I LOVE Fleet Week!  I wish we had Fleet Month but only if the Blue Angels would fly every day.

When I was a kid my dad used to drag us out to Jones Beach to watch the air shows. The planes were cool but nothing like the F/A-18 that the Blue Angels fly today. My dad would be impressed with them and nothing ever impressed him.

I still remember the first time they flew over San Francisco Bay when Diane Feinstein was the mayor. They showed up, unannounced and it did scare people. She was livid. To make it up to her they took her up. Things were cool after that. Things moved from one airshow on Saturday afternoon to Saturday and Sunday shows plus 2-3 days of practice -- all to the thrill of most San Franciscans.

I love the roar of the jets, it's a huge adrenaline rush. I love how close they fly, the precision. They zip through the buildings like they're nothing and the view over the bay is amazing. I used to work in a building where we could go up to the roof on the 32nd floor -- you'd swear you could reach up and touch the planes while they flew overhead. Safety always comes first.

When my Marine was still in the Corps and NAS Alameda was still open I got to not only go out on their flight line, but to sit in the two-seater. No, I didn't get to fly, but sitting in the cockpit was awesome. In private the pilots were average, every day guys who were fun and interesting to talk to.

After Fleet Week comes what I think of as the "better" time of year -- rain, cold, dark -- purrrrrrrrrrrfect for writing. And lots and lots of days off. They seem to signal the start of the holiday season which even if you aren't into the celebrations the days off are great. Lots of time for reading and writing....Nano is 27 days away!