So much for that early New Years resolution to write every day. I guess that's what happens when you get a job...
I was blessed with a composing position at the Macon Chronicle-Herald here in town in the beginning of November 2009. It provides enough of a creative outlet for me that I don't get bored. I've learned a lot from all the smart people I've come across. William Leffert at the Hannibal Courier Post is really helpful with creative and technical stuff. He has posted some cool photo and composing techniques that have made my life SO much easier. Then there's Joe Greco and John Shiraki who have also taught me a lot about the technical side of the newspaper business. It's great to have people who push you to be better and learn more about your trade.
Right now I'm in charge of our special sections layouts, paginating the daily paper, making ads, troubleshooting any technical problem we come up with (and looking up the experts for the hard questions), and organizing the composing system on the computer, among other things. I finished a binder of our house ads today so that we can cycle some more of them through and not be so redundant with our house ad placements. My next "free time" project is to catalogue all our frames for the advertising department so they can offer a visual for anyone who comes in looking for a more specific frame design. Honestly, their imagination is the limit, but sometimes it's easier to have a few options laid out to look at.
I have a lot of things I'd like to change about the place. I love the more casual atmosphere most of the time, although sometimes the interaction between the people in our office and the people off the streets seems a bit strange to me... they almost seem rude to each other but it doesn't ever come to blows so I guess they understand each other. I'd love to have a high school intern someday. I want to help them understand what I do and give them a better understanding of what the "real world" is like, and who doesn't need something like that on their resume? While I have them captive, I want to pick their brain for ideas about how to improve the newspaper and make it more relevant for the younger generation. If I went up to someone on the street or in the classroom they wouldn't want to tell me anything meaningful, but if I built some rapport with them then maybe I could get something useful. I want to do daily meetings, or at least weekly meetings, to keep everyone informed. I want to have some kind of formalized training so that when people walk into a job they know how things work instead of just learning by trial and error. I want people whop have certain jobs to do everything that those jobs entail and not pass it off and snowball others into thinking it's impossible for them to do what they're supposed to. I want people to follow directions, at least by the third time they're told, and not blow it off forever like it's no big deal, knowing that someone else is going to come along and do it or fix it because eventually it has to be done. *sigh* That's enough ranting for today.
We're watching the Mizzou/Cincinatti game tonight with Nathan and Ashley. Nathan brought home pizza from a place in Columbia. It was pretty good but it needed more sauce, in my opinion. Pizza with just cheese and toppings with no sauce to speak of isn't my favorite way to have it. I don't even know where this pizza came from though because there isn't anything on the pizza boxes and Nathan can't remember what the place is called. So helpful. :o) Tonight when I got home I worked on cleaning and rearranging the living room, and then Sean and I came downstairs a little before 7. Nathan wasn't here yet so I walked out with Nadia and Bria and Ashley to look at their sidewalk drawings in the front. We ended up walking around the block. Nadia and Bria were pretty hung up about the newspaper that landed in the middle of the sidewalk, and they were convinced that "the guy" (whoever that was) would be coming to get it shortly. Then they both decided to collect the acorn shells and tops that were piled under an oak tree. Nadia decided that the truck parked across the walkway should be moved instead of going around it, but some bikers came up and distracted her until we could get around the corner, and then she decided to run. Luckily Ashley caught her the one time she tripped and almost wiped out. Coming around the last corner, Bria and Ashley were beating us so I scooped her up and cut across the yard to place her on the front step before Bria got to the house. I may have to borrow them more often now that the days are getting longer and the weather is more friendly for outdoor activities. The game isn't going so well so far but we'll see if it was worth staying up to watch it.
We'll be heading out to Colorado soon to meet my first nephew Bently. He was born in the middle of January and we have yet to meet in person. While I love all my nieces, there is something about a niece or nephew with 50% of the same DNA as you. Bently is the first of three this year. Craig and Melanie are welcoming their son in April, and Nathan and Ashley's will join the family in July. Matt and Erin are also expecting a baby this August, so there will be a few more around the group, hopefully. This family is so baby-crazy that there should probably be more than just one at a time so there isn't as much scrambling for just one to hold. It'll be fun to see how Bria and Nadia handle a baby brother, and Paige will finally get to see what it's like to be a big sister.
I experienced my first big loss last year when Grandpa Weston passed away. We saw him in December when we were out in Colorado, and he seemed pretty tired most of the time. In January he fell and got a bladder infection around the same time. His health started failing, and he never pulled out of it. I went to be with my mom in the middle of February when Uncle Wayne, Aunt Ellen and Wendy went out to see them. Mom needed a break from the daily visits to the hospital, and they were moving Grandpa to a nursing home for hospice care, so she needed some support. I tried my best to distract her, and we even got to spend some time together with Grandma. It was so hard when it came time to say goodbye, knowing that it was the last time I would ever see him alive. It wasn't the Grandpa I remembered, even from December, so in that respect it was easier to say goodbye, but I knew I would still miss him incredibly. Mom called me March 5 while we were in a car wash on our way to soup supper and told me he had passed away. I couldn't go see everyone so we went back home. I cried all night, thinking of how I'd never be able to joke with him or discuss theology like we used to. Sean came with me to the funeral. I didn't want to talk to anyone but when there's a visitation and all that it's impossible not to talk to them. I don't think I remembered anything they said past the point of it being spoken but at least they didn't act offended by the lack of meaningful interaction. The worst part was knowing that my grandma was alone now and every time she thought of him and missed him, she would hurt. Even now, that is what pushes me past keeping my composure.
While we were there I got to meet Samantha, my future little sister-in-law and the mother of my first nephew. We didn't find out about Bently coming until Memorial day weekend but I knew she could be someone special for Brian. She's a pretty darn smart little lady, and I can't imagine live without her in it anymore. I'm excited to see her again when we head out there.
Sean is looking for a new job. He's ready to do something different, and preferably more lucrative. I'd like to own our own home someday sooner rather than later, and if he can find a good job then I'm all for making that happen. I've thought of looking myself and seeing what I can find. I need to file my paperwork to get my diploma so I can legitimately be graduated from college. I guess right now I'm technically just a dropout even though I finished all my coursework. It might make finding a good job a little easier, should I decide to take a look. :o) I want Sean to be able to chase a dream and make each day rewarding. I want his job to be fulfilling and exciting and something he can wake up and look forward to. If anybody has an idea, I'm open to it.
Youth camp planning is going well. We're set on the date, and the theme of Back to the Basics. We're working on getting a teacher settled (Andrew) but until then we're not sure who else to ask to do what. There's a youth camp board meeting tonight. It's a very rewarding job, surprisingly. I didn't think I really wanted to do it, but then I realized that was the wrong attitude after I attended the camp and saw the results. I knew after that that I could be a lot more helpful and supportive than I had been, and so I decided to put a lot more effort into it. This winter, the weekend of Valentines Day, we hosted a Sweetheart Dinner/Winter Gala at the church. Michelle and I worked together to make the food, and lots of other people helped make it all come together. Sean did a concert with Randall while the couples dined in the soft light at small, four-person tables. Ashley took pictures of each of the couples after the dinner and Wendy printed them for each person as a thank you for attending. We raised over $1300 that night for youth camp. I was really proud of the results, and everyone seemed very happy for the opportunity to have a nice night out. The only sad thing about the weekend for me was that I didn't fit in my wedding dress anymore...I did but the seams were screaming, so there is some incentive to walk with the girls more often, as I mentioned earlier. The best part was when Sean and I met in LaPlata at the Depot Inn for Valentine's Day. We got a suite with a whirlpool tub and they had roses and chocolate and sparkling grape juice for us. While we were there Wendy called and told us Ryan had proposed to her, so they're finally getting married and the Moore family will be complete on June 5 this year.
Megan asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding this April. It meant a lot to me that she wanted me to be a part of it. I wish I was closer to her so I could help out more often. Columbia is closer than ever before but it's still an hour and half a tank of gas away. Tomorrow we're going for our second dress fitting to make sure they will work for us. It's a pretty lilac color and fits nicely with good curves and bunches right where you need them. :o) We had a great wedding shower for her a couple weeks ago. Kendra did a good job getting activities together and Erin made some incredible cheesecake cupcakes. We had a huge spread for everybody to munch on so nobody went hungry.
I think I'm running out of things to babble about... and I think Sean wants to have the laptop back. I'll see what I can come up with tomorrow... here's to renewing the pledge!
