It's many things to many journalists.
Shield. Ammunition. Saviour. Confidant.
It's virtually impossible to function without it. Whenever you leave it behind, you feel vulnerable. Lost; impotent. And losing it all together leaves you downright terrified, and even sick to your stomach. And all it is? Sheets of lined paper bound together by a metal coil. Either across the top or up the side.
An entire morning's work can go into just one page of your notepad. Phone numbers, appointments, crucial questions you need answered. Important leads, and points from pre-interviews. Your own analysis of a story as you try to wrap your head around it as the day progresses.
I've been making a living off journalism for over four years now, so I've managed to amass quite a collection of notebooks (not counting all the ones from the university days). Why do I keep them? Well, they're like little time capsules of ideas, stories and contacts. Almost like journals, I guess. I like to revisit them sometimes to try to figure out exactly where I was at that point. Plus, I can reap old story ideas and phone numbers to try to spin up something new. And at the same time, little scribbles here and there give insight to my own headspace back then.
It can also be pretty damn amusing trying to decipher these things too. Half the time I can't even read my own writing. So I decided to transcribe a few pages from a recent pad here. I've protected the names and numbers of the innocent.
********
-how long were you there for?
-how did you get back?
-frustrations?
-describe the situation there. we only see it from TV
-how long have you lived here? -since 1984
26 hours on boat Beirut-Marsin XXXX experienced it first in 1982 sense of community people helping people
********
10mm of rain in july
-warmest june/july on-record
-1875 13.5mm rain
june 29mm july 10 mm (so far) 24% of normal
TEASE
I'm WR.
Has it been the perfect summer?
Well it depends on who you ask.
But after two years of sub-par sunshine, most Winnipeggers aren't complaining.
That's coming up.
********
-lawyers first offers ridiculous
-4 cottages completely demolished
-want claim filed ASAP - waiting in good faith to see what XXXX has to offer
-we're not happy with that (XXXX's announcement)
-we can't afford to replace everything we have without assistance
-we all pay taxes!
-still very frustrated, sad
-like they're playing a game!
-no comment
The first glorious Sunday is upon us. While the ecclesiasts are up and at 'em early, putting on their best for the morning service, I'm still sleeping. I'll get up around noon, shake out the cobwebs, check the fridge for leftovers, and set up camp on the couch for the rest of the day. I only leave the house to get food or beverages.
This is my Sunday routine. These are my apostles. It's the only thing that illuminates these ever-darkening fall days - looking forward to 1PM on Sunday afternoon. I hang on every detail; every last-minute lineup change, individual stats on cold days, turf conditions, etc. The only other thing I so meticulously follow is music. In other words, I'm a huge football nerd.
And today it kicked into high gear. A couple years ago on this here modest blog I successfully predicted an Eagles-Patriots Super Bowl. This year, I'm gonna be so bold to make another such call. In January, we will see Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts finally make it to the big dance, only to meet the fortress of defense that is Brian Urlacher and the Chicago Bears. So why now for the Colts? Well even though they lost their star running back, they have the most to prove out of any team. The pressure has subsided a bit, and that'll let them clear their heads and focus more. As for the Bears, the fact that they have three decent QBs to choose from is a bonus, but a rock-solid defense will carry them all the way through.
So although it's getting colder and darker, the bright lights and intense pace of NFL football will float me into winter.