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I'm feeling more like blogging today.

Facebook just doesn't translate sometimes, seems more like a good place to drop little nuggets of information for the masses who may or may not really give a crap. Especially if they're just trying to boost their friend #s to impress, well, their other friends.

So I'm back at it on another Monday, and the overwhelming feeling I have is relief. 

Believe it or not, I'm glad to be back here. Of course, if I really had my way I would be cleaning up my yard at home, or getting some other projects done. But after the last few weeks here at work, I'll take the next few days much more in stride. Why?

Last week was fucking brutal.

The demands on our staff here seem to know no limits, and with a massive pile of work added to my plate with the upcoming election cycle, it feels like I got slowed down and shoved into the local lanes for nearly 2 weeks while I pawned my actual duties onto other staff members. Thankfully nothing huge got missed and we came out of the other side relatively unscathed. But those few weeks took a huge toll on my work psyche. I've been put into a position that was completely foreign to me, and there hasn't really been any discussion about anything related to keeping our newspaper alive recently. It seems as though we're just trying to keep from getting sucked under by the current.

I read a very interesting op-ed piece yesterday that my friend Kathy posted online. It's a great read which includes a brief history of how we got into the spot we're in, and what the future looks like (or doesn't look like, you'll see what I mean when you read it).

I would consider it recommended reading for anyone I know who's asked me the question recently "So how's the newspaper business going these days?"

Unless you live in a hole, you know that the Rocky Mountain News is no more. I have 3 friends that (used to) work there. I don't know exactly how they're fairing right now, but it can't be good. In addition to being out of work and facing the end of a steady paycheck, you have the morale killer of a major metro paper shutting down, despite producing great work and enjoying a large following both in print and online.

Several other newspapers are facing extinction, and nobody seems to have the answer to keep them alive. The really sad part about all of it is not so much that we're (and I mean we as a newspaper industry) not able to print a paper anymore, but that good journalists are going to be unemployed and the flow of news information created by knowledgeable people will be minimized. As the above piece states, Society doesn't need newspapers. What we need is journalism.

True, true, true.

Problem is, where will those journalists work? How will they support their families? 

But I digress. Now that I'm back in the express lanes here this morning, with a manageable workload and time to make it happen, things look brighter, even if only temporarily.

Maybe it's that the sun is shining and will be well into the 60s today. 

Maybe it's the fact that I'll be enjoying my 2 favorite days off this week as the NCAA tournament starts Thursday.

U2 putting out a new album 2 weeks ago certainly doesn't hurt - although it looks like the opening of the North American tour in Chicago may very well conflict with the Reeds Lake Triathlon, and Ann and I have agreed to come over and suffer with Gregg as he justifies all that training he's been doing.

Having said all that, it's a very turbulent time. And not just for me - I can still thank God that I have a steady paycheck and a healthy family. (strep aside of course)

I have a daughter who amazes me daily with her insight and new skills both at school and at play.

I have another daughter who just loves to be with her daddy lately, is the most cuddly thing on the planet and whose size is on target to play power forward for Michigan State someday. 

I have a wife whose commitment to a marathon later this month is surprising, but not really.

I always figured it was a matter of time before her competitive spirit got the better of her. Anyone would give her a pass during the childbirth years - but I was always amazed at how she could watch me evolve into somebody who got involved in races and not sign up herself.

When she called me up at work last year and said she thought we ought to sign up for Reeds Lake, I was floored. Game on, I thought. 

Finally. 

I wasn't excited at the possibility of racing to beat her (although it ultimately worked out that way, thankfully)

I was excited to share it with her. 

Like the time last summer when we were out for a ride in Door County, and I had picked up the pace for a mile or so. When I finally glanced back to see how far back she was, she was right on my wheel. 

Perfect.