New Post to Replace the Old Post

To explain further.

My new job is in the editorial department of our company, writing a news discussion program that goes into thousands of schools and nursing homes on a weekly basis. We summarize five or six news stories in every issue, giving historical background and context for each, on three levels, salting every story with thoughtful questions for teachers and activity directors to ask their people. There are only two and one-half people in the department. Last week I wrote about the Olympics and the Najaf standoff and Hurricane Charley, as well as mini-features on Ariel Sharon and the new overtime regulations and the Munch heist and this thing they're doing where they're trying to use modern technology to re-create what George Washington looked like when he was 19. Three different days I was in before seven o'clock. Oh and I forgot: each story is done twice, so that the second one can be published online with links to each of my sources. This stuff ain't no joke, people. This week I get to write about the Sudan genocide and about political advertisements and some other stuff. One down, thirty-three more to go for this school year.

So if I haven't been the most diligent blogger, or if I haven't read your stuff this week too much, please to be forgiving me. I'll be better soon.

I've also been detoxing on caffeine (down to just one cup of green tea a day, down from three cups of coffee and two or three cups of tea and a Mountain Dew daily) and we had Sammy's birthday party last weekend, a Harry Potter theme, so I led a few games of "Dumbledore Says" in the backyard and "Red Wand Green Wand" which sucked and then we hid some cool looking "sorceror's stones" in the backyard and kids had to find them and then I'd look carefully at each one and tell them what part of the dragon the stones came from. In my own little way I'm a genius. Two kids left early, one was distraught the whole time because this other little boy wouldn't be his friend, another burst into tears because he could only find one of the smaller stones. Oy.

And at the end of it, when we told Sammy that he had to clean up all the stuff he got, he spits out, bitterly, "It's my birthday party and I just got all these presents, and this is the thanks I get?" He is six years old.

And kids back to school next Tuesday, and Liza starts college classes next Wednesday, and I have to work all day on Labor Day because that's the life of a newsman.

But I have IM on my new computer now, my handle is TheOverstander, it's all good.

And if you don't start checking out The Daily Seventeen, I'll be forced to remind you again.

And if you wanna read a pretty good review of the new Triple Seis album, you'd do worse than to check out PopMatters today.