment: “That was really stupid of me to go to court with it in my pocket.” Any disagreement? With cooperative criminals like that, Issaquah may be able to lower its police budget.

Not surprisingly, a picture of scantily clad young ladies on the front page of the Whidbey News-Times under the headline “Talk Derby To Me,” catches my eye. Oh… well that wasn’t quite what I expected. It was a story about their ladies roller rink team. Those folks on Whidbey Island have quite the sense of humor. But it is early in the morning and I am easy to fool this time of day. They must be pretty tough up there — that sport is brutal.

And though it isn’t exactly what I learned in political science, or church either, maybe God does have his limits.

One of the candidates for president says all the earthquakes and hurricanes are a message from God to Washington politicians for not listening. And we thought we were the only ones they didn’t listen to. Maybe God isn’t among the 14 percent who have confidence in Congress.

You just can’t make this stuff up, but it’s time to get off the treadmill and get back to interviewing candidates for the fall elections. Besides, it’s looking lighter outside and my knees are beginning to hurt.