* As one who's in remission from a different kind of blood cancer, I'm heartened by Robin Roberts' amazing recovery from a life-threatening disease and subsequent return to morning TV today. That said, I've never been a fan of Roberts, dating back to her days at ESPN. Meanwhile, don't tell me ABC didn't exploit Roberts' condition to milk ratings.

* Speaking of morning TV, if NBC named David Gregory to permanently replace Matt Lauer, the "Today" program would be significantly improved. Gregory's been filling in for Lauer the last couple of days. He's been sharp, funny and likable, and he meshes well with co-host Savannah Guthrie, who has been a big upgrade over Ann Curry.

* Give credit to those who had the guts to speak up for the state's gun law at last night's Ulster County Legislature meeting at UPAC. It couldn't have been easy given the hecklers and boo-birds they encountered in the large crowd.

* I'm looking forward to Seth MacFarlane hosting the Oscars, but I suspect if he sticks to his irreverent "Family Guy", "Ted", "American Dad", "Cleveland Show" humor, the core audience in Hollywood and in Middle America will be upset. If one-time host David Letterman's relatively mild "Uma ... Oprah" was panned in 1994, MacFarlane doesn't have a chance. Hope I'm wrong.

* My wife's out of town. Thank goodness for the hot food and salad bar offerings at Adams.

* I have three email addresses, one of which attracts an endless stream of spam, which I immediately trash without opening. I'm guessing I'm not alone, thus the question: Does anyone read this stuff and, if not, why do spammers continue to send it?

* I don't much like politics, but in my next life I'm coming back as a political consultant so I can get a lucrative contract from a cable channel in between elections.