post-bosf recovery

Am slowly returning to normal. The party was a blast, and you can find video and more to come on our newly-launched web site. This picture of me looking at the camera while the governor drinks a margarita behind me seems kind of amusing to me. Although my amusement of it may come as a result of nervous exhaustion.

Come on out. I'll be the one slumped against the wall.

Best of SF—press run #2

We. Are. Almost. Done. As. Am. I.

overwhelmed by minutae

This morning, on the radio, I complained about my recent inability to get any sleep. I'm a lifelong insomniac, but it's usually intermittent, whereas this summer it's been kind of non-stop. Have received much advice via email today, which I have boiled down to the basics: it's either hormones or I'm crazy. (Or, yes, possibly both). I am inclined to think it may also be about caffeine and being hot (temperature-wise; I don't think I'm up all night because I'm contemplating how awesome I am. Oh no, that ain't it).
What else? I seem to have ordered Internet for my house, despite swearing I never would and am contemplating buying an iphone, but maybe not the first day they are available since people are, apparently camping out waiting for them. I don't know if people would camp out waiting for a phone here; I suppose I could go find out. I will not be camping out. Although, I suppose, if I wake up at 4 am tomorrow that might be a more productive use of my time than wandering my house like a zombie. Maybe.
We're heading into Best of Santa Fe time. So if you don't hear from me before July 23, you know why. But I will do my best to stay semi-present here in ye old www. Having internet at home should help this task. Because that's what I need: More time on the computer. Hmm. OK, need to go look for zombie figurines for small children. Tonight's activities include a birthday party for my favorite seven-year-olds.

one step forward, one step back

I was very gratified with the way both The Albuquerque Journal and Santa Fe New Mexican cited us when they followed reporter Dave Maass' story on Jerome Block Junior. They clearly learned of the story from our reporting, followed it as was appropriate, but also cited us as the originating source. And while some castigated the dailies for waiting until the end of the story to mention us (thank you), I was satisfied: I've been harping on this issue for years as the ethical way for journalists to cite one another's work, have spoken with Poynter and other journalism experts on the topic and, as many news readers know, it's standard practice for many news outlets, including The New York Times and the Washington Post.
So how disheartening to see Phaedra Haywood's story today on Santa Fe County's dismissal of former county commission candidate Stephen Wust.
It is an almost-verbatim repeat of SFR reporter Mark Sanders' story that we published yesterday. With no acknowledgement whatsoever. For the record, not only do I think it's wrong for papers to rip off one another's stories with no acknowledgement, I think it does a great disservice to readers, who deserve as much transparency in their journalism as possible. I also think it's a little sad when a paper with who knows how many more reporters than we have uses our paper to find stories and then can't do the courtesy of acknowledging that we got there first. Especially when, as I suspect, they wouldn't have known about the story otherwise. I suppose it's possible Haywood was already working on this, but I find it odd that the story is almost identical.
I'm not sure if Journal North has anything or not. I haven't looked at the paper edition yet, and its new Web site for the north isn't as user-friendly as it was. I'm actually sad about the Journal's new Web site; the previous incarnation worked a lot better.
Oh, an interesting followup from The New Mexico Independent on the Block story: Ben Ray Junior won't say if he supports Block as his replacement in PRC District 3. The Independent also cites Dave's story yesterday on the county's attempts to block online access to jail records. The county does not seem to be very open government focused these days. County PIO Stephen Ulibarri was of no help to Dave Maass in talking directly to jail administrators; he was excessively unhelpful to Mark in reporting on his Wust story and tried to bullshit me into thinking we couldn't quote from the county manager's article cited in our article by telling me it was copyrighted. I don't know if Ulibarri, as PIO, actually doesn't understand how Fair Use works or if he was just hoping I didn't, but either way, a PIO who tries to intimidate the media out of providing the public access to information is not my idea of good open government. And I'm kind of thinking this isn't the last you'll be hearing of that.
In fact, I'm going on the radio shortly. Maybe I'll talk about it some more there.

lack of domestic skills revealed

Approximately once a year, I grow weary of my own inability to do much of anything besides write and read and have what I have identified as ADU (Annual Domestic Urge). This year, the urge struck at about the same time as our award-winning writer Zane Fischer's birthday, so I decided to bake cupcakes.
I have never baked cupcakes before (I've only ever baked one thing, actually, a pound cake and this was during ADU circa 1998; last year for ADU I think I knitted some mittens).
In my mind's eye, the cupcakes were very arty (because they were for Zane), kind of white and black with neo-deco "Zs" on everything. In reality, they look sort of like someone's 5-year-old made them. But I've been told they taste good (I know you're supposed to taste things you make, but I was too scared). Really, it's hard to understand how something that seems so simple could be so challenging. There is still icing in my hair, I swear to God. Anyway, viola: