I'm in the middle of Ron Powers' highly acclaimed biography of Mark Twain, who I'm glad to see was a deeply flawed individual. (It gives me hope.) I mean, I knew the dude had issues, but he almost makes me look normal and conformist. Almost. Of course, he also started his writing career as a journalist.
It's amazing how many toes he stepped on, and how that has been forgotten by the general public. If he were doing, writing and saying the same things today, he'd be skewered by right-wing zealots as a godless, anti-American, leftist wacko (as opposed to America's greatest writer). Of course, if he were doing, writing and saying the same things today, he'd be 172 years old, so maybe they'd cut him some slack. But I sure would love to hear his comments on the U.S. government, man's various religions and the education system of today.
I suspect his comments would make me look nicer than Mother Teresa.
Showing posts with label mark twain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mark twain. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Daddy's coming home!
For nearly 10 years, I worked until about midnight or 1 a.m. at the Ledger-Enquirer. I was on the news copy desk, which doesn't exactly lend itself to a good family life or much life at all outside of work without some creative scheduling. However, about a year and a half ago, I was fortunate enough to land a more normal schedule in the features department.
But last night I helped out a short-handed copy desk and realized how tough that can be on a parent. I managed to sneak out of the newsroom a little early and called to let the wife know I'd be home soon. In the background, I heard my 7-year-old son, Saylor, jumping up and down and yelling, "Daddy's coming home! Daddy's coming home!"
However, by the time I got there, the little fella had tuckered himself out waiting up for me and was asleep. I picked him up and carried him to his bed, kissed him on the cheek and told him I loved him, and he could barely mutter, "Love you too," before conking out for good. Sure makes me appreciate the flexibility I've got now.
Because I've got a flexible schedule, I was able to pick him up from day care and get him to his baseball game tonight. He's the 12th best hitter on a 13-member team but managed a couple of "hits" tonight and wound up with the game ball, which pretty much made his year. He said "I'm gonna call everybody I know," and proceeded to do just that after the game. The ball now sits on the mantle in our living room.
Had I still been on the news copy desk, I reckon I'd have missed that, too. So, the next time you spot a typo somewhere in the paper -- something that could never, ever happen on your watch, I'm sure -- cut them some slack. The words in one daily newspaper are enough to make a novel or two out of. It's a wonder there aren't far more errors in such a rushed product. Imagine if Mark Twain handed a rough draft of "Huckleberry Finn" to his editors at 2 p.m. and the book had to be edited, proofed, run on the press, out the door and hitting people's doorsteps in about 14 hours. That's pretty much what putting together a newspaper is like.
Perfection is every editor's goal and every reader's expectation, but it's not realistic. Just remember that there are a lot of folks giving up an awful lot to get that paper to you every day. Think about it while you're reading your kid to sleep.
But last night I helped out a short-handed copy desk and realized how tough that can be on a parent. I managed to sneak out of the newsroom a little early and called to let the wife know I'd be home soon. In the background, I heard my 7-year-old son, Saylor, jumping up and down and yelling, "Daddy's coming home! Daddy's coming home!"
However, by the time I got there, the little fella had tuckered himself out waiting up for me and was asleep. I picked him up and carried him to his bed, kissed him on the cheek and told him I loved him, and he could barely mutter, "Love you too," before conking out for good. Sure makes me appreciate the flexibility I've got now.
Because I've got a flexible schedule, I was able to pick him up from day care and get him to his baseball game tonight. He's the 12th best hitter on a 13-member team but managed a couple of "hits" tonight and wound up with the game ball, which pretty much made his year. He said "I'm gonna call everybody I know," and proceeded to do just that after the game. The ball now sits on the mantle in our living room.
Had I still been on the news copy desk, I reckon I'd have missed that, too. So, the next time you spot a typo somewhere in the paper -- something that could never, ever happen on your watch, I'm sure -- cut them some slack. The words in one daily newspaper are enough to make a novel or two out of. It's a wonder there aren't far more errors in such a rushed product. Imagine if Mark Twain handed a rough draft of "Huckleberry Finn" to his editors at 2 p.m. and the book had to be edited, proofed, run on the press, out the door and hitting people's doorsteps in about 14 hours. That's pretty much what putting together a newspaper is like.
Perfection is every editor's goal and every reader's expectation, but it's not realistic. Just remember that there are a lot of folks giving up an awful lot to get that paper to you every day. Think about it while you're reading your kid to sleep.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Past, present and future
I was watching a Ken Burns special Monday night about Mark Twain. I'd seen it before but didn't remember the part about Twain putting a gun to his head and nearly pulling the trigger when he was down and out in San Francisco after losing a newspaper job. I guess all writers are tortured souls indeed. Wow, I should be brilliant someday.
Anyway, it got me thinking about how one event can change everything about the future. What if the South had won the war? What if the Romans had said, "OK, Jesus, you can go?" What if I had done my homework anytime after fifth grade? What if I had entertained that job opportunity in Hawaii?
I'll touch on a little bit of the whole past-present-future deal in this Friday's webcast on the Ledger-Enquirer's home page. And I'll write about two history issues (a slavery apology and Confederate Heritage Month) facing Georgia in Sunday's column in the Sunday Living section of the paper. Here's a hint as to how I feel about those issues: My philosophy has always been to learn from the past and plan for the future, but live in the present. It's one hell of a good philosophy. I might even put it into practice someday myself.
Anyway, it got me thinking about how one event can change everything about the future. What if the South had won the war? What if the Romans had said, "OK, Jesus, you can go?" What if I had done my homework anytime after fifth grade? What if I had entertained that job opportunity in Hawaii?
I'll touch on a little bit of the whole past-present-future deal in this Friday's webcast on the Ledger-Enquirer's home page. And I'll write about two history issues (a slavery apology and Confederate Heritage Month) facing Georgia in Sunday's column in the Sunday Living section of the paper. Here's a hint as to how I feel about those issues: My philosophy has always been to learn from the past and plan for the future, but live in the present. It's one hell of a good philosophy. I might even put it into practice someday myself.
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