I still subscribe to the local daily newspaper, the Albany Times Union, in spite of (or perhaps because of) its increasingly anachronistic nature. For example, our comics page contains at least five deceased authors: Charles Schulz, Dik Browne, Abigail Van Buren, Bil Keane, and Isaac Asimov (Isaac Asimov’s Super Quiz; ironically, today’s topic is ‘people who died in 2007’). Johnny Hart and Hank Ketcham have only just been replaced, and Mort Walker and Jack Elrod are not long for this earth.
Anyway, as part of an effort to attract a more youthful demographic, the paper has been featuring blog excerpts on the front page of its local section. They are devoid of context and often cryptic, possibly appealing to no one at all. Here is today’s excerpt:
“This year, for the first time since I became single, I am going to get a Christmas tree. After all the stuff that’s happened the past two months, I need to. Plus, my parents are coming up to my place for Christmas. So, I kind of have to get a tree. I accept right now that I am not going to like this process one bit”
Jack Silbert, curator