Dog Dog Dog Dog!

The dog should come home today. I promise to update soon after the beautiful (and hyper) creature enters this apartment. Perhaps I'll have her try her paws at an entry. Stay tuned.

Dog Dog Dog!

As in, Max and I are getting one.

It's an American Eskimo dog, a beautiful animal from the Tampa Bay Humane Society. It should arrive Saturday.

I'll detail all the wonders of that adventure soon. Stay tuned.

Rick Bragg Redux

I am unhappy with Mr. Bragg. The New York Times reporter announced he'll be resigning from the paper, after a stinging correction on one of his stories brought his news-gathering methods into question.

Rick Bragg is a great writer. His collection of news stories, "Somebody Told Me," is full of stories that resound with grace and good-ole-fashion Southern charm. But his reactions to the correction have been egotistical, slanted and undo virtually all of my positive feelings toward the man.

(Follow this all on Romenesko for details. I'd link more extensively, but it's late and I'm irritated.)

To pass off an uncredited stringer's work as your own, when that person contributed significantly to a story, is wrong. I don't care if it's institutional policy not to give that credit (Mr. Bragg claimed that was the case, the NY Times says not quite). It's still wrong.

If you dedicate yourself to the craft and art and backbreaking toil of shaping words, but you don't understand that, then I don't understand you.

Write what you know. Write what you know. Write what you know. That's the mantra. Journalism, by definition, is writing what we know. It's writing what we find out. It's writing what we experience. It's telling the truth.

Skimming off someone else's quotes and experiences and wrapping it in homespun verbiage ain't writin' what you know. And it's not journalism. It's doubtful you could call it art -- or even expression. It's an attempt by a person to be someone he or she isn't.

I don't know Rick Bragg's story. I don't know what personal factors may have motivated him to act the way he did. I hope that, if indeed he has medical problems that hinder travel (as he's said), he rests and gets medical help. I wish the same for Jayson Blair, who seems to have struggled with depression.

But the work is separate and must ultimately be judged on its own. Mr. Bragg has not been honest with us. He has not been a journalist.

Things That Make Me Smile

Monty Python
"God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys
Douglas Adams books
"Good Omens" by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" by Elton John
"Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" by Rufus Wainwright
"Why Does It Always Rain On Me" by Travis
The Daily Show
The Onion
Cats and dogs (when not attacking me)
Phone calls from friends
A cup of coffee with milk in it
Watching Max
Bubble baths

All the Money In Tokyo

No, I haven't lucked into a fortune. I am listening to a song by the Magnetic Fields called "All the Umbrellas in London." If I were British, I might say it's bleedin' brilliant, guvnah!

It's not only melancholy and beautiful, but I think the lyrics are pretty clever. Take a look:

All the Umbrellas in London
By Stephin Merritt

if i make it tonight it'll be all right
it'll make a good song or something
i've been trying to give myself reasons to live
and i really can't think of one thing

i drive around, i walk around in circles
'cause i've got no sense of direction
and i guess i've got no sense at all

all the umbrellas in london couldn't stop this rain
and all the dope in new york couldn't kill this pain
and all the money in tokyo couldn't make me stay
all the umbrellas in london couldn't stop this rain

i don't cry anymore, i go out the door
and i usually keep on walking
i will sit in the bar where the cocktails are
but i really don't feel like talking

i lie around and let the darkness fall
'cause i've got a sense of perfection
and nothing makes much sense at all

all the umbrellas in london couldn't stop this rain
and all the dope in new york couldn't kill this pain
and all the money in tokyo couldn't make me stay
all the umbrellas in london couldn't stop this rain

Not Him Too!

Rick Bragg has been suspended for a couple of weeks by the New York Times. His situation is much milder than Jayson Blair's, but it's irritating nonetheless.

Slate has a pretty opinionated take on it here. I could grouse for awhile about this, but I won't. I love Bragg's writing, but this irks me.

Search For Canine Companion Continues

Max and I remain committed to the idea of a dog. The concept of a peppy ball of fur that bounces around the apartment and barks now and again is appealing.

Yet the specifics remain difficult. We both want a smart dog ... poodle or schnauzer-esque. Max has taken a shine to corgis. I keep pushing for something a touch larger.

Whatever way you slice it, we're looking to adopt in the next few days. It should be thrilling.

The Project

From February to early this month, I embarked on an experiment.

I created a comic strip, from the ground up. Titled "Dorm Room," it follows the adventures of three residents of, well, a dorm room. It's quirky and, hopefully, amusing. With Max adding suggestions and fine-tuning some of the knottier jokes (not to mention adding some punch lines), it's a project I'm proud of.

I'm a cartoonist from way back. From my third-grade to eighth-grade years, I drew some 2,500 pages of comics. I was proud of the count, and the output allowed me to make it through middle school sane. The work also taught me how to draw, how to write, and how to look at the world (absurdly, it turns out).

I started writing more seriously in the eighth grade, and since then I've written a lot in the way of poetry and nonfiction. But I never turned my back on cartooning entirely. I drew editorial cartoons steadily through my college years.

As I spent time with Max, we worked on some art projects. We've planned to put them online for some time, but it involves time and a scanner, both of which we're without for the moment.

For all that, I figured my time working on cartoons proper was over. But then my friend Katie Hollar zapped me an e-mail some four months ago. She was working for a publisher and wanted to see some of my cartoons -- and not sketches, but a proposal for a series.

It took a long time. I knew I wanted to deal with college life, but the angle and character development took time to evolve. The writing of the six strips took several days of brainstorming. And then I spent about a month working on the final drawings. By that time, Katie had left her employer.

But I sent them off anyway. It was a blast.

What's Going On

A lot, but not much.

That is, many minor incidents but few major ones. Got a filling put in on Monday. Joy. Worked a six-day week, which really wore me down to the nubbins.

Was off Wednesday and Thursday. Max and I have decided we're going to get a dog. Am scouting around the internet now, looking at breeds and other such information. Purchased The Best of Bowie, a 2-DVD set of videos from the erstwhile rock icon.

Looking forward to doing some copy editing this upcoming week. Not sure why. I guess I've been twisted.

A Great Story

Take a look at the ongoing series: 13: On The Edge Of Everything at the St. Petersburg Times. Those of us in the copy editing biz can grouse about narrative journalism, but this is a series that couldn't be done any other way.

Congratulations to writers Thomas French, Monique Fields and Dong-Phuong Nguyen and photographer Krystal Kinnunen. This is some special work. The interactive Web version is a canny example of convergence as well.

Today's Accumulation

A brief mention of a few of the entertainment items sitting on my desk. This very moment. It's true!

1.) "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" CD by Wilco.

2.) "Love God Murder" three-CD box set by Johnny Cash.

3.) "The Dance" DVD by Fleetwood Mac.

4.) "The Sims Hot Date" PC game expansion from Electronic Arts.

I'd go on, but even I'm bored.

Random Grousing

It's been a tough week or so.

I've just come off the week of working zoned copy at the major metropolitan daily newspaper, and it's left me tired. I had a weekend that really wasn't that restful. Not sure why ... but I'm sure that staying up until the wee hours of the morning didn't help much.

I have to go to the dentist Monday, which fills me with dread. I had a filling come out several weeks ago, and I couldn't get into the office that my dental HMO assigned me. I didn't tell them it was an emergency, and thus got stuck calling them every day to see if an appointment had opened up. None did.

Thus, I'm scheduled to go to a fee-for-service dental technician bright and early Monday. Oh well. Just get it out of the way. To top that off, on Tuesday I have a meeting at work and on Thursday I get to go talk to a bunch of Dow Jones Copy Editing interns (the program I was in a year ago). The meeting and talk aren't bad things ... I expect to enjoy them ... but they are extra commitments.

Plus, I'm working a six-day week. Ack. Weeks like this come along, I suppose. Times like this happen. One just keeps at it.

And gripes about it in one's blog.

Reason Prevails

For now at least.

The University of Kansas has found that its -- gasp! -- sex class is not obscene. The issue was raised by a state senator. I'd hope this ends it all. But I doubt it.

Embarrassment Detailed

The Times has released an article outlining some of Mr. Blair's failings.

"NEW YORK - A staff reporter for The New York Times committed frequent acts of journalistic fraud while covering significant news events in recent months, an investigation by Times journalists has found. The widespread fabrication and plagiarism represent a profound betrayal of trust and a low point in the 152-year history of the newspaper.

"The reporter, Jayson Blair, 27, misled readers and Times colleagues with dispatches that purported to be from Maryland, Texas and other states, when often he was far away, in New York. He fabricated comments. He concocted scenes. He stole material from other newspapers and wire services. He selected details from photographs to create the impression he had been somewhere or seen someone, when he had not.

"And he used these techniques to write falsely about emotionally charged moments in recent history, from the deadly sniper attacks in suburban Washington to the anguish of families grieving for loved ones killed in Iraq.

"In an inquiry focused on correcting the record and explaining how such fraud could have been sustained within the ranks of The New York Times, the Times journalists have so far uncovered new problems in at least 36 of the 73 articles Blair wrote since he started getting national reporting assignments in late October. In the final months the audacity of the deceptions grew by the week, suggesting the work of a troubled young man veering toward professional self-destruction."

Read the whole article. Registration is required, but it's the New York Times. You can fill out a few lines for the Times, can't you?

Latest Embarrassment to the Fourth Estate

Why, it's Mr. Jayson Blair, late of the New Yawk Times.

Read about his unfortunate tendency to fabricate sources, quotes and other such bits of journalism most common folks assume to be -- ha ha! -- true.

Howard Kurtz lays out the basics.

Slate ponders the issue.

And a Times managing editor weighs in.

(Thanks to Romenesko for a couple of these.)

Please Mr. Postman

I've just finished writing an e-mail. Here's the edited, blog-spiffy version:

Dear M -- :

The two biggest events since I talked with you last are the purchase of a little vacuum cleaner and a watch. The Casio I had, after a couple of band replacements and several battery replacements, just had it. The little pin that connected the timepiece part of the watch to one of the bands wore through its tiny plastic tube. Thus, I couldn't get the band to snap on anymore. Have no idea if that makes sense, but it's broke.

So I went by Target and picked up a $20 Mossimo watch ... black band, but a rectangular face, with silver numbers and background. A little fancier than I expected, but the basic watches looked doofy.

While I was there, picked up a Dustbuster-clone vacuum. One room in the apartment is carpeted, so it's needed. This mini-vac is shaped kind of like a shark and is, in fact, called the shark. The package said it was powerful and such, so I bought it.

And such are the exciting events in the life of me.

Yours,
C --

What I'm Doing Today

Every third week, my job at the Tampa Bay area daily newspaper changes a bit. Instead of editing the nation/world, metro or business sections, I tackle zones.

Zones is short for zoned sections -- localized sections put out by the paper to appeal to readers in the suburbs or certain city neighborhoods. They contain a lot of "chicken dinner" news: community events listings, theater reviews, school news. It's the stuff readers can actually use.

But it can be deathly dull to edit. One of the other copy editors here says the sections are aptly named, as she zones out whenever she works on them.

Teaser

Detail on that big creative project to come soon. I promise.

Bio, Again

Every month or two, I update my vital signs. Here's the latest installment.

Name: Clay McCuistion.
Age: 23
Height: 6'1.
Weight: 182.
Distinguishing Trait: Moles on my left ear. That, or chronic anxiety.
Occupation: Attorney general.
Actual Occupation: Proofreading-type person.
Significant Other: Yes.
Main goal in life: To get a full night's rest soon.
Secondary goal: Canonization. Or, barring that, cleaning the bathroom.
Another random goal: Discover the lost city of gold.

Complaining

Having a devil of a time posting.

Blogger ate my last two posts.

Now, the world will forever be without them. What a sad, tragic loss.

Oh well. Off to bed.

"You'll Pay For That Free Music! Bwah-ha-ha!"

This whole music piracy thing is silly. Well, not the music piracy itself. While morally questionable (perhaps), the truly scary behavior is coming from the record industry.

Take it away, New York Times.

Software Bullet Is Sought to Kill Musical Piracy
By ANDREW ROSS SORKIN

Some of the world's biggest record companies, facing rampant online piracy, are quietly financing the development and testing of software programs that would sabotage the computers and Internet connections of people who download pirated music, according to industry executives.

The entire article is here.

Desktop descriptions

For your pleasure, dear reader, allow me to present this list of items on my desktop.

(I call it a desktop. It's actually the space around my computer monitor. My computer desk is snazzy, buit it's not as though I have this huge expanse for in/out boxes and the like.)

1.) A Memorex CD marker. Color: Red.

2.) Seven compact disks. First, a Memorex CD-R with handwritten title: Many Heroes and Plentiful Villains. Second, a CD-R of indeterminate brand, with handwritten title: Philly Variety Assortment. Third, an Imation CD-R with handwritten tracklist: That's Amore, Chiquita Banana and La Bamba. Fourth, another Memorex CD-R with the handwritten title: Food Songs. Fifth, a Capitol Records label CD, titled :Hawthorne, CA, Birthplace of A Musical Legacy (Artist: The Beach Boys). Sixth, a Capitol Records label CD, titled: The Beach Boys, Good Vibrations -- 30 Years of the Beach Boys -- Sessions. Seventh, an Imation CD-R with handwritten title: Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits v. 3.

3.) A service invoice from Saturn of St. Petersburg

4.) A Nokia cellular telephone. The Cingular trademark is inscribed toward the bottom.

5.) A book by Theodore Dalrymple, titled Life At The Bottom: The Worldview That Makes The Underclass. Publisher: Ivan R. Dee.

6.) A piece of paper listing the songs found on CD No. 3 of the earlier list. One title is not found on the CD: "We Got The Beef" by Weird Al.

7.) A box of Sucrets sore throat lozenges. Flavor: Vapor black cherry.

8.) A newspaper employee identification bade, with my picture and name affixed.

9.) A compact disc case for: The Beach Boys, "Good Timin', Live at Knebworth England 1980." Label is Eagle Records.

10.) One pad of bright pink sticky notes.

11.) One silver pen/pencil container, containing pens and pencils. Inside: A green, unsharpened pencil labeled "Chicago." Two dark green, unsharpened pencils labeled "St. Petersburg Times, tampabay.com." Five Bic brand #2 mechanical pencils, varying colors. One retractable pen, bearing an ad for Lawrence (Kan.) Automotive Diagnostics. A translucent blue retractable pen, labeled "Dow Jones Newspaper Fund." Two Bic brand round stic ballpoint pens. One green retractable pen, labeled "Poynter.org." One Bic brand round stik grip pen. A Papermate black, medium-point pen. A green Pentel brand R.S.V.P. pen.

12.) Inside the pen/pencil cup are found some stray items. Two multicolored erasers. Two small keys, one with a piece of paper taped to it reading "Max."

That's pretty much it. And all I have the patience for.

Tickets, Akira and the poetry page

Last night, I purchased a couple of tickets for a June 8 show by Fleetwood Mac. They're coming to the St. Pete Times Forum for a concert. Max and I will be there, braced for a dose of the Mac. Oh yeah.

In other news, received my copy of Akira today. Purchased the two-disk set on Ebay awhile back. While not advertised as such on the auction site, this copy of the movie was in a relatively rare metal box. I got it for a song. And that song was "Eye of the Tiger."

Remember, if it's poetry you want -- if it's poetry you need -- Verse A Day is here to help. Drop by sometime.