The Soloist

Watching this DVD last night, it reminded me of all that's being lost in community journalism. Once upon a time(when newspaper ads were not being decimated by the internet) it was possible to do the kinds of community, human interest stories that could help people. As a beat reporter in Monterey, I would often get assigned what I thought of as sob stories--non-profits down on their luck, elderly tenets facing eviction because of rent hikes, heart transplant patients who couldn't get medicare coverage for the medicine. After these pieces ran, I would always get dozens of phone calls and emails from people who wanted to help--and often donated time or money for the cause.

But these sorts of stories (and the kind that Steve Lopez wrote in the LA Times, which formed the basis of the movie) are fewer these days, as newspapers shrink and readership dwindles. It's the real tragedy of the death of newspapers.

What's taken the place of columns, are blogs(like this one) that are about the minutia and inner-thoughts of every day people. But, where are the voices of people who don't have access to technology and whose voices are being lost?

Now I don't want to point fingers at any of my reader(s)--but CN maybe you can think of a way of giving back some of what's been lost. Maybe the internet providers who are actually making money, while redirecting(I won't say stealing) newspaper readers can form a non-profit to help out folks in the community where they are based. Or maybe the non-profit can help fund reporters who still want to tell these sorts of stories.

Reader(s), if you have ideas on how CN or other internet tychoons can help with this issue, please send them to me and I'll post them.

Craigslist

My last posting has prompted reader(s)(husband) to speculate that the Craig who responded to my last post was the one and only Craig Newmark. If so, I didn't mean to offend. But, Craigslist has taken billions of dollars away from U.S. newspapers. Does that mean Craigslist singlehandedly took down the newspaper industry?

Yes.

No.

I mean, yes and no.
Once upon a time I used to get paid for writing. (remember those days?) Yes, the checks were small, but it was the idea that words were worth something, not to be given away for nothing. Now newspapers are broke, content on the internet is supplied for free(this blog, for example), and writers and editors have never had a more difficult time making a living. On the plus side, you can now find an apartment for free(which I have) thanks to craigslist. I do love my apartment, but I loved getting paid more.
This month's issue of Wired Magazine has an interesting story about Craigslist and Newmark. And it confirms that Craig is a regular at Cafe Reverie in Cole Valley, where I spotted him last week.

Now some reader(s) (mom) have been inquiring about what my secret blog project may be. Well, I'm ready to reveal....

I plan to cook all the recipes in Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking".
What?
Oh, that's been done before.
O.K., guess I have to come up with another idea. Hmmm. O.K. I think I may have something else on the burner.
Hint: it combines themes from this blog(newspapers, grouchy writers and editors, and free content).
Stay tuned.

Celebrity Sightings!

We're enjoying unseasonably lovely weather here in fogtown. On Friday, we took a spur of the moment family vacation to Pt. Reyes. While snacking on the best buttermilk scones from the Bovine Bakery, I spotted Frances McDormand and her husband Joel Coen. Frances looked quite dour in her workout clothes, (but maybe it's just that her mouth turns downward?)and Joel seemed in his own little world as he trotted after her a few minutes later.

New York must have numbed me to seeing so many actors/directors, because I was more interested in finishing off my baked goods than worrying about where they were off to.
We had a lovely sandwich from the Cowgirl Creamery and a fantastic hike with the baby alternately snoozing and looking at trees in her front-pack carrier.

On a not-unrelated note, The NY Times had two interesting articles in Sunday's paper about the lack of anonimity in the new cyber era. The Modern Love column, about a daughter cyber-stalking the mother who gave her up for adoption. And a piece in the Styles section talked about NYC parties that are requiring guests to promise to go "off the record"--no twitting, blogging, or facebooking(a verb?) about the events at certain parties. Some argue that even the least glamorous are now living in the "public eye." Lately, I barely leave the house(for those who missed my last post I have 5 month old), so this isn't so much a problem for me. But, it seems that others (who actually have a life) are encountering a lack of privacy that's unique to the 21st Century.

Take poor Craig Newmark. He can't even enjoy a beverage at Cafe Reverie without someone webcasting about it(which happened today as I was passing by Cole Valley.) But, then again he did single handedly take down the newspaper industry. So I guess he deserves it.

I'm Back....

For those of you who keep track of these things(HI MOM), my website is back up and running after a week hiatus. It turns out I forgot to reregister my domain amyettinger.com, and my site was usurped by a very perky, blonde 20-something. I am no longer perky (due to the exhaustion of looking after a 4 month old) and alas no longer a 20 something.

Anyway, I'm celebrating my return to cyberspace with my first blog entry in years....To update readers (HI MOM) I recently quit my job and had a baby. (but you already knew that).

I'm contemplating an exciting new cyber-adventure, which will meld technology with a literary endeavor. However, I'm a little intimidated by the technological componenet, and the time committment.(did I mention I have a BABY). I will keep you posted, Dear Reader(s)......

Not a Morning Person

I am not a morning person. This fact is usually well-concealed by the fact that I am married to someone who is also not a morning person. We don't try to have long conversations before 8 a.m. In a perfect world I wouldn't even be awake before 8 a.m.

On a recent family vacation, I realized that not everyone shares my disdain for pre-coffee conversation. Children under the age of 11, for instance, seem to have an abundance of energy in the early morning hours. I don't think I was ever an early riser. My fondest memories of adolescence are of sleeping.

This morning, I was awake early to listen to Dan speak on KFOG radio. For someone who usually eats his cereal reading a book, so he won't have to talk--he did amazingly well. Maybe it was the high-octane Peet's he brewed up, but he had everyone in the studio cracking up.
Thankfully, his next speaking gigs are in the evening.

Why I Miss NYC

There are many things that I love about San Francisco--the Victorian apartments, fresh produce, relative lack of vermin running around in the streets. But the longer I'm here the more I notice a certain intellectual laziness that can be best be summed up by what I witnessed on the muni this morning.

When I walked down to my stop at Masonic and Haight I saw at least 20 people waiting for the bus. Usually, there are only a handful--the late stragglers who don't mind being a few minutes late for work in the morning. But, they must have missed the early bus. Or there was no early bus.

Anyway, the 7 came, and I pushed my way on and got a seat. I'm reading perfect commute material, Sloane Crosley's "I Was Told There'd be Cake." The essays are easy to pick up and put down, and there's no plot to follow or remember.

Across from me, someone was reading "Snow Falling on Cedars" and next to me....next to me sat a woman who was struggling to complete the crossword in People magazine.

This begs the questions of:
1. why anyone would bother doing the crossword in People?
2. how anyone could struggle to come up with the answers?

Was it the "Last Name of Han in Star Wars" that had her stumped?
I myself don't do crosswords. But the crosswords I choose not to do are in the NY Times. Occasionally, I think "hmmm....I really should start doing these puzzles." But, then the Modern Love or the Magazine catches my eye and I'm relieved of the burden.

Book projects, Writing, and Life

I have been truly horrible about keeping up with this blog. But, I have a good excuse. My husband and I have been gearing up for the release of his book "The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind and Almost Found Myself on the Pacific Crest Trail"

10 years ago when I first met Dan, he handed me a rough draft of the manuscript. I quickly fell in love with it (and him). Now after long hours working to revise it, it's being released on Tuesday.

This version is funnier, better written and more honest than the one I read all those years ago. As the Los Angeles Times reviewer wrote today: "Every step toward Canada was a step toward manhood," White writes, in that voice you will grow to love. "I feared that the trail, if I never finished it, would leave me stranded in a permanent kindergarten."
If you love fast-paced, witty non-fiction it won't take you long to love this book.

To read the full review click here