Jan 26, 2009

Board meeting


I read about this company whose two big wigs are going at each other's throats.

Here's what's up. There's this one big wig who has recently just emerged from a bit of a rough patch (involving Congress and the IRS). And I mean, he's just on this side of the fence from all the rough water. During that time, he had several employees rally behind his character. This was nice because most of the morale was low during the time of his ordeal.

Now, there's this second big wig that is going through a similar rough patch, but he's not getting the rally cry this other executive got. Sure, he's not too popular because of some of the decisions he's made during this economic crisis.

But here's the dilemma. The former executive is trying to cause a split between the corporate board. It just seems to me like it's a double standard. When he was in a fix, he was all about getting some outside help. But now that he's fine sailing, and the other guy is in a fix, it seems like the first guy has forgotten all about his former state, and is capitalizing on the situation.

If I were on this board, this would agitate me. I'm no fan of double standards. And seeing as how this could hurt more than their CEO status (like killing the lives of thousands of employees), it just seems that the hoopla is blinding them to the fact that they're adults and not a reality show.

Gannett (the company that owns The Clarion Ledger) isn't the holiest of companies, but I'm at least glad that the negative things we're dealing with also doesn't involve two squabbling members of the board.

Jan 24, 2009

Training up to date


I've done a pretty good job this week of sticking to my schedule. Running season starts in a few weeks, and I want to be good and ready.

Last year, right around this time, I was a bit spent on running and training. Maybe it was the chilly, sticky wet Mississippi winter. I guess no one can really call it winter, seeing how it barely reaches freezing, but we have to label it something.

Monday, I missed spinning class due to work. I had to stay later than usual, but I did get some runs in. Tuesday I did 20 minutes and lifted. Wednesday I did 3 miles and lifted, and Thursday I hit up spin class. Today, I'm hoping to get something in.

I can't decide on whether to go to the HealthPlex or to run around here. It's about 45 degrees outside, so I'm sure I'll be going to HP. However, yesterday, I did find something pretty cool.

I think I've found a trail behind my neighborhood that I can ride my mountain bike down. Butts Park is just down the street, and I went and rode those trails this past Sunday.

Who knows? I guess I'll act on something or another. But first, I am going to get some breakfast.

Jan 22, 2009

Workin' in a coal mine?


I've been spending more time looking around the Internet at possible job openings than I have actually working. I know, it's not a good idea to do that, but what can I say? I'm weak.

I've been looking at what I have to consider my favorite magazine, Relevant Magazine. I'd love to work there. It has all the things I could want: It's in Florida (Orlando), it's a Christian based magazine, it's involved with great music and festivals, and the people there are laid back and use their talents.

Too bad there isn't anything like that around Jackson. Maybe that's why it's so unique, because it actually is unique - only one like it.

I hate having to be patient when I really could care less about being patient. In the words of Queen: I want it all. I want it all. And I want it now.

Too bad I know life just doesn't work that way.

I'll keep looking, praying and fighting the machine (just thought I'd throw in a bit of militant idealism in there).

* * * * *

I sometimes worry if I'm being horribly selfish. I have a job. The job market out there is crap. And yet, I want another one. Some people have actually had their job snatched from them. I even know some of these people personally. The unemployment rate is way too high right now, and I'm wanting another job.

I've thought about this for a while. Maybe it's the youngin' in me that just doesn't want to settle down. Heck, I got married, bought a house, got a dog. Now I'm expected to just sit and fell complacent? Nay!

Who knows?

Jan 20, 2009

Should we be hopeful?


There is a difference between historic and historical.

Historic means something that is important in history. Historical is relating to history (such as 'historical fiction').

No matter what color your voting record is, we experienced a historic event today in Washington D.C., and there will be many historical accounts of it as we progress.

A few million people decided to hike on down and witness (in person, not on TV like I did) Barack Obama being sworn in as our 44th president.

Every news station, Web site and whatnot has been following not just the speeches but each time the new president makes a right step, as well as a left step. In our information overkill days, this has been a bit much. Luckily, I'm a work and have a few things to do in between CNN and MSNBC.

I'm hopeful for the future. I'm hopeful the progress and the hope is not just wishful thinking. As a friend said to me yesterday, "When the honeymoon is over, I guess we'll find out where we stand." Jay, I agree.

But we still need to hope for the best. I'm all for Obama. The better he does, the better our nation will be. I've actually heard some of the talking heads wish him complete failure. Kind of stupid to do that, don't you think? You want the leader to fail. If someone leads me into a house or a building, I don't want that person to not be able to find his/her way around safely. Heck, they're leading. If they lead, we follow. If they fail, we fail.

But I hope we can get out of this war. I hope we can get out of this recession. I hope we can get the unemployment rate down. And I hope we can move forward. There's just one thing about moving forward that worries me.

Remember the '50s? I wasn't even alive, but I remember the idea of the '50s. Remember how that shifted into the '60s, then the free love of the '70s and the awkwardness of the '80s, and the technological boom of the '90s? I'm afraid that has died.

Here's what I mean. We can't have the "modern" decade anymore because technology shifts so quickly now, that if something is five or six years old, it's probably very, very outdated.

So, with that being said, the "change" we need in government is going to take a big, huge, large, massive shakeup. We can't try to compete in a 21st Century world with mid-20th Century ideas. But instead of saying our way of doing things is 60 years out of date, tying in the fact that the five year thing is outdated, how outdated can 60-year type policy be?

I don't think we're going to get that in four years. Maybe if we didn't have such a bad economy right now. But I am hopeful. I am.

Jan 19, 2009

update


The start of another week. Here at The Clarion Ledger, that's a good thing (at least we have a job . . . today).

I've noticed a few things this past week.

One: Mississippi road construction is a bit, how should I say, misleading. All last week, I've seen signs popping up mentioning road construction near the State Street exit on I-20 going east (over by where the Mitsubishi place used to be). I've yet to see any road construction crews, both in the morning or in the evening. No wonder it takes years to finish a road project.

Two: Met a guy that my dad has always talked about since I can remember. They were in the Navy together, and apparently used to cause trouble together. I told Megan meeting Ed Young was like having a fictional character pop out of a book. But since I've heard about him for nearly a quarter of a century, it was more like someone from Grimm's fairytales coming to life. It was a surreal experience.

Three: Having too many things on your mind is more than stressful. I've got so many things I need to do or want to do. During the time it takes me to check one item off the list, I'm thinking about five other things. Guess we call this "adulthood." Lucky me.

* * * * *

So it's back to work for me. I'll try to do a better blog later. But I've got two papers to finish (oh, plus I haven't started either one) today, and other plans tonight. That plus trying to KEEP a job in a business that's dying - you get the idea.

Jan 15, 2009

life, meet furlough


Like a yellow snowball smacking you across the face, those who own/run/ruin the company I work for surprised us with a doozy of a New Year's demand. They issued us to follow the leader. And that leader is Furlough.

I used to play soccer with a guy whose last name was Furlow. However, they share no common definition. I don't know what the kid's last name means (maybe it's bar owner - his dad owned a bar).

No, Furlough means time off. Though I work for "the man," I do get a pretty good amount of vacation days. I even signed up for the United Way thing and got an extra day of personal leave. However, this furlough is no personal leave. Rather, it's a personal pain in the rear.

Furlough: a leave of absence (according to my friend Webster). Oh, and there's no pay.

So by the end of March, I have to have five furlough days. Luckily, I'm technically paid by the hour, so I can split those five days up over the next 12 weeks (which I plan to do). Most of the salary people at The Clarion Ledger have to take a full week off, without pay.

I can trust you to assume no one is happy about any of this. As much as I'd like a day off, I'd like a paid day off. That's the preference. On the Gannett Blog, some one wrote that if the company feels they can do this, what's to stop them from sinking a bit lower?

I don't know the answer to that question. But I say we all find new jobs. Any one need a house sitter to the tune of $75,000 a year (hey, I can dream)?

Jan 12, 2009

the crescent city


Friday night, we had Megan's birthday party at my house. I've never thrown a birthday party before, and if I do say so myself, it went pretty well. We had cake, pizza and presents. I surprised Meg with a trip to New Orleans for her birthday.

We woke up, packed the rest of our duds and headed out around 11. The streets weren't too crowded, and the drive was fairly harmless. The city was beautiful, and the atmosphere was contagious.

It was nice to see the Crescent City back in full swing. After the hurricane, people were fairly skeptical about whether or not New Orleans would get back up on its feet. Let's just say, from what I saw, it's even better.

Any way, we arrived around 2-ish and parked. After we checked in our hotel, we walked a few blocks to the Aquarium of the Americas. My parents' gift to Meg was entry to the aquarium as well as some extra spending cash. It was nice.

We were told by my aunt to go see the IMAX movie about the hurricane and New Orleans. It was very education and impressive. The music was zydeco, and that always makes your foot start to tap.

After we saw the movie, we went to see the animals. That was great. Then, we wandered around downtown, heading to Jackson Square. There, Meg had her palm read by Lola. She pretty much freaked us out from the get go (that's how I figured she must be good). Meg had to have her palm read. It's like what they say, "When in Rome..." Well, we were in NOLA, so we had to give in.

That night, I gave Meg her real birthday surprise. I surprised her with tickets to the Sister Hazel concert at the House of Blues. We ate dinner and watched the show. But here's the kicker: In my ability to talk to a brick wall, I met Scott, the manager. We got to chatting and he found out it was Meg's birthday. He wished her a happy birthday and told us to enjoy the show.

After the show, he found us and asked if it was good enough to make her birthday worthwhile. He said to add icing to the cake to "go back upstairs. We're about to party." So we went back upstairs and had fun at the Sister Hazel after party with the band. There weren't too many people there, so it was kind of intimate. Plus, we got to talk to the band about Florida football and musical instruments (well, the latter part was just me and Jett, the bassist).

Sunday, we went to the zoo after we wandered around the uptown area. The zoo is beautifully laid out. The design is wonderful, kind of making you feel like you're in someone's giant backyard garden. However, this garden just happens to have elephants and two giant white tigers.

Then we headed home. We had a pretty good weekend. I was glad Meg had a great birthday and that New Orleans has found its rejuvenation.

(PHOTO: Here we are in Jackson Square. The lady behind us is Lola, the palm reader.)

Jan 8, 2009

the future was the past, now the future is history


Was the down fall so hard to predict? I'm thinking not. After I read this article, I saw that not only is the internet the murderer, but it was not the originator.

History repeats itself, and if that's true (which I believe it is) then the newspapers publishers and "powers that be" should have had an emergency back up plan. Long before the US sunk into a recession, the newspaper business was in trouble. Why? Enter the World Wide Web.

Here's the old saying: "Why buy the cow when the milk is free." Let's alter that a bit. Why pay for a subscription when you already pay for the internet and you can read the news for free online?

Read that article. You'll read about the papers wanting to get you the news faster. The Miami Herald and Philadelphia Enquirer even experimented with faxing papers.

The big thing was this: the Viewtron. What could that be? Imagine a stoneage Internet. It couldn't be manipulated (you can't move a mouse or go to a Web site) but you could view your news electronically.

Some higher ups didn't like this. AT&T came out with an electronic yellow pages, or rather tried to come out with it, when Sen. Robert Packwood of Oregon said it would cut into his advertising base. He was not cool with the Viewtron. Kind of the same way most publishers and pretty much all printed newspaper people aren't cool with the miserable KO that's going on right now.

I mentioned this earlier, don't blame the recession. Blame the fact that the publications jumped on the wagon too late. They should have milked it for all it was worth. We've only had the internet for a brief period in history (in 1999 I was in 9th grade and most people didn't have anything but dial up, if that).

So, everyone in my business knows that if they make a semi-high salary, they're on the chopping block. If you're under appreciated and underpaid, you're not safe either. If you're severely under appreciated and even more miserably paid, heck, you might be an editor in a few weeks.

The drama continues.

Jan 7, 2009

down south, we're down right better



Here's how we say it down here:
ALABAMA - Roll Tide
ARKANSAS -
Woo Pig Suey
AUBURN - War Eagle
FLORIDA -
Go Gators/Gatorbait
GEORGIA - Go Dawgs
KENTUCKY -
Go Big Blue
LSU - Geaux Tigers
MSU -
Go Dawgs
OLE MISS - HOTTY TODDY!
S.CAROLINA -
Go Gamecocks
TENNESSEE - Rocky Top
VANDY -
Go 'Dores


By PAUL NEWBERRY (The Associated Press)
Tuesday, January 6, 2009; 6:59 PM

Let the rest of the country brag about its ivy-covered traditions and its cultural superiority. Down in Dixie, it's all about trotting out the nation's top college football teams on any given Saturday.

We're talking Southeastern Conference, which long ago proclaimed itself the best in the land. End of discussion.

It's a glory road of the gridiron that starts in Florida, winds its way up through Georgia and Tennessee, then curves back into Alabama and Mississippi and Louisiana, an unrivaled path of pigskin prestige.

Since the powers that run college football created the Bowl Championship Series a decade ago, SEC teams have won the national title four times. No other conference has won more than twice.

Florida could make it five national titles _ and three in a row _ when the Gators meet the Big 12's Oklahoma in the BCS championship game Thursday night.

Given its long-standing success, it's easy to see why the SEC has become the league everyone else loves to hate. These guys don't mind tooting their own horn, either, which only adds to the hard feelings emanating from the rest of the country.

"They have a golden spoon in their mouth," said Glenn Rhea, a 33-year-old fan and graduate of Big 12 school Texas Tech. "They always think they're better than everybody else."

And why not?

The last conference to take three straight Associated Press titles? That would be the SEC, which did it some three decades ago with Alabama (1978-79) and Georgia (1980).

In this updated version of the Civil War, the Big 12 is just an annoyance (granted, they did have four pretty good teams this year), the Big Ten is a bunch of slow-footed, three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dusters, the Pac-10 is nothing more than USC and the Nine Dwarfs. What about the Atlantic Coast Conference? C'mon, that's a basketball league. The Big East? Puh-lease.

"When you do it three years in a row," said Florida tight end Tate Casey, "some people are going to start resenting you. I think that's what we're seeing."

But this dynamic runs a bit deeper.

College football is the undisputed king of Southern sports, unencumbered by the loyalties reserved for pro teams (latecomers to the region) and a source of pride to those who still remember the struggles of integration and the civil rights movement.

The first major league franchise to settle in the Deep South was baseball's Atlanta Braves, which arrived from Milwaukee in 1966. The New York Yankees already had won 20 World Series titles before the South got a crack at its first.

While plenty of pro teams have arrived on the scene since the Braves, they've mainly concentrated in Atlanta and around fast-growing Florida. Five of the nine states represented in the SEC _ Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi and South Carolina have no major professional teams to divert attention from the two main seasons in this neck of the woods, football and spring football practice.

In another interesting twist, black athletes once barred from the SEC by Jim Crow have become a dominant force on the football field, providing a rich source of homegrown talent and an enticing way out for those growing up on poverty-plagued backroads.

It's been said that Bear Bryant, the legendary Alabama coach, did more to integrate the South than any troops or judges or protesters when he scheduled a game against Southern Cal in 1970. The Trojans' star running back, Sam Cunningham, was black. After he ran all over the Crimson Tide in a 42-21 victory, the recalcitrant segregationists in the Heart of Dixie decided it might be a good idea to have some African-Americans on their team.

Now, it's impossible to envision Southern football without stars such as Percy Harvin or Knowshon Moreno. Heck, they're leading the cheers for schools that once shunned them.

Michael Oher, an African-American lineman at Mississippi, played the Cotton Bowl with "SEC" written in the blackened shade under his eyes. The Rebels backed up his bravado with a resounding 47-34 victory over Texas Tech.

"We had to represent," Oher explained afterward. "There was a lot of talk of the Big 12 being better. It's not true. We had to show 'em."

Even those natives who don't consider themselves SEC fans have to give the conference its due. Just listen to David Franklin, a civil engineering student at Georgia Tech (an ACC member) who's got family ties to the Big 12.

"Depth-wise, the SEC is the best football conference in the country _ and my brother plays for the University of Oklahoma," the 20-year-old junior said. "Even though the Big 12 is strong this year, I still think you have to go with the SEC top to bottom."

And Franklin spoke before his school was wiped out 38-3 in the Chick-fil-A Bowl by LSU, an SEC powerhouse that won the national championship a year ago but was a bit down this season.

The truth be told, there's probably not that much difference between the SEC and the other top conferences, national titles notwithstanding.

During the regular season, SEC teams went 37-11 in non-conference games, but only 6-9 in games against opponents from other BCS conferences. The Big 12, by comparison, went 8-8 against other elite-level leagues and 38-10 overall outside the conference.

In the still-to-be-completed bowl season, the SEC holds an impressive 5-2 mark with that one big game remaining, but the Big 12 (4-2) is right on its heels and the Pac-10 bested them both with a perfect 5-0 mark.

Still, not a week goes by without some player or coach from the SEC talking about how demanding it is to win consistently in a league where half the members have at least one AP national championship in their trophy case. Just ask Phillip Fulmer, who guided Tennessee to No. 1 a decade ago. Or Tommy Tuberville, who led Auburn to a perfect season just five years ago. Both were forced out after disappointing seasons.

"If you look at the statistics and the toughness of the schedules and bowl results, there's a lot of difference. That's reality," said Casey, the Gators' tight end. "There aren't any gimmes in the SEC. There are some in other conferences."

So, let the rest of the country call them rubes. Just be prepared to pay the price on the football field.

___

AP Sports Writer Mark Long in Miami, Associated Press Writer Schuyler Dixon in Dallas and AP freelance writer Amy Jinkner-Lloyd in Atlanta contributed to this report.

death of the news



What at topsy turvy world I work in. Being part of the newspaper business isn't always glamorous - or even safe. A majority of the stories in the paper or on the Web site are boring, bare fact stories. "Bob shot Jim. Jim lived. Jim is suing Bob."

Plus, all the negativity that comes from it can be disheartening. But working in this business during such an economically pathetic time is enough to give anyone indigestion. We've gone through two rounds of lay offs, and it's rumored there might be a third.

My desk (the non daily desk, specializing in community news) has gone from jam-packed, to (how should I say it) naked. We used to have five designers, a copy editor, and each publication had its own office in the county it covers.

Recently, the Rankin Ledger has moved from Rankin county to downtown Jackson. The Clinton News will be coming downtown in a few months, and God only knows about Madison. We've seen two designers leave, our copy editor moved to a new position then found a new job, and now, one of the three remaining designers is leaving Friday. Talk about being bare.

So, between myself and the other designer we have a collective experience level of just under two and a half years. Since I've been here the longest, I'm assuming I'm the "go to guy." However, there are a few things I'm none too happy about.

One being the obvious: What if someone is sick or out on vacation? Well, then we're down to one. I've got some help from the main desk, but they come with a high amount of non-enthusiasm. I feel some restructuring is needed, or I need a new job. This should be a fun few months.

Jan 6, 2009

this past week in photos

Thought I'd put some pictures up from this past week. I think the This Week In Photos idea is a good one, so I'll probably start doing it once a week. But here's this past week in photos.

Heading out. Nothing like using the timer on the camera and
the spoiler on the car to take a picture.


It might be the winter, but it's never out of season to go to the beach. Just bundle up.


Meg built sand castles.


I read.


I also did the Polar Bear Dip at the FloraBama.

Meg was there for support. Next time, she's going in with me.


Here we go!


Trust me, it was COLD!


Jan 5, 2009

got a new look



Here's some encouragement. I've just updated the look of my blog. Hopefully you'll like it. Also, I've changed the name of it from Textured Observations to (at the moment) common sense. We'll see how long this name lasts.

At the top are my twitter updates. Here (obviously) are my blog entries. This should be fun. I was thinking about what I said earlier about how this is all about "me." I read in Relevant Magazine how my generation is all about the blog, because blogs are selfish. I'll either find that link or post some of it (giving full credit to Relevant Magazine, of course).

The Personal Return



I have another blog. I blog for The Clinton News on usually pointless things, like how things I've learned tend to rub off on your lifestyle. I try to make it about things going on in Clinton as much as possible. Things like 5K's and festivals and the such. However, I've been slacking off of the blog for nearly two months, so I have recently picked it back up.

The thing, though, that has always bugged me about it is the fact that I can't be personal on it. Sure, readers want to see personality in the post, but the blog isn't supposed to be about my life, just my thoughts. I figured I'd pick this one back up as well, and have my blog. Textured Observations. Me.

The new year has already kicked off, and boy are the expectations piling up. Five days into it, thoughts about the new president, his financial secretary bidding farewell, a friend has died in a car wreck (though technically that was 2008, I'm sure the mourning has continued), a coworker's last day is Friday, and Meg's birthday is Saturday. Talk about a to do list.

But I kicked off 2009 by jumping in to the Gulf of Mexico with about 200 other morons at "high noon" in Perdido Key. It was cold, to say the least. People were dressed up like crazies: had a Batman, a very fat man dressed as a baby, some questionable college guys in questionable attire, and tons of Alabama fans (too bad they lost, suckers).

Anywho, this blog is back, though I don't know who'll read it. I'll post both blogs on facebook to keep everyone abreast. So, let's get personal.

People I know (I guess people I don't know as well) are having babies. Some who will be great parents, some that surprise me they know how to dress themselves, and some that live in the largest neighborhood of LaLaLand.

Recently I began thinking. Babies cost money. Birthing costs money. Mothers cost money. So, if I have to get all three, I'm thinking it's going to cost some dough. You get joy, you get a family, and you get a blessing, but my mind isn't sinking in to those ideas.

We had a scare that maybe we were going to have one a while ago. Luckily, it was a false alarm. I played the "disappointed" card but felt a bit serious. I think being a dad will be a great thing. Have someone who looks up to for the first ten years of his or her life, then spend the next 20 years thinking you're an idiot. But the love shared between parents and kids is always so strong, no matter how much they may argue or disagree. I'm huge into family. I love my family. I have two great parents who love each other and me. I have in-laws who do the same.

What I'm beating around the bush to say is, I want a family, but the overwhelming idea of my thin wallet becoming even more anorexic is the part that gets me. I know it's logical to feel this way, but I just don't want to have the stresses of life steal the fun I'll have in the future.

Can't be anxious, right? I'm going to keep trying not to be. I'm no worrier, and I'm surely not going to become one anytime soon. I'll let the joy overwhelm me instead.

* * * * *

So tonight, I'm heading back to spin class. I've missed over the past two weeks because of holidays and travel, so I'm diving in head first. In fact, one of my New Year's Resolutions is to compete and complete a triathlon. I figure I can do a Sprint Triathlon and then work up to longer distances.

Spin and training is going to be a priority. I don't know if I'll have the time later in life (with kids and all) so I'm going to use the time I have. We're not promised another minute, so I'm going to make the most of the ones I have.

I went through my calendar to plan out the next weeks and realized the next weeks need to be the next months. The first half of 2009 is going to be busy. We've got Meg's birthday this weekend, helping with friend's church function at the end of the month, Phillip's baseball games, 5K races and on and on and on.

I know we'll be busy, but I hope we'll use the business to remember it's better than being bored. Business, to me, means we've got things to do with those we love.

Speaking of busy, I'm going to get back to work. I'll keep this personal blog updated with things about me (how selfish does that sound?).