i decided to stay on with darren and cassie at the doniphan and blue hill papers. had myself real worked up about it the day i had to decide and literally could have put heads on one and tails on the another and been satisfied with the result of a coin flip. but now i'm extremely glad i made this decision.
reasons:
-they're just plain horrible to darren and cassie. stubborn over a portion of the contract, won't talk to them face to face, demand that certain things should be their's. plus, they brought back people who hate darren and cassie (for really no good reason.)
-they're horrible to erica. so she quit. they made her cry so she walked out the first day on the job. very good employee relations.
-i think it will be clear soon how much better our product was with a staff of 3 than their's will be with a staff of a dozen.
bygones be bygones. it is kind of weird not having a clay county news association anymore, though. there's been a few times already where i've been like "oh, i should take a picture of that.' or 'that'd be nice to follow up on.' new prospects make it much better.
additional reasons why this was the best decision:
-opportunity for expansion. this one's loaded. first, both are 8 page papers. obviously, advertising determines number of pages, but community/school expansion is looking good. the hastings tribune, a daily in 25,000 pop. city about 12 mi. south of doniphan, 35 mi. west of sutton, has been creeping into out territory. this encroaching will not be tolerated.
-over a few beers following the completion of our final CCN issue, darren and i discussed ways to improve the doniphan and blue hill papers. video and an increased internal focus on our main communities is priority number one (pay attention hastings tribune [from here on out referred to as 'the trib'] you might learn something.) the trib, despite having the entire hastings community/schools/college to itself, sees it beneficial to encroach into our communities rather than focus on its own.
**trib background - on any given day, the trib's front page will have half or more AP content. they cover enough hastings to get by. any other stories are stolen from us and summarized, as confirmed by goofy reporter tony, who said he gets most of his ideas from reading our paper. tip: find news in your own town. OR ELSE WE WILL.. (see next point)**
-while you're busy dicking around in our small communities, stealing our stories, we'll be quietly, yet aggressively, doing what you are not. there are towns/schools that have the trib as their legal newspaper that claim to cover the communities, but will really only show their face during a festival, big game or some other huge event. they're lucky to get a picture or mention twice a month. they show up just enough to keep people's interest or, as they did a few weeks ago, will advertise on our town's flashing sign for a free lunch in the park, and host said event to sway our readership. but good luck getting mentioned more than once or twice a month. soo...
jihad on the trib!
war strategy available as the conflict develops..
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
the battle with budders
budders likes to jump up on my kitchen counter. he knows that his food is in the kitchen, so every time i walk into it, he stops whatever he is doing and follows me, meowing. even if his bowl has plenty of food in it. he also knows that the kitchen is where i make my food, so by being there, he thinks that he will get some.
so.. he hopes that by jumping on the counter after i have been in there getting food, that he will find something to eat, in the form of dirty dishes or anything else. and he knows that he's not supposed to jump up there. i've used the spray bottle, scolded him severely, still he likes to jump up. and because he knows he's not supposed to, he does it when i'm not watching. when i head to bed, i hear him jump up. when i come home, i can tell he's been on the counter.
so, i've started a war on counter jumping. since i don't care what my house looks like, nobody besides me has seen it, i've found a system to deter his jumping habits. i've taken all my empty boxes (vaccuum, appliances, beer, etc.) and lined the kitchen counter with them. i've built a counter-top box wall. i figure, if he can't jump high enough, he can't jump on. plus, i'd know if he tried because shit would be knocked over.
apparently he found a way up, conquring my first wall. i came home and found boxes knocked over and cat hair on the counter. so, i brought in reinforcements. strengthening weak portions and stacking more boxes for a higher wall. i've even baracaded the counter in half, so that if he does get up, he's stuck on one side. take that, cat. i'm sure he'll still find a way up. and if that's the case, drastic measures will be taken. i will not be beaten. 1-2-3-4, this is how we start a war.
so.. he hopes that by jumping on the counter after i have been in there getting food, that he will find something to eat, in the form of dirty dishes or anything else. and he knows that he's not supposed to jump up there. i've used the spray bottle, scolded him severely, still he likes to jump up. and because he knows he's not supposed to, he does it when i'm not watching. when i head to bed, i hear him jump up. when i come home, i can tell he's been on the counter.
so, i've started a war on counter jumping. since i don't care what my house looks like, nobody besides me has seen it, i've found a system to deter his jumping habits. i've taken all my empty boxes (vaccuum, appliances, beer, etc.) and lined the kitchen counter with them. i've built a counter-top box wall. i figure, if he can't jump high enough, he can't jump on. plus, i'd know if he tried because shit would be knocked over.
apparently he found a way up, conquring my first wall. i came home and found boxes knocked over and cat hair on the counter. so, i brought in reinforcements. strengthening weak portions and stacking more boxes for a higher wall. i've even baracaded the counter in half, so that if he does get up, he's stuck on one side. take that, cat. i'm sure he'll still find a way up. and if that's the case, drastic measures will be taken. i will not be beaten. 1-2-3-4, this is how we start a war.
moms need a photography lesson
seriously. so many of the submitted photos we get are terrible. and tonight i sat behind a mom at an honors banquet and had the pleasure/misery of watching her snap terribly framed/timed/all-around-composed pictures allllll night. i'm not a great photographer, but i know what a terrible photo is.
first, head room. don't put their face in the center of the screen. that leaves half the picture with nothing but a boring background.
second, your camera has a zoom for a reason. use it. get in tight. don't have wasted space.
three, you have a digital camera. snap away, you can always delete. don't take your sweet time to frame a terrible picture and wait so long that someone walks in front of them or the subject moves.
the best part was that she knew every photo was bad. she kept showing them to the mom next to her, who was also taking bad pictures.
first, head room. don't put their face in the center of the screen. that leaves half the picture with nothing but a boring background.
second, your camera has a zoom for a reason. use it. get in tight. don't have wasted space.
three, you have a digital camera. snap away, you can always delete. don't take your sweet time to frame a terrible picture and wait so long that someone walks in front of them or the subject moves.
the best part was that she knew every photo was bad. she kept showing them to the mom next to her, who was also taking bad pictures.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
big news
of either the 27th or the 20th this month, the clay county news will officially be under new ownership.
my bosses, darren and cassie, are selling the paper. they informed me of this today, though recently there have been signs and word that something big was about to happen. i really wasn't sure how to take the news, but apparently darren and cassie are having a tough time with it, and understandably so. they really did not want to sell the paper, but have kind of had their hand forced on the issue. suffice it to say that the business and personal ethics of outside parties (soon to be inside parties), combined with other issues that have caught up, have made operations difficult and stressful, and have made the sale necessary.
so where does this put me? well, they will still own the doniphan herald and the blue hill leader. when they talked with me this afternoon, they told me that they would love to have me stay and work for those two papers with them. so that's an option. another is to remain at the clay county news under the new ownership. or still a third, if those don't end up feeling like a good fit.. i can seek something else.
the breakdown:
option a) work under darren and cassie for the doniphan and blue hill papers.
goods: i know their style. i already work for the two papers. taking ccn out of the mix would free up a lot of time and allow me to focus on improving the other papers, both of which are smaller than ccn. things would be less stressful overall, and therefore probably more enjoyable.
bads: doniphan is 45 minutes away, blue hill is an hour; not bad when i only make the trip a couple times a week, but if it's my main job, will be quite the daily travel. i don't want to move closer, either. there's drama in both towns. i've established a good rapport in town and in clay county.
option b) stay at clay county news under new ownership.
goods: it's in town, same old beat. change can be good. i like what i've done here and where i'm going with the paper.
bads: new ownership, new style, new staff? bad blood.
*goods/bads can't accurately be determined until i meet with the new owner, which will hopefully happen soon*
option c) new adventure completely.
goods: i probably have enough experience from working here in just five months to find another job. i do miss friends and family. what's next?
bads: i'd like to stay here a little longer, see some things through. hassle of job searching and moving. plus, i have a golf membership and our league starts tomorrow. i can't just bail!
interesting times. i guess i can't say i haven't gotten enough experience in the working world. things haven't been boring, that's for sure. i'll keep you posted on updates, but for now, business as usual. chamber meeting, elementary art show, elementary concert tomorrow; four graduations this weekend. ta-ta.
my bosses, darren and cassie, are selling the paper. they informed me of this today, though recently there have been signs and word that something big was about to happen. i really wasn't sure how to take the news, but apparently darren and cassie are having a tough time with it, and understandably so. they really did not want to sell the paper, but have kind of had their hand forced on the issue. suffice it to say that the business and personal ethics of outside parties (soon to be inside parties), combined with other issues that have caught up, have made operations difficult and stressful, and have made the sale necessary.
so where does this put me? well, they will still own the doniphan herald and the blue hill leader. when they talked with me this afternoon, they told me that they would love to have me stay and work for those two papers with them. so that's an option. another is to remain at the clay county news under the new ownership. or still a third, if those don't end up feeling like a good fit.. i can seek something else.
the breakdown:
option a) work under darren and cassie for the doniphan and blue hill papers.
goods: i know their style. i already work for the two papers. taking ccn out of the mix would free up a lot of time and allow me to focus on improving the other papers, both of which are smaller than ccn. things would be less stressful overall, and therefore probably more enjoyable.
bads: doniphan is 45 minutes away, blue hill is an hour; not bad when i only make the trip a couple times a week, but if it's my main job, will be quite the daily travel. i don't want to move closer, either. there's drama in both towns. i've established a good rapport in town and in clay county.
option b) stay at clay county news under new ownership.
goods: it's in town, same old beat. change can be good. i like what i've done here and where i'm going with the paper.
bads: new ownership, new style, new staff? bad blood.
*goods/bads can't accurately be determined until i meet with the new owner, which will hopefully happen soon*
option c) new adventure completely.
goods: i probably have enough experience from working here in just five months to find another job. i do miss friends and family. what's next?
bads: i'd like to stay here a little longer, see some things through. hassle of job searching and moving. plus, i have a golf membership and our league starts tomorrow. i can't just bail!
interesting times. i guess i can't say i haven't gotten enough experience in the working world. things haven't been boring, that's for sure. i'll keep you posted on updates, but for now, business as usual. chamber meeting, elementary art show, elementary concert tomorrow; four graduations this weekend. ta-ta.
Friday, May 1, 2009
officially no posts in april.. sorry?
alright, i'll try to get back into the groove of regular updates here. you'd think it'd either have to be crazy for me to have no time to write or so boring there'd be nothing to report on. truth is, i've just become too lazy. and since my job revolves around writing, it's not something i rush to do in my spare time. unfortunately. this type of writing is all but killing my love for it. kind of. i guess. i dunno..
i won't bother catching you up, it'd take far too long. well, actually, suffice this april in a nutshell to do the trick: amazing race host came to sutton; attended the nebraska press association convention; easter with my boss's wife's family; lots of golf. wow, that was a weak recap. my short term memory has become even worse out here. as soon as i finish something it's instantly on to the next item, so i forget about it almost immediately. soo, i should write daily blogs to remember such things? let's try. and give up after a week like usual..
tonight i went back to doniphan, for like the 4th time in five days. [i'll be there tomorrow, too, for a lift-a-thon. fingers crossed they don't call on the 'newspaper guy' to try his luck at benching because i'm sure a freshman girl could outbench me right now.]
the event tonight was an athletic banquet. typical coach recognizes the team and recaps the season type deal. made me miss organized sports a little. and made me think about how i should have worked as hard as i goofed off. if i am able to keep this blog regular again, i'll start doing such cheesy things like 'small town moment of the day' or 'awesome thing about life today' sorts of things. today would be this:
at the end of the banquet, the booster club played a powerpoint with music and pictures of all the teams. the first sport featured was football and the song played with it was journey's "don't stop believing." what was awesome about this was that usually everyone is completely silent during these videos, unless there's an awkward photo or the like. not here. when steve perry belted out "she's just a small town girl, living in a lonely world," some students sang along. even if quietly, they still sang out loud. i found this awesome because so often people would not even think to sing along during a slideshow. especially at a banquet, with parents, with faculty, with other students who find it "uncool." but these kids decided it both appropriate and entertaining to sing along with perhaps one of the best sing-a-long songs. i'm not explaining it well right now, but hopefully you get me. im finding more and more that my least favorite quality in someone is when they act too cool for something or that they are above something. sometimes, you need to check that thought and do something because it's fun. and if you can't stop and sing along each and every time "don't stop believing" pumps through the speakers of your car, a store or an athletic banquet, you're either in need of a too-cool-for-school attitude check or are seriously underestimating the awesomeness of the song.
if you get what i'm getting at.
i won't bother catching you up, it'd take far too long. well, actually, suffice this april in a nutshell to do the trick: amazing race host came to sutton; attended the nebraska press association convention; easter with my boss's wife's family; lots of golf. wow, that was a weak recap. my short term memory has become even worse out here. as soon as i finish something it's instantly on to the next item, so i forget about it almost immediately. soo, i should write daily blogs to remember such things? let's try. and give up after a week like usual..
tonight i went back to doniphan, for like the 4th time in five days. [i'll be there tomorrow, too, for a lift-a-thon. fingers crossed they don't call on the 'newspaper guy' to try his luck at benching because i'm sure a freshman girl could outbench me right now.]
the event tonight was an athletic banquet. typical coach recognizes the team and recaps the season type deal. made me miss organized sports a little. and made me think about how i should have worked as hard as i goofed off. if i am able to keep this blog regular again, i'll start doing such cheesy things like 'small town moment of the day' or 'awesome thing about life today' sorts of things. today would be this:
at the end of the banquet, the booster club played a powerpoint with music and pictures of all the teams. the first sport featured was football and the song played with it was journey's "don't stop believing." what was awesome about this was that usually everyone is completely silent during these videos, unless there's an awkward photo or the like. not here. when steve perry belted out "she's just a small town girl, living in a lonely world," some students sang along. even if quietly, they still sang out loud. i found this awesome because so often people would not even think to sing along during a slideshow. especially at a banquet, with parents, with faculty, with other students who find it "uncool." but these kids decided it both appropriate and entertaining to sing along with perhaps one of the best sing-a-long songs. i'm not explaining it well right now, but hopefully you get me. im finding more and more that my least favorite quality in someone is when they act too cool for something or that they are above something. sometimes, you need to check that thought and do something because it's fun. and if you can't stop and sing along each and every time "don't stop believing" pumps through the speakers of your car, a store or an athletic banquet, you're either in need of a too-cool-for-school attitude check or are seriously underestimating the awesomeness of the song.
if you get what i'm getting at.
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