  I review studies of the hot gaseous medium in and around nearby normal disk
galaxies, including the Milky Way. This medium represents a reservoir of
materials required for lasting star formation, a depository of galactic
feedback (e.g., stellar mass loss and supernovae), and an interface between the
interstellar and intergalactic media. Important progress has been made recently
with the detection of X-ray absorption lines in the spectra of X-ray binaries
and AGNs. The X-ray absorption line spectroscopy, together with existing X-ray
emission and far-UV \ovi absorption measurements now allows for the first time
to characterize the global spatial, thermal, and chemical properties of hot gas
in the Galaxy. The results are generally consistent with those inferred from
X-ray imaging of nearby edge-on galaxies similar to the Milky Way. Observed
diffuse X-ray emitting/absorbing gas does not extend significantly more than
$\sim 10$ kpc away from galactic disks/bulges, except in nuclear starburst or
very massive galaxies. The X-ray cooling rate of this gas is generally far less
than the expected supernova mechanical energy input alone. So the bulk of the
energy is ``missing''. On the other hand, evidence for a large-scale ($\gsim
10^2$ kpc) hot gaseous halo around the Milky Way to explain various
high-velocity clouds is mounting. The theoretical argument for ongoing
accretion of intergalactic gas onto disk galaxies is also compelling. I discuss
possible solutions that reconcile these facts.
