Type-Cast

Summer's in sight

2009-05-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

I've been taking on too many challenges lately, to the detriment of projects already in hand, including three blogs that are getting far too few posts added to them. Three months have gone by, and it's already late May. The end of summer term can't come too soon for weary professors (I'm not naming names) but for those of us on a 12-month schedule, summer simply means shifting down a few gears and catching our breath a little.

But while some things slow down, other projects gain momentum. It took me the entire Memorial Day weekend to get caught up on my weeding, and I'm far from done with outside projects. Things are looking good, but there's always something more to do.

Adding a handsome pair of outdoor chickens has kept us busy, but now that they are settled in, there's not much to do other than keep them fed and watered and clean out their house every couple of days. We're using the chicken manure to add richness to our garden, and by fall we'll start getting eggs, which will be pretty exciting.

Summer beckons with a promise of some warm and lazy days ahead. The hard part will be remembering to stop working on making things perfect and just enjoy what's all around.

That groundhog can bite me

2009-02-15T14:59:00.000-08:00

Today's sunny weather brought out a bunch of blooms in my garden that have really lifted my spirits. Halfway through February and everything's starting to come back to life. Here are a few of the friendly faces that caught my eye today.

Will t.v. news benefit from the demise of print media?

2009-02-08T13:27:00.001-08:00

My friend Dennis sent this link my way, and I find it interesting that there's an assumption that television news can thrive without newspapers, or that they're better positioned to weather the recession than print media. In my experience, local television stations are cutting back staff as well, and considering they already have much smaller news teams than newspapers do, the lack of warm bodies is becoming more evident.
And because their news-gathering abilities are limited due to lack of staff, they are becoming even more dependent on gleaning (stealing) news from newspapers and either reading it directly from the AP or other sources and claiming it as their own, or sending a news crew to cover a story based on what they've read in the morning paper. If newspapers die, so does that constant source of local news. Considering Corvallis has no local television station, and Eugene stations are less and less willing to invest the gas money to send their crews north, if the papers here disappear, there is really no one left to cover local news.
Just some things to consider as the fate of newspapers becomes all the more uncertain.

Recharging the batteries

2009-01-18T14:28:00.000-08:00

One of the most dramatic things I notice about not being in the newsroom is the novel feeling of not constantly being on deadline. Not only does a daily deadline tend to produce a steady undercurrent of stress, but if you're always focused on producing for the next day, it's really hard to plan ahead. Because my deadlines are now stretched out over longer periods, I'm much more able to see the bigger picture and be more conscientious about how I approach stories, what elements I can include, and how to best present them.
I have small daily deadlines, little things I must tackle each morning, that keep me busy, but only for short periods of time, and after I accomplish those each day, I can then set my own pace. It's not a matter of being lazy, or even of not being busy, as I'm steadily working all day long, and often for longer hours than I worked previously. But it's about changing my viewpoint on projects, and feeling a different kind of pressure, one to do good work, and take the time to do it well.
Meanwhile, a trip to the beach yesterday helped me feel even more positive about life and this new way of looking at work. These kids were having a lot of fun keeping away from the rising tide, and enjoying some unseasonably warm coastal weather.

Getting used to orange

2009-01-11T19:24:00.000-08:00

I apologize for letting this thing go for so long. You see, having made the transition out of journalism into the "other side," I have one, been really busy concentrating on doing a good job, and two, felt a bit guilty about bemoaning the state of journalism in my blog and then admitting that I've bailed.
The good news is I'm feeling really happy with my decision. I love the university where I now work. The people are incredibly supportive and welcoming and have made the decision to move so much easier. Additionally, I'm doing so much writing, photography and layout that I feel like my creative side is being tapped in a way that it hadn't been for so long, as I slogged through the drudgery and low morale of being in a shrinking, sad newsroom where everyone felt scared and insecure.
One of the many things that newsroom prepared me for was working under pressure, and making changes on the fly. That has come in handy in surprising ways. While my deadlines are now totally different and ever-changing, what has thrown me for a loop is the number of new technologies I'm tackling, things that I am having to learn quickly and which, once learned, simply lead to new challenges. I've had a lot of those in the past month, and I feel like my ability to adapt and absorb is in large part due to my training as a journalist. I think we are asked to have a certain type of brain flexibility in our work that makes us really valuable no matter what we end up doing later. I'm hoping that kind of thing is what helps me fight dementia when I get older, as they say using your brain in new ways is the best weapon against the onset of the kind of memory loss and confusion my grandmother is now facing.
And because most of the people I work with come from newsrooms previously, I feel the same kind of camaraderie and understanding that I did in my former place of employment. I've settled in, painted my office, hung a bunch of my photographs, and even have gotten into wearing orange and black each Friday (hey, it involved shopping, so it's not all bad).
I will try to be better about this blog now that I feel I have my feet under me in a certain way. I'm not planning on talking about work as much as creativity, my continuing observations on the industry, and perhaps seeking suggestions as new technological and editorial hurdles present themselves.
(PS Blogger isn't letting me post photos so I'll try again later)

Jon Stewart makes us sad

2008-12-11T21:35:00.001-08:00

It's funny because it's true. Too true.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Clusterf#@k to the Poor House - Final Edition Edition

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Getting a little distance

2008-12-10T19:18:00.000-08:00

It's been less than a week since I've been away from the newspaper, and I'm already having dreams about working there, filling out photo slips and going to assignments. I guess my brain is wondering what is going on and when I'm going back to "normal" so it's compensating with dreams. I'm keeping in touch with everyone via email but even that is sporadic as I'm trying to focus as much as possible on my new work and training and all that important stuff. I feel weirdly disconnected as if I'm going to be called at any second and yelled at for not showing up at an assignment or something. It's a strange feeling.
Meanwhile everyone at my new job is extremely nice and supportive and makes me feel even more eager to do a good job and learn things as fast as I can. I know I need to take my time but I'm kind of used to being in control of the situation, and newness can be scary. I'm grateful I've got the time to learn things and not having to jump into big projects without a parachute. Meanwhile I watch the newspaper's stock dip further and further into dangerous territory and I get sad, and scared for everyone still there.

Picture = 1000 words

2008-12-06T08:56:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my last day at the paper, and it was a great send off. Lots of gifts, lots of hugs, and around 25 people at my send-off lunch. I felt very lucky.
One of my best gifts was a photo book with images of me throughout my near decade with the paper. It was a really amazing gift.
I've worked with a series of super amazing photographers over the years, and the current team is no exception.
Photo chief Casey Campbell is a great photographer and amazing friend as well, and my dog considers him her uncle. He came to the paper with a background in communications and video rather than still photography, but has shown he really has amazing photo skills.
Andy Cripe is always ready for his next adventure, especially if it involves nature or aircraft, or, the best combination of the two. He is extremely demanding of his craft and it shows in his work.
Scobel Wiggins is a delight, and one of the most compassionate people I've ever met. Her emotions show through in her work in the best way possible and it's a great combination of skill and nuance.

Facing the final day

2008-12-04T20:14:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow is my last day at the paper, so today I spent time taking more photos, that is, in between writing assignments and listening to a bank robbery investigation on the police scanner.
In this post I'll highlight some more of the writing crew, and tomorrow I'll finish up with the ever important and wonderful photography department.
First we have Nancy Raskauskas, who is single-handedly getting the Entertainer out each week. In addition to all the layout, she writes most of the stories, takes some pictures, records, edits and posts podcasts and does a myriad of other tasks too numerous to mention. It's downright miraculous.
Next we have Kyle Odegard, who currently covers the OSU beat and has been with the paper a number of years. Kyle is an avid blogger, and a bit of a history buff as well.
Matt Nesnanski is a relatively new hire (little more than a year), and has done incredible things in the arena of on-line journalism. He's brilliant and we've been lucky to have him. He does the "Morning Minute" each weekday morning, a short video update. I make a guest appearance on Friday's morning minute for my last day (recorded this afternoon).

More people I'm thankful for

2008-12-03T09:13:00.000-08:00

As I wrap up my last days I continue to pay tribute to the folks who remain at the paper. Today I'll talk about some more key folks that keep things running. First is our publisher, Mike McInally, who as both negotiator and buffer between us and our corporate owners has the toughest job in the building. Next is city editor Theresa Novak. Novak started as opinion editor and has since moved through the ranks. Her secret weakness is puppy stories, as can be seen in this photo.
Next is Bennett Hall, the only reporter who has been with the paper longer than I have. Bennett is currently our investigative reporter and frankly is kicking serious butt in this position. He's also just a great guy, great dad to his sons Joe and Henry, and a pleasure to work with. My partner calls him "The Handsome Guy."
Our newest reporter is Tom Henderson, who is on the cops and courts beat. We had the pleasure of listening to the police scanner last night during a bank robbery follow up in which an officer told dispatch he needed to "Get the reporter out of here," and we all knew it was Tom. Good job!
To end today's tribute is Rhett Register, our dedicated news clerk, food afficianado and expert on all things Floridian. He and his wife Alice gave me the best Japanese plum wine the other day, man, amazing stuff. Plus he works really, really hard.
More to come in later posts.

Bittersweet

2008-12-01T16:44:00.000-08:00

Despite all the scrambling these last few weeks, I'm also getting to do some really great stories that make me realize what I'm going to miss about working for a daily newspaper. Recently, I sat down with Macey, a sweet-tempered Jack Russell destined for surgery because of an old injury that had healed incorrectly.
While it was hard to see Macey struggling to eat while not able to open her mouth, and to hear that it was more than likely Macey's injury had been caused at the hand of a human, it was also great to know that as soon as the story ran, people would begin donating to her cause. And sure enough, two days after the story ran, the non-profit taking care of Macey had raised $1,200 toward her surgery.
This photo, taken by staff photographer Scobel Wiggins, shows Macey's true spirit. It also indicates I need a damn haircut.

Giving thanks

2008-11-26T22:38:00.000-08:00

Friday morning, my farewell column will be printed in our entertainment section, and I expect I'll probably be dealing with quite a few phone calls and e-mails for the following few days or so. Leaving the newspaper has been a long and difficult decision, although my close friends who left years ago often wonder why I stayed so long. Quite simply, I love what I do.
But as I've been documenting in my blog, the rewards of community journalism are beginning to be outweighed by the financial constraints, the stresses of an uncertain future, and the sadness of watching friend after friend leave for other horizons.
Living in a small town, job opportunities are also quite limited, so the fact that several really great positions opened up recently was quite astonishing, especially given the recession, Oregon's jobless rate, and a lot of other factors. So when I was offered a position as a writer, photographer and designer, which allowed me to become part of a university my partner is already a part of, it was too much to refuse.
I'm both extraordinarily excited at the opportunity, and deeply sad about leaving the paper. So I'm going to take the next few blog entries and dedicate them to some of the wonderful people who remain to fight the good fight that our paper deserves.
In this Thanksgiving post I'll give a shout out to Wendy, Robin, Pam and Paul, copy desk editors whose layout skills, headwriting talent and keen eye have helped make my stories appealing, not to mention they've caught more than a few errors that really would have been horrid if they'd ever made it into print. Thanks thanks thanks!

Da Team

2008-11-20T18:05:00.000-08:00

So last night my co-worker and friend Casey Campbell took some great team photos for Sick Town Derby Dames, and they are fantastic. Thought I'd share one with you. Still a long way from actual bouts, but practices are becoming more intense (and okay, scary. I'm a total chicken). But we're a damn fine looking group, wouldn't you say?

Finger pointing

2008-11-14T11:05:00.000-08:00

Former newspaper writer Cory Frye sent me a link to this essay on the state of journalism, which basically lets reporters and editors off the hook for the rapid decline of print media.
Which is great, and makes us all feel a little better, but co-worker Matt Neznanski countered with this piece, which really tears down those arguments pretty swiftly.
I'd argue that as journalists we're not completely off the hook for the current dismal state of print media, but considering how many of us are struggling upstream to make sense of this new world of on-line journalism, and how to tie it into what we do in the daily paper, we should also be given some credit for the fight. There are very few careers that have been so swiftly, and so negatively impacted by the advent of the Internet as print media, and arguably, few that have been so bad at figuring out how to survive in the aftermath.
Many of us are less concerned about who to blame as we are with where our place is in the future of community storytelling. And that answer doesn't appear to be forthcoming.

Shameless plug

2008-11-11T09:53:00.000-08:00

As I've mentioned before, I've been taking out my stress during practices with the newly forming derby team in town. As part of their PR team, I just created a Cafe Press web site to sell merchandise, so if anyone's interested in buying Sick Town Derby Dames gear, check it out!

The morning after

2008-11-05T08:30:00.000-08:00

Reporters will tell you the best place to experience an election is in the newsroom, and I'm no exception. Spending last night going from Obama headquarters in our town, where volunteers were scrambling to make last minute calls, to experiencing the first announcement of Obama's projected win at Dem HQ, where more than 100 neighbors stood crammed around a small television, made last night's historic events even more memorable.
Reporters need to be unbiased and apolitical when covering such events, but back in the newsroom later, as our staff gathered to watch Obama's acceptance speech, there were few dry eyes in the house. We stopped being reporters for a second, and became simply citizens with some new found hope for the future. And then, of course, it was a mad scramble back to our desks to finish our stories and fill the front page.

Devilish Sarah Palin

2008-11-02T14:46:00.001-08:00

IMG_1197
Originally uploaded by meerkat1975

This is what happens when reporters cut loose.

To see more reporters, former reporters, children of reporters and various non-reporters who like to hang around reporters, click on the photo and check out our Dia de los Muertos festivities.

Being the bad guy

2008-10-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

Small newspapers often don't have the time or resources available to do long-term, investigative pieces. We're frequently criticized for not having the kind of exposes that big city papers are known for, instead focusing on the daily drudgery of city council meetings and school board decisions.
We are lucky enough to have a reporter in our news room who is still given time to work on big picture pieces, things we save for our Sunday paper in order to give them as much room, and attention, as they deserve. This Sunday, Bennett Hall wrote a great piece on a local landlord who has a terrible reputation in town.
Readers are already responding in droves to this piece, and it's the kind of local, hard-hitting journalism I wish we could do more of. Hopefully the positive response reinforces the importance of this kind of work, and keeps it a part of our newsroom even as economic forces alter other areas. Although we sometimes run the risk of being "the bad guy," it's part of our job to be advocates for those who are being oppressed or treated badly, and expose wrong doing when we see it.

Being chased by the economic monster

2008-10-07T11:49:00.000-07:00

A frequent reader and friend asked me whether or not I had solutions for the problems I've been discussing lately regarding print media in general and our paper specifically. That's a difficult question, given that most of the decisions made regarding a news staff are, in my experience, made at top levels far removed from our community, let alone our staff. Budget issues, stock holder demands and the economic downturn are all being reacted to by people we rarely if ever see, who don't know our names and certainly don't know the struggles we face on a daily basis. Our immediate supervisors are more than sympathetic to our plight, but when they request to have an open position filled, the person deciding that is often unconnected with our newsroom.
How can we fix our budget problems? Well, right now we're trying to staunch the flow of blood by tightening the tourniquet around our own necks. What we can't do is do anything about the shrinking cash flow from our advertisers. When our bread and butter is revenue from home and car sale ads, and the economic crises means people aren't buying either, well we're a bit stuck. We're doing better as a paper to target on-line ad revenue, but even that pool is shrinking as advertisers cut their own budgets back.
So what we're faced with is doing more with less. Which is exactly what our supervisors are asking us to do. Only, many of us have been working break-neck style already, just trying to do a good job. Now that there are fewer of us, the demands are increasing, yet the hours we're given to do our jobs aren't growing, and we are still expected to do a good job of our previous duties in addition to these new tasks.
The short answer is that something has got to give. Either we do a sloppy job and get everything done, or we recognize that we're going to have to start giving up certain things. And that's what we're trying to do. The Buzz, a popular person-on-the-street style feature we usually run on Tuesdays, is going away because we don't have the staff to send out to interview those folks on a regular basis. Our Entertainer section has shrunk to combine with the TV Guide, so that means shorter calendars, shorter stories and fewer photos.
I guess those are the things that we're trying to do to simply keep doing the best job we can with fewer fingers on the keyboard. I'm interested in hearing from other reporters who are facing similar struggles about how they keep doing a great job under increasingly difficult circumstances.

A hard year

2008-10-06T09:39:00.001-07:00

Continuing on the topic I spoke about below... So last week was the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, and the end of October marks the death of the old year for the Celts with Samhain. Most of us may wait until January to reflect on the passing of the year, but now seems an appropriate enough time, not to mention we really need to start looking to a brighter future.
This past year has brought some personal and painful losses, some people have passed on far too early, others have moved away to new things, for both good and not so good reasons. But looking at this from a strictly professional viewpoint, we are not where we were last year.
From a purely logistical viewpoint, we are down three people in our newsroom from last year. Positions we are not filling with additional bodies, but with compromises, altered job expectations, not to mention a wing and a prayer. We should shortly be welcoming a new addition to fill a fourth position that was briefly opened due to a reporter's moving, but that, luckily, is merely a few weeks of struggle and additional duties. The others are, at least in this economic time of crises, gone for good.
Which means those of us who were already working our posteriors off during the good times to make a great product are now finding that we're expected to stretch and strain even further to make ends meet, which can be profoundly frustrating. Those of us who remain are dedicated to making things work for our readers and for ourselves, but the precarious nature of the economy, and the fact that one of us being sick, or taking a new job, is now a huge hardship rather than an inconvenience, means that we have a very different approach to our work now. We are triaging, so to speak. What's the most important? What can we live without writing? How can we say yes to as many requests as possible without also saying yes to overtime, which is nearly verboten. How, in other words, can we continue to thrive? (photo by Tiffany Brown taken in the good old days)

Turnover, not the apple kind

2008-10-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

Papers across the nation are facing drastic cuts and major staffing issues as budgets shrink, advertisers disappear with the weakening economy, and reporters either get laid off or flee for the increased wages and relative stability of marketing and public relations. There's also an increased demand for freelancers as larger chains lay off their full-time staff, and look for freelancers to fill the gap without costing them insurance or other benefits.
Our paper has not escaped unscathed from this cycle, despite being moderately more secure as the only paper directly covering our town. But the instability, and various other factors, have caused our staff to dwindle. Today the newsroom gathered at a local Indian restaurant to honor the departure of our long-time entertainment editor and popular columnist Jake TenPas. Some former reporters who have already gone down new paths joined us for lunch as we talked about the state of newspapers, the perils of freelancing, and the sadness of parting ways.
There are several empty desks in our newsroom now. One or two will be filled, most will not. We're making due with less, an apt reflection of the larger economy, perhaps, but an increasingly stressful and dishearteningly commonplace thing among dedicated journalists.

Derby night

2008-09-27T00:04:00.000-07:00

Our derby group had its first fundraiser tonight (Friday night) and a pretty good group turned out to watch musical chairs and roller gear competitions as well as two live bands, one very loud and very angry (my ears are still ringing). I have some rather trashed old skates so I didn't get out for the musical chairs bit, but I did do the gear off. Didn't even come close to winning! What was most exciting is we all got our team shirts. Hurrah! My next goal is to buy new skates, ones with decent wheels that aren't older than I am.

Outdoor assignments

2008-09-22T11:14:00.000-07:00

I'm really not a morning person, but a reporter's schedule has to be very flexible. It's even harder to get up early on the weekend, but since we all rotate the weekend shift, I had no choice last Saturday but to rise at 7:30 a.m. so I could head out into the wilderness with photographer Andy Cripe for an assignment (he took the photo here).
We were out near the local watershed, watching a helicopter lift Douglas firs from the national forest and drop them into a local creek to create fish habitat. We had a spectacular viewpoint, and a small crowd of folks gathered to watch with us. It was a long drive, and an early morning, but the photographs and the story, which runs tomorrow, should pay off.
It also enabled me to ensure that we had a front page package ready for tomorrow, as I'm filling in as city editor today so it's my responsibility to plan ahead for tomorrow's edition. By doing a little extra work and getting the story done several days ahead, it's less of a headache today, when I have a lot of other things to think about.

Derby event

2008-09-17T14:05:00.001-07:00

If you're interested, check us out!

Suitcases

2008-09-16T11:17:00.002-07:00

They have returned, and as you see here, have been thoroughly inspected by the house investigator. Apparently they passed muster.

Casa, sweet casa

2008-09-15T11:45:00.001-07:00

Finally home, but our bags decided they wanted a little longer vacation, so apparently they snuck off the plane in San Diego and headed for the beach. I imagine they had a couple of fruity drinks and argued with each other over whether they'd head down to Tijuana for the day. I'm pretty sure Joseph's bag wanted to go, but mine wanted to go home.
They have finally been relocated by the airline, and are being shipped to us. Oh well, easy access to my hair dryer and deodorant are totally overrated anyway. I'm still on vacation, who cares how I look or smell over the next couple of days.
The animals are of course glad we're home, although I suspect they were so happy with the housesitter that they didn't exactly notice our absence. But now that we're back, they seem happy with that development as well.
Time to raid the refrigerator for anything not rotten.

Almost home!

2008-09-14T16:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our last full day in Austin and we took advantage of the slightly cooler weather and the hope that we were soon headed home, and spent the day enjoying some local delights.
First we started out with lunch at Katz's Deli, a fabulous downtown establishment that serves the best reubens on the planet, along with tons of yummy pickles. The waitresses were all dressed in black with lots of gothy, sparkly jewelry which I enjoyed, even if I didn't get the connection.
Then we wandered down to Book People, considered one of the best bookstores in the nation, right up there with Powells. We of course ended up spending more than we wanted, but stocked up on some cool things, and we found Joseph's book for sale in the Latin American section, which was awesome.
Then it was on to spend more money at Waterloo, a very famous record shop that uses the London Underground tube station symbol as its logo. The place was packed to the gills, and had a ton of vinyl for sale alongside new and used CDs. It's places like this that make me hopeful that the days of great record stores are not completely over, despite digital music.
The heat started to get to us at that point, which made a stop at Amy's Ice Cream mandatory. I had a pineapple ice, Joseph had a Shiner (beer) malt that was fantastic. We could have stayed there all day, sampling the dairy goodness.
We headed for UT Austin after that, wandering through campus and stopping at the Cesar Chavez statue. As the subject of Joseph's book, it seemed apt, although I agree with Joseph that the statue was oddly proportioned and made the great labor leader and nonviolence activist look strangely floppy, with huge shoes. After that, we wandered along "The Strip" on Guadalupe, the main shopping drag along campus. We stopped for a snack at Veggie Heaven, and ended up with a huge meal for cheap, and barely made it back to our car without exploding.
Saturday night, after discovering our flight had been cancelled, we spent a total of four hours on hold with our airline, continuously getting disconnected, trying to reschedule our flight. Finally at 1:30 a.m. we gave up and went to sleep. This morning, we decided to go straight to the airport and deal with actual humans. This was the right plan, because we were immediately booked on a flight with a different airline, and are now in San Diego, only hours from Portland and our car, and soon after that, home.
After noting several times the generosity of the people we saw in Austin, I have to interject a sad note of reality in regards to some of the refugees we shared space with this week. As we left our motel this morning, a man stood at the counter, waiting for the police to arrive. His van had been broken into in the night, the windows smashed, and some of the many belongings they'd packed into their vehicle to save from destruction from Ike, had been stolen.
As we pulled out of the motel, we saw his wife standing rather forlornly next to the van, on a pile of window glass, tugging at the side of a cardboard box. It was a sad end to a trip that has been full of many, many ups and downs. But it reminded me yet again that despite everything, we're lucky for many reasons, and luckier still to be almost home.

Still safe

2008-09-13T08:57:00.000-07:00

Nothing but overcast skies and a slight breeze in Austin, the only thing Ike did to us weather-wise was lower the temperature a little. We've spent the morning watching the Houston news station and the Austin affiliate.
Last night, we escaped the rather noisy confines of the Ho-Jo and headed downtown to a jazz club called The Elephant Room. We sat in the back sipping pints and listening to a very good quintet. No one seemed particularly concerned with the upcoming storm, I suspect most were either Austinites or tourists who didn't have much invested in those homes along the Gulf that are now in shreds.
We're still not sure about the status of our flight tomorrow, the airport isn't open yet as they sort out electricity issues and I'm guessing, wait for staff to return from wherever they've been evacuated. We're in a wait and see pattern right now, so I think the only answer is to find pancakes and wait it out.

Land of refugees

2008-09-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

We're safe, and lucky. Somehow we managed to land one of the last motel rooms in Austin, so we're hanging at the Ho-Jo, along with about 10,000 refugees from Houston and the coast. There are kids running up and down the hallways, dogs and cats in almost every room, and a frazzled but happy staff. The Houston airport is shut down, so we'll see what Sunday brings... there may be a day or two of sleeping in the terminal at this point! But we're still luckier than most, we aren't sure how we'll get home, but we know we'll have a home when we get there.
The folks here in Austin have been incredibly welcoming to the refugees. There are signs up everywhere letting people know they have their support, and volunteers are starting to line up to help at the temporary shelters round town.
So far, other than a little rain, we haven't see much in the way of weather here, and they think other than some night showers and some stiff winds in the wee hours we won't see much here, but that remains to be seen. It's the biggest storm they've seen in more than 100 years. I'll check in with y'all tomorrow morning.

Howdy, Ike

2008-09-12T06:07:00.000-07:00

College Station, Texas, home of Texas A & M, may only be a 2 hour drive from Austin, but it feels like a whole other world, politically, socially and even physically. This is more what I pictured when I thought of coming to Texas; big trucks, big attitudes, football and everyone saying "Howdy" in a completely un-ironic way. I think 24 hours is exactly enough time to spend here.
But even if we hadn't planned on leaving after Joseph gave his lecture, there's a little something called a hurricane getting ready to blow us back to Austin. Right now, the people of central Texas are beginning to open their doors to a steady stream of refugees from the coast. The university has shut down for the day, and campus is emptying. We're staying in the student center's small hotel, and the center itself is now desolate... no chance to head to the book store and get us an Aggie sweatshirt.
The hurricane is causing us some problems as well. Not only did it pre-empt our trip to New Orleans, but despite the fact that airports around the Gulf are shutting down and flights are being cancelled, our airline refused to allow us to change our departure city from N.O, as originally scheduled, to Austin. The fact that a hurricane was literally preventing us from getting to N.O. made absolutely no difference to the airline staff.
"The computer won't let us change your ticket," they kept telling me. Is HAL running the airlines now? Apparently so. I had two options, according to "the computer," either get to New Orleans by teletransporting myself, or buy a brand new, very expensive one-way ticket from Austin to Portland for each of us. And by the way, Houston airport is closing at noon Friday so forgetting flying out til Sunday.
So, now more broke than we'd expected, we at least have a way of getting home, as long as things are up and running by Sunday. At this point, we're thinking of crashing at a friend's house in Austin for the next few days, catching some live music and waiting out the storm, just another pair of refugees but with a lot less to worry or complain about than most.
We have the support of a lot of old friends and new ones here. And as our friend and host at Texas A&M Gregorio told us, in his native Puerto Rico, the correct response to an incoming hurricane is to find the biggest party you can, and ride out the storm with your friends. Good idea, it seems.

In search of barbecue

2008-09-11T06:43:00.000-07:00

Last time I was in Austin we had about four hours to eat, visit and sight-see during a crazy trip that was crammed into a long layover in Houston. The one thing I remember about that visit was the excellent breakfast food at Kerby Lane.
That meant we had to make a pilgrimage back there this trip, to get what Joseph calls the best pancakes in the world. Wednesday morning, I gorged myself on a short stack of peach praline pancakes. Although a determined eater, I could not finish the two enormous cakes on my plate, nor could Joseph make his way through his buttermilk short stack. For about three hours afterward we walked around groaning with fullness.
Instead of a lot of shopping and sight-seeing, we spent the day with friends and loved ones. Lilia took us to Mozarts, a fantastic cafe along Lake Austin, where we spent hours drinking mango smoothies, watching turtles float by, and mocking a particular boat passenger who appeared to be doing kick boxing on the deck of a passing steam boat.
My dinner focus was on finding good Texas barbecue, so Lilia and Carol took us to Rudy's, a huge barn-like restaurant attached to a gas station on the edge of town. The sign proclaimed it was Texas' worst barbecue, but the bevy of customers seemed to disagree, and so did we after chowing down on incredible briscuit, ribs and a lot of potato salad. Calories on vacation don't count.

No Big Easy

2008-09-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

Just to update friends who were concerned, we cancelled our plans to drive to New Orleans Friday due to the extreme weather concerns, and have opted to spend the weekend exploring San Antonio instead, which is a slightly saner destination point during hurricane season, and also a more reasonable drive. The photo on the left is the central panel of a triptych painting in a local Austin shop called Mi Casa. The piece is really powerful and depicts the devestation of Katrina and New Orleans rise from destruction.

Resistencia is (not) futile

2008-09-09T21:24:00.000-07:00

Nothing like sleeping in and then waking up to a new city, and a new world of breakfast foods just waiting outside the door.
There's a great Mexican restaurant next to our hotel called El Sol Y La Luna, great paintings of Oaxaca, big Frida Kahlo portraits and some fantastic food. We met our good friend Lilia there, and chowed down on tortillas, tamales and other excellent food, and buckets of bitter coffee. That fueled Joseph and I for several hours of browsing in some of the well-known South Congress shops, absorbing the incredible variety, scoffing at the prices of thrift store dresses, and sipping lemonade in one of the endless hipster coffee places.
We stopped in the Austin classic establishment Allen's Boots to try on $400 cowboy boots and admire their expensive embroidered Western shirts. Way out of our price range but still gorgeous to look at. We also stopped in "Monkey See, Monkey Do," which ended up being a great place for hilarious post cards and some saucy magnets for souvenirs.
Tonight was Joseph's book reading at the independent activist bookstore Resistencia Books, founded by the late great Chicano organizer and activist Raul Salinas. It was a strong turnout thanks to publicity in Austin's alternative newspaper, The Chronicle and on a local independent radio station as well. Let's hear it for grassroots media! There were about 25 people total, and they sold 10 of Joseph's books, exciting stuff.
We ended the evening at another Mexican restaurant, Polvos, where we had everything from shrimp fajitas to tacos al pastor. I had a michelada, which includes beer, lots of lime, and lots and lots of chile. Spicy goodness.
Now we're sitting back with some cookies and empanadas from a local panaderia, a good way to end a long and very rewarding day.

Keep Austin weird

2008-09-09T08:12:00.000-07:00

It was just after 11 p.m. and from a block down South Congress, the strains of a honkey-tonk band were still drifting out the door of the Continental Club. I entered the code to the Austin Motel pool gate and we sauntered in, looking to cool off our feet before heading up to our funky room for a jet-lagged night of sleep.
A head popped out of the pool, urgently demanding to know the time. It was Joan from St. Louis, a playwright and, it turns out, political blogger who, upon realizing she'd been stumbled upon by a journalist and a political philosopher, was eager to tell us about her experiences at the DNC just two weeks ago.
Austin, I'm beginning to realize, is as much about the people drawn to this Bizarro-version of Texas as it is about the food, music, and on South Congress, the neon signs that light your way home. Within a few minutes, that is before being extremely politely ejected from the pool because it was closing time, we had exchanged blog addresses and may have a new visitor to Joseph's book signing tonight.
We're staying in the ultra-famous, ultra fabulous Austin Motel. After despairing of our choices along the freeway, we wandered around, getting tired and grumpy, until we drove down South Congress, Joseph's old neighborhood, and he mentioned rather sadly as we passed the famous phallic red motel sign, "I wish we could stay there."
"Why can't we?" I said, turning around to catch a glimpse through the car window.
"It's probably too expensive. This place is very swanky now," he said, but he flipped the car around and we headed back toward the motel, just in case.
I popped out and ran into the lobby, where a very large black and white Tom cat named Toby lay sprawled on a couch. I immediately reeeeally wanted to stay there. Luckily, since it wasn't the weekend, they had a room available for $110 a night, a real bargain compared to the monolith of ick along the freeway that wanted to charge us $130.
Soon we were ensconced in our upstairs room, which I might add has one wall papered in a giant forest scene like you'd see at your dentist in the early 1980s. Plus there's an art deco maple wardrobe and matching vanity, wicker chairs and two incredibly comfortable beds, you know, for variety.
More on the motel in another post, because I have to get to the food quickly. When we first arrived, Joseph took us straight to Austin Java, where I ate a black and blue burger (mmm gorgonzola) while looking over at the Capitol building downtown and watching all the tattooed college students check email on their iBooks.
For dinner, after a long, long nap, we walked down Congress to the ever-open Magnolia cafe, where I washed down a spicy plate of Migas (eggs, cheese, peppers, tortilla strips, salsa and black beans) with a Dos Equis, and watched more tattooed patrons pouring slowly in. We're in a fabulous area for shopping, eating and bar hopping.
Now it's morning and our room is illuminated orange with light through the curtains. Big day ahead, so Ill post more tonight.

Hitting the road

2008-09-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

Monday, I'll be headed on a much-needed vacation to Austin Texas with my partner and fellow blogger, Joseph, who will be promoting his new book on Cesar Chavez as part of Hispanic Heritage Month. He used to live in Austin, so we'll be looking up old friends and I'll be getting a taste of the tattooed, rockabilly wonderfulness that is Austin. I'll also be checking out the roller derby scene if possible, as I'm starting to work toward joining a group forming here.
We'll also be headed to College Station and Texas A&M, and then, barring mischief from Hurricane Ike, we'll be driving across Texas and Louisana to see New Orleans, the first time I've been to the city Post-Katrina, and the first time ever for Joseph.
I'm pretty sure that we'll be meeting some great people and seeing some amazing sites along the way, so if technology allows, I'll be trying to do a bit of a mini-journalism travelogue along the way. I'm usually taking loads of photos so that I can write travel pieces for my paper when I return (I never really stop working), so this blog will be another place I can post some of my favorites (that's me waving from our hotel room on the Zocalo in Mexico City last year, by the way).
If storms, malfunctions or operator error prevent me from updating on my trip, I'll be back to blogging in two weeks.
Wish me luck!

Broken spouts and high story counts

2008-08-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

Time is a precious resource to journalists, and this week seemed to emphasize that more than usual. I usually average about eight stories a week, which is a pretty solid number, considering a good number of those end up on the front page. This week, I believe I ended up at 13 or so, I honestly lost count by the end of the week.
It doesn't help that I'm preparing for a 10 day vacation in early September, which means that I have to build up a store of features that will run while I'm gone. In addition to daily and Sunday pieces, I've committed to writing a weekly personality profile for our paper called "The Story Next Door." It runs every Tuesday, and because of my upcoming vacation, I'll be gone two Tuesdays in a row, meaning I have to write those pieces in advance. Luckily, there seems to be a never-ending pool of worthy subjects, so I haven't had much trouble lining up interviews.
But that, in addition to some breaking news and several lengthy podcasts (which come in addition to the story count) made this week a whirl. And when my shower broke Friday morning right before work, it kind of put the cherry on the work sundae. Being first-time home owners, these kind of mundane repairs throw my partner and I for a loop.
Finally though, the 3-day weekend is here, and I can tackle things like installing a new tub faucet, climbing into the attic to deal with some troublesome rats who have made it their summer home, and maybe, if I'm lucky, some dusting will actually get done. Or maybe I'll just nap until it all starts over again Tuesday.

Down time

2008-08-25T15:19:00.001-07:00

There's not much of it at a small paper (I can't speak for larger newsroom, having never worked in one). Today for instance, I started out by writing a media-related column for the Entertainer that appears every other week. It's my one chance, other than blogs, to write in first person for the paper. Once that was in the can, I did a quick phone interview with the executive director of a local social service agency, who, like everyone else around here, has been hit hard by the economy. I also did a quick drop-in interview with some volunteers at the agency, and then rushed back with the photographer to make my afternoon appointment with an award-winning local volunteer. With two stories already written I have one more to write before I can hop on my bike and head home for some down time (and possibly some blackberry picking) before it all starts again tomorrow.
This photo was taken a few weeks ago during one of the really hot days we had. We were waiting for a class full of middle schoolers to come outside to shoot off homemade bottle rockets, and I decided to take a rare break. Thanks to former photog Tiffany Brown for pointing out that I'd been using some really outdated pics for my blog. I'm trying to go through some of the great old ones before getting the photogs around here to pass along more current shots like this one.

Recording at outdoor events

2008-08-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

Because we have so few reporters on staff, and we're a daily paper, we have to rotate Saturday shifts among about four people. That breaks down to one Saturday a month for each of us, and today is my Saturday. What I like about working weekends is that it's quiet in the office, just me and a photographer, usually, and typically Saturday means a few quick hitters, mainly fun event stories like wine tastings, bike races, children's plays, etc.
Those aren't just easy stories to write (and often feature free food), they're also rich with opportunity for podcasts. Today, I attended a picnic emphasizing race unity, which included not only plenty of articulate and passionate interviewees, but also live music and ambient noise like the sizzle of garden burgers on the grill. And since I had a little extra time to work on the podcast when I got back, I was able to add in some of that ambient noise to make a slicker podcast than my normal 'talk into the mic' interview.

To podcast or not to podcast...

2008-08-21T14:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I spent an hour at a Benton County-based health clinic that serves low income folks, mainly without insurance, in south Corvallis. While the voices in the podcast are of an administrator and a doctor who works at the clinic, I had also interviewed a client, but she does not appear on the recording.
Our emphasis as a local paper is to put the people most impacted by the story at the forefront, and while "talking heads" are key to getting information, they should never overshadow the voices of the people being served by the programs. Podcasts should also follow this rule, but sometimes circumstances prevent that from happening.
In this case, not only was the patient interview a rather impromptu occurrence which didn't give me time to scramble for my recorder, but the patient was also very nervous at being photographed, and talking in front of "the media." She was very generous with her time and with allowing us to photograph her, and I felt that hovering over her with a digital recorder would add to her unease in the situation, so I decided to simply jot down notes instead.
Would her voice have added to the podcast? Most certainly. But in most cases, I opt for making sources feel comfortable over making sure I capture their voices on the recorder.
Here's a link to the podcast. See what you think.

An office with no walls

2008-08-18T15:10:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about journalism is that your work place truly has no boundaries. On a good day, you'll be spending a majority of your time out of the physical newsroom, heading out on assignments that can take you just about anywhere in your community (that's me on the right, interviewing a professional drag queen).
Because our newsroom has only five full-time reporters and a handful of part-time ones, we're often called upon to cover a wide variety of events, from breaking news like traffic accidents or winter storms, to long-range pieces on topics ranging from Hospice to grass seed farming. That might frustrate someone looking to specialize in a specific beat, say healthcare or science, but for most of us, it's a way to keep things exciting and interesting.
Because we're often in unfamiliar territory, learning about new ideas and new subjects, it's often good to capture those scenes in multiple ways. While I'm always armed with a notebook and a pen (or pencil if it's raining and I'm outdoors), I've been more and more likely to bring the digital recorder along with me these days, even if I don't think I'll get a podcast out of the assignment. Ambient noise, sidetracked conversations I don't bother writing down, unexpected interuptions are all captured in ways I could never record on my notepad. And often, what I expected to be a run-of-the-mill interview often surprises me, and having the option to podcast portions of the discussion later has come in handy more than once, especially when I only have 15 column inches to tell a story in print, but what we've discussed is far richer than can fit into such narrow limitations.

Life as an interview

2008-08-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

One thing that journalists often can't do is turn off that instinct to view every activity as a potential story. Social situations like parties often trigger that compulsion for me. When I meet new people, I have to make sure I don't sound like I'm trying to interview them. Journalists are good at meeting strangers, it's something we have to do every day, and it can come in handy during crowded social events, but ask one too many questions and you can cross that line from casual conversation into an interview situation, which is not what people usually want to do, especially after a couple of tequilas.
I'm also always armed with a camera, and end up being the go-to person to visually document friends' parties, weddings, etc. With our new digital camera I am also working on my video skills, which I know will be coming in handy soon at work, as the company pushes us to do more video for our Web site.
Here are some photos I took last night of a friend's birthday party. I tried to play with interesting angles and fun, unstaged shots. They turned out pretty well, and it gave me a chance to practice my rusty photography skills, which can come in handy as shrinking newsroom staff means you never know when you'll be called out to write and shoot an assignment.

Podcasting in the middle of a newsroom

2008-08-15T17:09:00.000-07:00

The Gazette-Times was one of the first newspapers on the West Coast to enthusiastically embrace podcasting, thanks to a partnership we formed with the Oregon State University College of Education's Grassroots Learning Project. In the few years since we've begun to include podcasting as one of our semi-regular rituals, we've changed a lot. We've gained and lost staff willing to be podcasters, we've shifted our focus away from reading our personal columns out loud to only recording live interviews, and most recently, Web magician Travis Clark has created a brand-new Web site for our podcasts, and a new way for me to upload them, which has saved me lots of time.
Although I have my own podcast studio (read closet next to the sports department), which I use for recording phone interviews, I don't like to be out of the main newsroom too often, so I frequently end up editing podcasts at my desk, which is literally in the center of the newsroom. That means ringing phones, loud conversations and frequent interruptions are a regular occurrence for me. I've gotten used to the stress of trying to hear low-talkers in the recording while answering questions and ignoring phone calls, but I still wish there was a sign suspended over my desk that I could light up when editing that says "Podcast in progress." Don't think that's in the budget right now.

Reporting from the heart of the valley

2008-08-15T14:30:00.001-07:00

Last month I marked my eight-year anniversary as a reporter in Corvallis, and although in the eyes of several co-workers, that still makes me a cub, I can say in my 12-plus years of reporting, I've been around long enough to witness a dramatic upheaval in the realm of print media.
As the recession strips newspapers of ad revenue, and the Internet delivers world news almost the instant it happens, those of us on the ground are all trying to make sense of it all. While we still depend on old-fashioned tools like notepads and attentive use of our senses, we're all adapting to a new age where podcasting, video blogs and laptops are becoming crucial to keeping our readers informed, entertained and engaged.
What I hope to do in this blog is discuss some of the projects we've been working on as we attempt to find our place in the digital age. I'll be linking to videos, podcasts and stories I have been involved in, and discuss some of the things that might not have found their way onto the printed page, but which still might be important when looking at the big story.
Occasionally I'll also be looking at what other media is doing to keep pace with the changing digital world, and, so this exercise doesn't become too academic, I'll probably post some fun, and occasionally personal, items as well.