Bad timing

I hate how the weather takes a turn for the better and I suddenly become busy. Like, busier than God. Where was all of this work during the dreary winter months? I'm not complaining about jobs that actually pay the bills, I just find it really ironic. Agreed?

It's a girl thing

Today one of my coworkers and I were discussing why LEGO doesn't make more products aimed at young girls, and we jokingly decided the company is sexist and actually doesn't care about coming up with designs for females. We mentioned the idea to one of our supervisors, who quickly responded that LEGOs are just naturally more popular among boys (though he admitted this seems to be changing a bit), and therefore the company is just following smart business practices by creating products geared for its targeted demographic. Okay, but what about if the reason more boys like LEGOs is because they are supposed to like them? What would happen if the same number of sets were made for girls as there are for boys? Even the neutral kits rarely contain ponytail wigs or female faces, making it seem like only men are supposed to be police officers, dump truck drivers, or farmers.

I'm not really a feminist (I still believe there are some things men are better at than women), but I do think it's unfair to all the girls out there who otherwise would be diving into such cool toys as LEGOs. It's also a shame for the company to be missing out on such a big chunk of customers. I can't tell you how many people have come in looking for more "girly sets" besides the Belleville products (they are like a larger Barbie doll and not really LEGOs at all... Ick), and all I can really point them at is a tiny set of generic bricks with pink ones mixed in. It seems like such a stereotype to me.

This also goes along with the trend for young boys to be pushed toward math and science and young girls being pointed in the direction of art and reading -- Suddenly we don't know if either gender actually is better at those things, since they were never given the chance to step outside of the boxes society placed them in. If more girls were encouraged to be math nerds we might actually have more female engineers out there, which would then inspire even more females, and then what? The possibilities are endless.

Start the commotion

I see the panic in people's eyes about the scary job situation, and all I can think is how I went through that last year. I got laid off before it was the "cool" thing to do. I must have started a trend or something!

All joking aside, I really did learn about the nightmare of losing your job long before it was a regular feature on the nightly news. Here's a recap: It's bad, it's scary, it's embarrassing. I'm sure people can imagine the first two emotions, but the humiliation is something I never really considered until it slapped me full in the face. If you think about it, you lost your job. Nobody likes to lose.

The question now is how I made it through such a difficult time. The answer? I don't completely know. I'm still incredibly sensitive about being laid off -- and the journalism situation in general -- so who knows if I will ever truly get over it. After looking back though, I am able to offer advice for folks finding themselves in a similar predicament. This includes:

1. Don't get down on yourself. It's easy to do (trust me, I did it a lot) but it doesn't do much good. Actually, it doesn't any good at all.

2. Let your friends and family be there for you. They'll be your biggest source of comfort.

3. It's okay to have fun sometimes. For a long time I felt like I didn't deserve to enjoy myself -- I lost my job, so I'm a loser who is supposed to be miserable, right? Stupid, stupid, stupid. I finally decided to stop being a stick in the mud and am slowly regressing back to someone who knows how to have a good time.

4. Take what you can get. Don't be picky about what your next venture is. It might not be a great job, but it's a job. Take it, keep looking for something better, and all the while be thankful you have something.

5. Don't be afraid to talk about it. Sometimes you just need to let it out so you can get over it. I'm still working on this one...

The ugly truth

Sometimes I need someone to agree with me. However wrong, stupid, ridiculous my opinion may be, all I want is a willing ear to listen to my rant and say, "You're right." Is it really that hard to offer that kind of support? Even if you think I am a little off-base, please just humor me.

On a related note, have you ever been in a situation where you get upset and start crying, and then you get embarrassed for crying, which only makes you cry more, and once you finally get your ugly tears under control someone brings the issue up/apologizes... Which makes you cry and starts the cycle all over again?! Unfortunately this is something I am familiar with; equally unfortunate is the fact that I do not know how to prevent it.

Tell me why

I've never understood why cow equals beef, pig equals pork, but fish equals fish. Oh, and chicken equals chicken. Why do we change the name of some kinds of flesh-based products and not others?

And what about the fact that orange is both a color and a fruit -- And the color of the fruit?! Strawberries are red, but red is not a fruit and strawberry is not a color (except as part of a more precise shade, such as strawberry blonde). Grapes are purple, green, red, white... I doubt anyone has ever said their favorite color was grape.

At first I thought maybe oranges were so special because they were the only fruit of that color, but tangerines, kumquats, grapefruit, and cantaloupe all belong to that color scheme. So do carrots. It seems like a produce family only uses a color as part of a name when it has run out of creativity (I'm looking at you, Mr. and Mrs. Bell Pepper), so oranges certainly have no excuse.

One is enough

Just when it felt like everyone in the world was against me, I found evidence to the contrary. One... It may sound small to you but for me it's enough. I can keep on keeping on because someone believes in me:

"Elena is Carrie Bradshaw, even if she thinks it's just her wish that she is. Even if she's writing about toothpaste, you want to keep reading and you want more when it's over with."

Thank you.

Free at last

Why do people flock to free stuff like flies on horse poop? If it's free, they want it and they want it right now. I agree this sounds like the pot calling the kettle black (I do enjoy my freebies), but mostly my complaint lies in the general attitude being expressed. You aren't paying for it, so why can't you wait two seconds for me to find what you are looking for? Just. Simmer. Down.

Money, money, money

When state funds take a nosedive, do police officers make an effort to write out more tickets? Is there an "official unofficial" order for cops to generate more money through citations, thereby easing the agency's budget shortfalls? It makes sense to me. It basically seems like a good way to punch up a lagging bottomline while still doing what is technically part of the job description. Think of it this way:

Saving a person's life = $0
Catching a speeder = $200+

I've noticed a lot of officers posted up along highways with radar guns these past couple months, though it is hard for me to judge if this is any more than usual for this time of year. There must be facts and figures on this somewhere, right? If this theory turns out to be true, it also follows that the public is in more danger during a recession than we are during times of wealth.

Sticks and stones

Why am I sick of journalism? Why do I often wake up feeling hopeless about the future of newspapers and the media in general? This e-mail sent to my editor regarding a recently published special section sums it up perfectly:

Dear Mr. Kelly --

In our 35 years as subscribers of The Valley Times, this is a first comment to your Community Newspaper organization regarding your publication. Our family first subscribed to The Valley Times years ago to keep up on "real" local news and that associated with the schools. I know, I know -- things have changed. . . .

My husband and I returned from spring vacation yesterday and, as we generally do, -- we attempted to read the newspapers and mailings we'd received during our absence. My husband said, "Let me know what you think about the insert in the Valley Times." He was referring, of course, to the "Best Ever" collection. I looked it over (thinking that he'd perhaps found it interesting) then thought, "Without question, this piece is the biggest waste of paper and resources we've ever received in the Valley Times." It even had a slick cover -- covering a bunch of "junk." I told my husband so; he said, "I thought so, too. We'll cancel at the end of this subscription."

I don't know what your staff was thinking in selecting those representing "Best Ever." Likely, many (most?) were self-nominating (or closely connected for the purposes of self-advertising.) You stated in the preface that the results were not a scientific study -- and yes, certainly not a decent random sampling. They were, however, dismal suggestions and a very poor representation of what might even be considered "somewhat good" in the community. The resulting insert does say something about the number of your remaining readers: it's likely very few readers read the solicitation for suggestions or CARED about the topic. Too bad. It's my opinion that your organization needs some serious help in your creative department. Save the paper -- next time.

A friend of Renee's once referred to me as the "negative" sister. At first I disagreed with her... Nobody wants to be known as the downer of a group. But now I see what she is talking about. You'd be pretty pessimistic too after getting booted from an industry that broadcasts your every mistake, carries airtight deadlines, and constantly encourages the public to voice their (mostly critical) opinions. What do you do when the only feedback about your hard work is a mean e-mail? If you are me then you cry a little on the outside and a lot on the inside. I just don't know how to win.

A word a day...

Words that make me laugh:

Crumb
Roll (like a dinner roll, but not the act of rolling)
Munch
Crunch
Waft
Kernel (not colonel though... that one is just weird)
Ciabatta
Usurp
Erect

I kept a rather lengthy list in high school that I've all but forgotten. Does anybody have suggestions?