SERVICE!

Tickets worthy of an early lineup

It'll be quite a treat for University of Hawaii volleyball fans Saturday when the home team hosts the postseason Mountain Pacific Sports Federation playoff at the Stan Sheriff Center, for the first time since 2006. The Rainbow Warriors will face Pepperdine.

Speaking of treats: Patient fans who were in line bright and early Monday to snag playoff tickets got a bonus, as several UH players came out to the queue to serve up doughnuts.

JUST THE FAX

Pay attention to the office staff

Have you hugged your office manager today? Well, hop to it, since today marks Administrative Professionals Day, a day of appreciation for the office folks who keep the paperwork flowing and the phone calls answered.

What started off as National Secretaries Week in 1952 by a New York publicist has evolved over the years to Professional Secretaries Week and now, Administrative Professionals Week. In more holiday-happy offices, lunches are treated, gifts given, flowers bestowed. In others, simpler gestures of appreciation can go a long way.

WHOOSH!

Be careful with those matches

Persistent dry weather and high winds are a combustible combination. The word is out to conserve water, with nearly 70 percent of the state getting less rain than usual.

It's also important to take extra care to prevent wildfires, the risks of which rises under such weather conditions. Besides trimming dry vegetation on your own property and extinguishing backyard grills when dinner's done, be careful on public land: douse campfires and realize that sparks from off-road vehicles can ignite dry brush. A state official said that carelessness causes nearly all wildfires in Hawaii, a fact that should be unacceptable to the general public.