According to the Fallible Blogma dude, I'm supposed to write a few sentences in support of Lino Rulli. The author of that blog had a great idea: Let's support Catholic Speakers, since they give back to us in so many ways. And since we already support Lino's radio gig, we should support his speaking gigs too.*

* Would be nice if someone would grab Greg and Jennifer Willits or Fr. Dave Dwyer, two other Sirius personalities.

Since I abhor cheesy (ok fine, I love cheesy), I thought I'd write five fun facts I've learned about Lino based on random bits of the show that I remember in my approximate year-and-a-half of listening.

5. Lino has a secret desire to work at a Pizzeria. Ok, maybe it's not a desire, but I can remember on the show about a year ago Lino thought he'd be a good fit to work at a pizzeria. This in turn inspired me to start making pizza via breadmaker, and let me tell you, making the crust from scratch is the best thing I ever did for myself in the kitchen. The pizza (pepperoni, jalapeno and spinach on a whole wheat crust) was as good as you can do without owning your own pizzera. Thank you for the inspiration.

4. Lino is thoughtful when it comes to listeners. On the second Rome trip, he asked what prizes people wanted. I joked that I wanted a bottle of air from the Vatican, not expecting anything (seriously, who requests something like that? It'd be foolish to send an empty jar). But I got a nice postcard out of the bit.

3. Lino has a short attention span when it comes to things that amuse him. Case in point, he used to man-chat on FB a lot. For two weeks, it was a nightly ritual: you'd never know when he'd show up. He still does from time to time, and if the timing is right, you can catch Lou. But it was just a fad. Perhaps it can continue.

2. Lino can surprise you with his musical choices. I didn't expect that Popple's "What Did You Say" on Monday's show was his song choice (I figured Maureen picked it). But it is a catchy tune that has been in my brain all week. Awesome song.

1. Lino puts on an amazing show. OK, that isn't a surprise or anything, but I actually find myself grumpy when I miss part of the show. I think I need one of those Stilletos or something to record it. Some people have their Grey's Anatomy, some people have Lost. I have The Catholic Guy. I've never met any of the crew in person or chatted with them for extended periods of time like I would with real friends, but I feel like they are a part of my every day life. Keeping up with their lives for three hours a day, 15 hours a week, you really start to care about them. Is Lou getting engaged? What did Lino do over the weekend? What is Maureen's favorite alcoholic beverage? It's things like that that I find myself wondering about in my spare time. Which makes me sound like a creepo. Or huge fan. I go with the second one. Less creepy.

My afternoons used to be humdrum before I turned to The Catholic Channel. And now? From 4-7 p.m. (and 7-10 p.m. eastern too), they've gotten a whole lot more entertaining.

And spiritual as well.