breaking news
posted by soe 4:35 pm
Dear media outlets (especially CNN),
For future reference, I’d like to reach a consensus about how you define the term “breaking news.”
I have signed up for your email service where you will send me alerts on the aforementioned “breaking news.” I have appreciated this service in the past when you have kept me informed of key news stories about important issues as they were developing.
I have noticed a disturbing trend, unfortunately. You have a tendency to send me alerts about what I would consider celebrity gossip.
For some people, I’m sure this is, in fact, breaking news. I’d bet that Cooperstown email accounts contained a flurry of information today about how to answer questions about who has hit the most home runs in a season. And it wouldn’t surprise me if the recording industry is in a tizzy with Simon Cowell’s announcement of his planned departure from American Idol. But for me and 99% of other people receiving your breaking news alerts? I’d bet our day remains unchanged having now heard the bulletins.
So, please, let’s agree on terms. If there’s some other list you’d like me to sign up for, some actually-important-no-really news list, please let me know and I’d be happy to unsubscribe from what I thought was supposed to be that service and hop on board with what I look for in news alerts.
And, otherwise, let’s work on figuring out what’s really important to America and send out information about that, shall we?
Thanks.
so many plans…
posted by soe 1:59 am
I’m a little frustrated that it’s Sunday night already. I suppose the problem with the first week back to work after a vacation is that at the end of it you’re expecting to squeeze in as much as you were able to do before you had to go back to the office. That was true for me, at least. I had high hopes for all I could accomplish this weekend and find myself tonight disappointed on most fronts.
True, we visited with friends after dinner on Friday and caught up with some others at a birthday happy hour on Saturday.
We also watched the season premiere of Chuck, which was good, and a French Christmas movie that we’d had out from NetFlix for six weeks. (It was okay, but I remarked to Rudi that if we’d tried to squeeze it in before the holidays, I would have wept with frustration at the conclusion. I’m also glad that we bypassed it when it was in the theaters when we were in Paris. I would have been so confused without the English subtitles…)
I made it to the farmers’ market and to the store for milk and cat food and litter. I also picked up flaxseed for future vegan baking needs…
I not only made it to the yarn store to pick up a tiny crochet hook (and no yarn!), but did the first row of beading with it on my new pair of socks.
I did write a book blog post (pathetically, it took me hours…) and then was able to return the books to the library, but I didn’t start the new book Grey Kitten gave me.
I did a load of laundry, but it’s still in the washer. And I didn’t do the second load I’d hoped to tackle.
I didn’t do any baking. Anyone ever heard of gingerbread MLK Day cookies?
I didn’t clean the house. This would be less of a problem, but I’m having a friend over for dinner on Tuesday. I wonder how much of what’s cluttering our living room will end up on our bed…
And I still haven’t finished the Christmas cards. Did any of you see Here Comes Peter Cottontail when you were a kid? Remember how he didn’t get all his Easter eggs delivered and just kept rolling them over to the next holiday? I fear this might be a similar scenario for those of you at the end of the alphabet… (Jenn and Elspeth, I’m looking your way… How do you feel about Arbor Day cards?) I just try to keep in mind that I’d be happy to receive a card from friends at any time of the year — and that you all know that I’m not a timely sort of person…
Ah, well, tomorrow is another day and brings a fresh week. I’m sure things will sort themselves out as I go along… especially if I head to bed soon!