An update about me…
Things are slowly settling down for me in my new job as art director of Sporting News Today.
I’m still working some pretty long hours, which is eating into time I’d normally spend on silly things like e-mailing, blogging and sleeping. But as I adapt to my new routine — and as we phase out of start-up mode and feel our way into normal operations — things will eventually settle down.
Until then, I’m way behind. On vital things. Like e-mailing, blogging, and sleeping.
Compounding matters somewhat: This summer has been a tremendous time for news in the news design field. Redesigns, layoffs, changes galore in the industry. I think we’ve been able to stay on top of most of them for you.
A few programming notes:
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BIRTHDAY NOTICES
You may have noticed I stopped posting birthday notices. I simply ran out of time to write them. And August was a particularly heavy month for birthdays.
Birthdays I wanted to tell you about but didn’t:
Aug. 12: Michael Tribble of the Cleveland Plain Dealer
Aug. 13: Juan Antonio Giner, design and management consultant
Aug. 14: Casandra Riddle of the Times of Northwest Indiana and a recent Purdue graduate
Aug. 15: Matt Mansfield, consultant and next year’s SND president
Aug. 16: Michelle “ShellyVal” Valenzuela, formerly of the Raleigh News & Observer
Aug. 16: Brandon Stuck of The Virginian-Pilot
Aug. 17: Patrick Garvin of the Florida Times-Union
Aug. 18: John Earle of The Virginian-Pilot
Aug. 19: Danny Dougherty of Stateline.org
Aug. 20: Bill Bootz of the Oklahoma City Oklahoman
Aug. 20: Mark “NewsDesigner” Friesen of the Portland Oregonian
Aug. 20: Tonia Cowan of the Toronto Globe & Mail
Aug. 20: Niketa Patel of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Aug. 20: Carlos Moreno, student, San Jose State University
Aug. 21: Allisence Chang, Michigan State graduate and intern at the Arizona Republic
Whew! Did I really miss all those?
Yes, you did, schmuck. And shame on you.
I think I’ll try a different — perhaps a somewhat less time-intensive — approach to birthday notes until I get my schedule under control.
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THE SALE OF THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Still not sure when the sale will go through or who will buy it. I’m monitoring the situation and will post the news as soon as I get it.
I’m very glad I’m no longer in that situation. But the pain of watching my friends suffer through it day-to-day is just as bad as suffering through it myself.
Hang in there, folks. I’m hoping for the best.
Normally, I’d be all over this with previews and posts and tips.
There’s a very good reason I’ve not done this: I’m not going this year.
It breaks my heart. But due to the cost of our delayed relocation to Rock Hill, S.C. — anyone out there want to buy a beautiful condo in Virginia Beach? — I had to cancel. It was just too expensive.
I will have a preview/tips post coming up shortly. For now, find the Vegas web home here.
I hope you all have fun there.
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TRAINING IN HARRISBURG, PA.
I’ll be teaching a big, three-day visual journalism seminar next month for the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association in Harrisburg, Pa.
This will be my fourth session for PNA. And it’ll be, by far, the most extensive. With me will be Darren Sanefski of the Syracuse newspaper and a professor at Syracuse University.
The dates are Sept. 15, 16 and 17. I’m hoping to have something more extensive up shortly. Watch this spot.
It’s been wildly successful. We launched a month ago yesterday and passed 100,000 subscribers a while back. The feedback we’re getting from readers has been phenomenal.
My dad even gushes about it during our weekly phone chats. And he’s reading us via a dial-up modem! I’ve had friends tell me it even looks great on iPhones.
The design is a bit formatted. But that’s OK: It ain’t about the design. It’s about the content. And our content has been second to none.
This was the job I was born for. And I’m enjoying hell out of it.
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PERSONAL NOTE
I had the entire weekend off — my first since I moved here. My wife, Sharon, is still working in Virginia Beach until our place sells. My daughter, Elizabeth, has moved in with me. She started 10th grade last week at Rock Hill High.
The two of us are crammed into a tiny apartment in Rock Hill, the city where we lived for many years and where Elizabeth was born in 1993.
Here’s Elizabeth, chatting with her internet friends via her iMac, in the corner of our tiny living room. She sleeps on that fold-out futon on the right. I have a mattress on the floor of the bedroom, off to the left. Note the framed photo of Tribune Tower above the TV.
Our living room was awfully bare until I put up two pictures into the spot of honor: The tributes my staffs at The Virginian-Pilot (left) and The Des Moines Register (right) bestowed upon me when I left them.
I also brought a few of my autographed pieces, which hang on my bedroom wall.
At upper left are drawings I did as a kid of Miami Dolphins great Bob Griese and Atlanta Braves knuckleballer Phil Niekro. Across the bottom are caricatures of Star Trek actors James “Scotty” Doohan and Marina “Troi” Sirtis. I did those in the late 1980s.
At upper right is an Adobe Illustrator cartoon portrait of Green Bay Packers legend Paul Horning. I did that one back in 1996.
Finally, I must admit, I’m a bit lonely here without Sharon. I’m trying to make do, however. Here is a photo of me with a cute cheerleader I picked up on Saturday:
Thanks for all the kind e-mails, folks. Keep checking the blog. We’ll be here.
August 25th, 2008 at 6:07 am
Good luck in Rock Hill and at Sport News Today - a great work. But don’t work too much. A pitty you can’t make it to Vegas. I’ll miss you there. Take care, greetings from Sweden.
August 25th, 2008 at 10:24 am
We’ll miss you in Vegas, brother. Get some rest - the blog has been great this summer! Thanks for all you do to serve this community. I have heard from some university coordinators that the money-saving SND travel tips we have shared here over the years really make a difference in allowing more students to attend and have a great meetup. That’s a great legacy.
So happy to hear that the sporting startup is a success - we need to be celebrating our successes and yours! (Particularly at newspaper congresses that are being held in the U.S.)
And happy birthday to all those wonderful people with August birthdays. Man, your iCal must be pinging away every day!
While they could never replace your tremendous spirit, there are some student journalists who have volunteered to live blog from Vegas. So you should enjoy the view though their eyes and ears. These kids like to podcast!
I’ll see you in Harrisburg in September - That’s a great workshop you and Darren have programmed and PNA members are lucky to have you teaching again.
Enjoy your return home and enjoy spending time with your daughter.
August 25th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Hey there! Thanks for the birthday shout-out.
Sounds like you have been incredibly busy–best of luck with everything.
August 25th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Save up for 2009, my friend. Now THAT would be a Swamp to remember.
Yeah, I can’t afford Vegas either. Sucks.
August 25th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
I’m not going to SND either, but most people won’t notice my absence, but they might as well close up shop without you there!
Love your new cheerleader!;-)
Thanks for the birthday shotuout as well. That must be very demanding.
Love the SNDaily-I look at it everyday, which I didn’t think I would, but it is so handy and very well done-great job.
August 25th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Just so you know: I’ve canceled all your credit cards. Tell that to your cheerleader!
August 25th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
“This was the job I was born for. And I’m enjoying (the) hell out of it.”
This statement sez it all! Congrats again Charles on this gig.
Wots funny, its also great to hear you are working long hours, because I know this time yer having an absolute blast!
Cheers
August 25th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Thanks for the birthday shout out! ^_^
August 25th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Glad to know you’re getting settled. I’m not going to Vegas either. I quit SND because it was way too pricey, although I understand why the charges are so high.
August 25th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Hey, Charles. Glad to hear things are going well and that you’ve got your daughter with you. Hope Sharon’s able to get there soon.
Thanks for the birthday notice. It’s amazing how fast they’re coming around these days. Seems like I had one just about a year ago!
August 26th, 2008 at 12:06 am
Charles, you’re apparently a busy guy these days. What’s better is that you have a job you believe you were made for. Damn, that’s just too good. So if you haven’t posted a birthday or two, or twenty, well, I think it’s forgiveable.
No SND-Vegas here, either. Doubt I’ll make it to Argentina. I don’t know enough Spanish to order at Taco Bell, let alone tell a cabbie how to get from the Buenos Aires airport to the convention hotel. I’d probably say the wrong thing and wind up in the Falklands.
August 26th, 2008 at 12:29 am
I echo what Mr. Jessmer said, glad you found a gig you are so passionate about! And thanks for the birthday shoutout, spent it fighting a sinus infection (and spent the Monday before in the hospital, for of all things a KIDNEY STONE.
August 27th, 2008 at 4:18 am
Glad things are going so well with the new job. Couldn’t be happier for you.
And couldn’t be sadder that you won’t be in Vegas. I left that space on the student program open for you if you change your mind. Robb is right: you’ve done so much for SND attendees, especially students, with your tips beforehand and reporting during and after. Selfishly, I’m sorry SNDVegas won’t be getting the full Apple treatment.
But I’ll save/send a couple pieces of Workshop swag. Just sorry I didn’t think of the SND Cheerleader doll.
August 27th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
As a proud graduate of the University of South Carolina (’81), I know you’ll like the Palmetto State. Just watch out for those Clemson people… You know what they call a pretty girl in Clemson? A visitor! Good luck Charles!