How many times am I going to have to watch Spencer and Heidi get engaged?!

AJC

The local newspaper in Atlanta, The Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) has recently undergone some significant changes. In an attempt to stay relevant, they've rolled out a new look and format, which is good. It needed an update. Unfortunately, part of these efforts has included several rounds of layoffs, which has eliminated a good portion of the staff. Good, veteran reporters and editors. Many of whom are my contacts and friends. Being unemployed myself, I feel their pain and the worst part is, there's no where for them to go.

When I lost my job in November, I talked to my husband about becoming a writer- a real journalist. After all, that's what I went to school for. My husband, gifted with foresight, warned against those hopes. "A dying industry," he said. He was right. Newspapers are on their way out. It's the natural progression. Technology has given us a new way to get our news. It's inevitable, but that doesn't make those of us who love journalism and believe in it's virtues any less sad to see the era of print journalism ushered out in favor of blogs and video clips.

Don't get me wrong. I admire the power that the Internet has given citizen journalists and I believe that many of them have much to offer in terms of insight and perspective, but I'm also wary. My friend, CB Hackworth, who is a much better media analyst than me, has, ironically, posted an excellent piece about why we should be wary on his blog, Certain Speculation.

As a new generation comes along, raised on the Internet, they bring a sort of sophisticated skepticism with them that previous generations have lacked. Thanks to the Internet, my mom is convinced that Barack Obama is the Antichrist and she's terrified to heat water in the microwave. My 17-year-old niece is wiser in the ways of media, but she's unable to distinguish the new urban mythology from hard hitting news. Where do we go for truth? Who is still bound by the long-enduring ethical codes of journalism?

Certain Speculation: Why we still need newspapers . . .#links

Woodland

I'm becoming obsessed with vintage Pyrex. I'm thinking that I want to start collecting the brown and tan woodland line.

It would go perfectly in my imaginary kitchen. It's not quite as desirable as the gooseberry stuff, but that's why it's perfect. It's a little cheaper, but also a little harder to find. Wouldn't my new imaginary cabinets look fab full of all coordinating Pyrex mixing bowls and casserole dishes? I think so.

Tonight, I'm going to an information session about how to become a teacher in Georgia. Substituting has been fun and it's a job with great benefits. Just interested in learning more. No commitments.

Gooseberry

I'd like to think of myself as the master of negotiation. When we bought our Honda, I handled the negotiations while Paul was as work and I did really well. I was cool, calm and collected. I was ready to walk away. But, when it comes to vintage Pyrex, I'm a teenage boy meeting a Playboy model. For example, I was casually yard saling with my friend Heffie a couple of weekends ago. We were browsing a table where a lady had a Lenox elephant, that I was mildly interested in, but she thought really highly of her elephant, so I was going to walk away and then I saw them.... a set of three near perfect condition gooseberrry bake-serve-store casserole dishes (with lids!). I looked at my friend and said something to the effect of, "I'm going to buy these. I don't care how much they cost."

Smooth. But, thankfully, the lady didn't seem to hear me and when I asked her how much, she quoted a price that would allow me to buy them and still turn a profit based on market value. Shew!

I also picked up some more Brody glass that day. It's a white ribbed milk glass pedestal vase and I got it for a steal, so I'm returning the favor and asking below value for it.

Both these items (and more!) and currently available for sale at Bad White Trash Memeories.

Swine Flu 2.0

I think I might have swine flu. Seriously.

I dig on swine!

I'm not scared of swine flu and you shouldn't be either. I'm not going to play the whole media hype card, because, having been a member of the media, I realize that media hype is not possible unless it is fueled by the public. Here's the truth about swine flu, according to the CDC and World Health Organization. You see that? One person has died. ONE. Usually swine flu doesn't even require medical treatment and the symptoms are not as severe as the regular old run-of-the mill flu. The reason that this is news is because there's a new strain that can be transmitted between humans, and not just from pig to human. Nothing to get all worked up about. Diseases are constantly mutating. Just wash your hands and don't pick your nose. You'll be fine.

In fact, you're far far far more likely to have a slew of other more deadly diseases including cancer, AIDS, diabetes, heart disease and the list goes on and on.

But, in case you're still worried, click here to find out if you're at risk: Do you have swine flu?

Happy Birthday Duke!

One year ago today, I saw a listing for a dog named Victor on petfinder. He was a scruffy little black dog that looked dirty and terrified and I fell in love. He was at Forsyth County Animal Control, which happens to be where my husband works. I called the shelter and make sure he was still available and got a little background. He'd been picked up as a stray. He was severely matted. And scared. I then dispatched my husband to go get pick him up and he came home with the ridiculous little terrified furball. We knew "Victor" wasn't going to work for a name for us, and after all, he'd only been Victor for a couple of days since he'd been at the shelter, so after much deliberation, we decided on "The Duke of Embry" a.k.a. Duke a.k.a. Dewey. From day 1, I was in love, but the elation was short lived when I took him to the vet and discovered that he had a urniary tract infection, intestional worms, and worst of all, heartworms. We began treatment and put Duke on "cage rest" which he was not happy about. He somehow Houdini'd his way out of his cage two days in a row (we still don't know how) and on the third day, we tried locking him in the downstairs powder room. I came home from work to discover a chewed up door frame and a shredded door bottom, so we decided to just let him stay out. After all, he didn't chew much, he didn't go to the potty inside and the stress of being locked up couldn't be good for his heart. Eventually, he recovered and became the happiest dog you will ever meet. His tail is in a constant state of motion. In the past year, I've lost at least three pairs of shoes, but for the most part, he's a good boy.

My love for Duke led me to become involved in an animal rescue group (AARF) and in August I took in a foster dog, who also had heartworms. Together, these two dogs make me laugh every day. They have brought so much joy into my life that it is hard to remember what life was like without them. They have taught me to live in the moment and to love unconditionally. They are what gets me out of bed in the mornings and gets me outside and moving and keep me connected with the outside world, during this time when it would be so easy to slip into being a hermit.

Tonight, we are going to the dog park and going to have some treats to celebrate. Duke doesn't know it's his anniversary, but it doesn't matter, because he is happy just to have a home and people who love him. He appreciates every day.