Back in my pre-newspaper days, I worked a lot of different jobs, including at a care home for developmentally disabled and schizophrenic people.
One woman, Betty, was confined to a wheelchair, and when she'd get really angry at someone, she would fling herself forward and backward with enough force to flip her wheelchair over. We'd have to pick her and the chair up while she flailed furiously on her back.
Sometimes -- just for a milisecond -- I wish I could flip my office chair over that way. The problem is, I'm usually only that angry at my stupid laptop, and it certainly wouldn't be able to pick me up off the floor. This lame-ass thing can barely deal with having to open Word and Explorer in the same decade.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Too long, too late
It has been almost three years since I left California, and I sure wish I had gotten back there to visit sooner.
My brother Drew was sick in the hospital the week my mom would have turned 86, and half an hour before I got on my flight from Wilmington to Sacramento to go visit him, he died. I wish I'd been there with him, to hold his hand.
I have very few real memories of my childhood, but the ones I do have often involve Drew. We were the closest in age. He was only 55. Drew introduced me to some of the things that have remained part of my life since, like The Beatles, The Stones, "The Hobbit" and Star Trek. When I went to see the new movie last week, I kept thinking I couldn't wait to call him and talk about it.
As I was working on my room this weekend, I put up a framed picture of him next to ones of my parents, and realized I have a little shrine to my dead relatives there. Which is OK, I think. I'll light a candle for them and hope they are all together now, taking care of each other.
My brother Drew was sick in the hospital the week my mom would have turned 86, and half an hour before I got on my flight from Wilmington to Sacramento to go visit him, he died. I wish I'd been there with him, to hold his hand.
I have very few real memories of my childhood, but the ones I do have often involve Drew. We were the closest in age. He was only 55. Drew introduced me to some of the things that have remained part of my life since, like The Beatles, The Stones, "The Hobbit" and Star Trek. When I went to see the new movie last week, I kept thinking I couldn't wait to call him and talk about it.
As I was working on my room this weekend, I put up a framed picture of him next to ones of my parents, and realized I have a little shrine to my dead relatives there. Which is OK, I think. I'll light a candle for them and hope they are all together now, taking care of each other.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
What's with the makeup?
This morning, one of my coworkers asked me "What's with the makeup?" in an accusatory tone.
"Makeup?"
"Yeah, the eye-liner or whatever."
"It's just mascara, and I always wear it."
"Oh," he says, like he's saying "riiiiiight, sure you do." Like I was up to something.
I never go out of the house without mascara. So what's with the grilling?
I just got a new tube of mascara, so it is probably thicker than usual, and I am wearing lipstick, which I do sometimes.
"Makeup?"
"Yeah, the eye-liner or whatever."
"It's just mascara, and I always wear it."
"Oh," he says, like he's saying "riiiiiight, sure you do." Like I was up to something.
I never go out of the house without mascara. So what's with the grilling?
I just got a new tube of mascara, so it is probably thicker than usual, and I am wearing lipstick, which I do sometimes.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Catching up again
OK, I know, it has been a while since I blogged. There's been a lot going on, but nothing I felt like writing about.
I just got back (OK, it was actually four days ago) from a quick weekend trip to Boston to visit Kevin and Dan and Felix. So much fun. I just missed snow both coming and going. It was in the 60s and we had time to visit the Isabella Stewart Gardener Art Museum and cook duck a l'orange on Friday, then we drove to Maine on Saturday, so I got to see three states in one day because we had to pass through New Hampshire, where you're allowed to buy liquor at state-run booze barns and you don't have to wear a seat belt in the car. Live Free or Die indeed!
The rocky Maine coast is gorgeous, and even though we didn't find Walker Ranch and flip off the Bush family, we had a lovely day and ate lobster rolls.
On Sunday, we had a hard time leaving the apartment because Wii fever struck, but we made it out for dim sum in Chinatown, then back home for more Mario Kart, mainly getting beaten by 10-year-olds who have much faster hand-eye coordination.
Here are some pictures:
The handsome Felix.
Dan & Kevin in Maine.
Me at the North Atlantic.
A lighthouse on the coast.
And back in Boston, the building where the Declaration of Independence was read to the community from this balcony. Ahh, history.
I just got back (OK, it was actually four days ago) from a quick weekend trip to Boston to visit Kevin and Dan and Felix. So much fun. I just missed snow both coming and going. It was in the 60s and we had time to visit the Isabella Stewart Gardener Art Museum and cook duck a l'orange on Friday, then we drove to Maine on Saturday, so I got to see three states in one day because we had to pass through New Hampshire, where you're allowed to buy liquor at state-run booze barns and you don't have to wear a seat belt in the car. Live Free or Die indeed!
The rocky Maine coast is gorgeous, and even though we didn't find Walker Ranch and flip off the Bush family, we had a lovely day and ate lobster rolls.
On Sunday, we had a hard time leaving the apartment because Wii fever struck, but we made it out for dim sum in Chinatown, then back home for more Mario Kart, mainly getting beaten by 10-year-olds who have much faster hand-eye coordination.
Here are some pictures:
The handsome Felix.
Dan & Kevin in Maine.
Me at the North Atlantic.
A lighthouse on the coast.
And back in Boston, the building where the Declaration of Independence was read to the community from this balcony. Ahh, history.
Friday, February 6, 2009
WARNING: Journalism talk ahead
My editor forwarded this on to us today, and I think it's lovely. For me, some of this is still the heart of why I love this profession, even though the corporate bullshit sucks.
When Ken Paulson left USA Today for the Newseum, he offered these parting words:
...I can certainly understand why newspapers are not viewed as trendy. After all, they were really the iPods of 1690.
But humor me, and consider this alternate history: Imagine if Gutenberg had invented a digital modem rather than a printing press, and that for centuries all of our information had come to us online.
Further, imagine if we held a press conference announcing the invention of an intriguing new product called the “newspaper.”
That press conference might go something like this: “We're pleased to announce a new product that will revolutionize the way you access information. It will save you time and money and keep you better informed than ever before.
“Just consider the hours you've spent on the internet looking for information of interest to you. We've hired specialists who live and work in your hometown to cull information sources and provide a daily report tailored to your community, your friends and your neighbors.
“We also know that you sometimes wonder whether you can trust the information you see online. We plan to introduce a painstaking new process called 'fact-checking' in which we actually verify the information before we pass it along to you.
“In addition to saving time online, you'll also save money. You won't need those expensive color ink cartridges or reams of paper because information will be printed out for you in full color every day.
“You’ll also save money on access charges and those unpleasant fights over who gets time on the computer because this product will be physically delivered to your home at the same time each day, for less than what you would tip the guy from Pizza Hut.
“You worry about your kids stumbling across porn on the internet, but this product is pre-screened and guaranteed suitable for the whole family.
“And in a security breakthrough, we guarantee newspapers to be absolutely virus-free, and promise the elimination of those annoying pop-up ads.
“It's also the most portable product in the world, and doesn’t require batteries or electricity. And when the flight attendant tells you to turn off your electronic devices, you can actually turn this on, opening page after page without worrying about interfering with the plane's radar.
“ To top it all off, you don't need a long-term warranty or service protection program. If you're not happy with this product on any day, we'll redesign it and bring you a new one the next day.”
I can see the headlines now: "Cutting-edge newspapers threaten Google’s survival.”
My point, of course, is that newspapers remain an extraordinary information bargain, and we shouldn't be selling them short or lose sight of the qualities that make American journalism so critical to our democracy.
As I leave USA Today, I’m going down the street to the Newseum, a place with a 74-foot high marble First Amendment tablet, and a commitment to preserving these fundamental freedoms. ...I also want to reflect for a moment on the First Amendment and its importance to both our nation and our profession.
The 45 words of the First Amendment were written in 1791; they’ve gone unchanged but certainly not unchallenged. And collectively those fundamental freedoms have truly made America what it is today.
Throughout world history, what has driven war and division? Very often religious differences spark conflicts. That first generation of Americans said, “I will honor your faith if you honor mine.” What an extraordinary decision to make in 1791.
What else causes instability in this world? What leads to governments being overthrown? Well, typically when the people that they don’t feel they have a voice. So that first generation of Americans said, “You have the power of petition and assembly and the right to speak out whenever you want."
And what leads to revolution and overthrown governments? When the people in charge are corrupt and they abuse their power. The Founding Fathers gave us a free press to keep an eye on our leaders and to stand up to them on behalf of the American people.
What an amazing set of liberties. It’s not a coincidence that the most dynamic, creative and powerful nation in the history of the planet is also the most free.
With the support of the American people, the Founding Fathers created a new and powerful government, but also guaranteed the kind of a free press that would take a stand for liberty and justice. That mission has not changed.
When cuts have to be made and resources are reduced, we need to remember that core commitment to the American people. Some say stock pages are on their way out, others say TV listings are obsolete, but our watchdog role is not expendable. And keeping an eye on people in power is still job one.
I remain bullish about the future of newspapers and the journalism they produce, but there's no question that shifting demographics and emerging technologies like Kindle and its successors will mean that there will one day be a final day of on-paper publication for the last remaining American newspaper. I hope that day is a long time from now.
But on that last day of publication, perhaps when the last newspaper staff has dwindled to one journalist through buyouts, layoffs and furloughs, I'd like to think the last newspaper reporter will be sitting outside the office of a mayor, governor or president, determined to tell Americans what they need to know in that final, final edition. I know that last reporter will be tenacious, committed, and passionate...
I'm leaving a profession I absolutely love, but I leave it with the confidence that American Journalism will prevail, regardless of platform or medium.
When we do our jobs the right way, when we strive every day to publish reports of integrity and balance, when we ask the tough questions, when we fight to keep the public’s business public and when we provide the kind of thorough and balanced reporting that is the life blood of a democracy, we fulfill our promise to that first generation of Americans who believed that one of the best ways to guarantee a democracy was a free and vigorous press.
We owe our readers and viewers a daily report that we’re proud of, embracing our First Amendment freedoms while living up to our professional responsibilities.
There are people counting on us.
When Ken Paulson left USA Today for the Newseum, he offered these parting words:
...I can certainly understand why newspapers are not viewed as trendy. After all, they were really the iPods of 1690.
But humor me, and consider this alternate history: Imagine if Gutenberg had invented a digital modem rather than a printing press, and that for centuries all of our information had come to us online.
Further, imagine if we held a press conference announcing the invention of an intriguing new product called the “newspaper.”
That press conference might go something like this: “We're pleased to announce a new product that will revolutionize the way you access information. It will save you time and money and keep you better informed than ever before.
“Just consider the hours you've spent on the internet looking for information of interest to you. We've hired specialists who live and work in your hometown to cull information sources and provide a daily report tailored to your community, your friends and your neighbors.
“We also know that you sometimes wonder whether you can trust the information you see online. We plan to introduce a painstaking new process called 'fact-checking' in which we actually verify the information before we pass it along to you.
“In addition to saving time online, you'll also save money. You won't need those expensive color ink cartridges or reams of paper because information will be printed out for you in full color every day.
“You’ll also save money on access charges and those unpleasant fights over who gets time on the computer because this product will be physically delivered to your home at the same time each day, for less than what you would tip the guy from Pizza Hut.
“You worry about your kids stumbling across porn on the internet, but this product is pre-screened and guaranteed suitable for the whole family.
“And in a security breakthrough, we guarantee newspapers to be absolutely virus-free, and promise the elimination of those annoying pop-up ads.
“It's also the most portable product in the world, and doesn’t require batteries or electricity. And when the flight attendant tells you to turn off your electronic devices, you can actually turn this on, opening page after page without worrying about interfering with the plane's radar.
“ To top it all off, you don't need a long-term warranty or service protection program. If you're not happy with this product on any day, we'll redesign it and bring you a new one the next day.”
I can see the headlines now: "Cutting-edge newspapers threaten Google’s survival.”
My point, of course, is that newspapers remain an extraordinary information bargain, and we shouldn't be selling them short or lose sight of the qualities that make American journalism so critical to our democracy.
As I leave USA Today, I’m going down the street to the Newseum, a place with a 74-foot high marble First Amendment tablet, and a commitment to preserving these fundamental freedoms. ...I also want to reflect for a moment on the First Amendment and its importance to both our nation and our profession.
The 45 words of the First Amendment were written in 1791; they’ve gone unchanged but certainly not unchallenged. And collectively those fundamental freedoms have truly made America what it is today.
Throughout world history, what has driven war and division? Very often religious differences spark conflicts. That first generation of Americans said, “I will honor your faith if you honor mine.” What an extraordinary decision to make in 1791.
What else causes instability in this world? What leads to governments being overthrown? Well, typically when the people that they don’t feel they have a voice. So that first generation of Americans said, “You have the power of petition and assembly and the right to speak out whenever you want."
And what leads to revolution and overthrown governments? When the people in charge are corrupt and they abuse their power. The Founding Fathers gave us a free press to keep an eye on our leaders and to stand up to them on behalf of the American people.
What an amazing set of liberties. It’s not a coincidence that the most dynamic, creative and powerful nation in the history of the planet is also the most free.
With the support of the American people, the Founding Fathers created a new and powerful government, but also guaranteed the kind of a free press that would take a stand for liberty and justice. That mission has not changed.
When cuts have to be made and resources are reduced, we need to remember that core commitment to the American people. Some say stock pages are on their way out, others say TV listings are obsolete, but our watchdog role is not expendable. And keeping an eye on people in power is still job one.
I remain bullish about the future of newspapers and the journalism they produce, but there's no question that shifting demographics and emerging technologies like Kindle and its successors will mean that there will one day be a final day of on-paper publication for the last remaining American newspaper. I hope that day is a long time from now.
But on that last day of publication, perhaps when the last newspaper staff has dwindled to one journalist through buyouts, layoffs and furloughs, I'd like to think the last newspaper reporter will be sitting outside the office of a mayor, governor or president, determined to tell Americans what they need to know in that final, final edition. I know that last reporter will be tenacious, committed, and passionate...
I'm leaving a profession I absolutely love, but I leave it with the confidence that American Journalism will prevail, regardless of platform or medium.
When we do our jobs the right way, when we strive every day to publish reports of integrity and balance, when we ask the tough questions, when we fight to keep the public’s business public and when we provide the kind of thorough and balanced reporting that is the life blood of a democracy, we fulfill our promise to that first generation of Americans who believed that one of the best ways to guarantee a democracy was a free and vigorous press.
We owe our readers and viewers a daily report that we’re proud of, embracing our First Amendment freedoms while living up to our professional responsibilities.
There are people counting on us.
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