I read a touching story today by Robert Samuel (a promising young journalist that I had the fortune of meeting in St. Petersburg) about the children who ask Santa for jobs for mom and dad and the postal workers who try to answer those difficult requests.
With the economy in the slumps, so many parents are having to tell their children not to expect extravagant gifts. Daddy and Mommy have been out of work for months, are on the verge of losing their home and have resorted to writing their own letters to Santa. What a sad reality.
The Press-Register cheered me up a little with this cute story about the unintentionally humorous Santa letters the post office receives.
I spent a few hours Monday evening compiling letters written to Santa on al.com for the Christmas Eve edition of The Huntsville Times. Here are a few that made me tear up, following by some that made me giggle: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Christmas, letters, LinkedIn, Santa, The Huntsville Times
I’ve had little bursts of holiday cheer this season, but my merriness diminishes when I let myself think too much about the problems facing my industry. This little skit, brought to my attention by coworker Victoria Cumbow, made me smile.
Cheesy? Very much so. But as MinnPost.com writer David Brauer said, “… it’s the Christmas season, so lighten up and recognize these folks still care about what they do, still bleed printer’s ink, and still want to make St. Potterville a better place.”
Thanks, St. Paul Pioneer Press. Merry Christmas everyone, and enjoy!
The Blue Cupcake of Death
And left it … and left it … and left it.
It’s HARD AS A BRICK. No joke. It makes a loud clunking sound when you set it down (turn up the volume on the video and you’ll hear it). All the moisture has been sucked out of it, and it’s shriveled and rather disgusting looking. But it’s not growing anything yet, so it’s still on my desk.
Eric and I have started calling it the Blue Cupcake of Death because surely you would die of some strange disease if you ate the thing. We were feeling a little mischievous today, and, well, we thought we would play a little prank. We left our Cupcake of Death in The Times’ community snack area and hid the video camera in a leftover box of tea. Hilarity ensued: (Keep reading this entry to see the video!)
Tags: cupcake, Fun, pranks, The Huntsville Times, video
A source died last week. Not just any source, and not just any way — He was a unique man, and one that I never thought would take his own life.
I met Damon John Percival and his beautiful girlfriend, Amy Mansell, on one of the coldest days in 2008. It was Dec. 22, to be exact, and the temperature was drifting down in the lower 20s. D.J. had called my city editor on the spur of the moment about a blanket and socks drive he had organized a few days before, and he was on his way to the homeless camps beneath Interstate 565 and at the end of Derrick Street to distribute those necessities to the homeless.
My boss asked me to go. I remember thinking, “It’s way too cold today for me to stand outside and interview college students and the homeless.” But I bucked up and went, and now I’m grateful I did.
Tags: Damon John Percival, death, homeless, source
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