Small Victories

There are some benefits in life as things suck. Last week, one of the magazines I write for laid off 20 people, including my editor. So, his duties had to be redistributed (almost like sharing the wealth in reverse, hmmm, signs of things to come?) and I guess I benefitted from it. My pay got bumped up as I assumed his responsibility of writing the morning news wrapup for an e-newsletter sent out first thing in the morning to subscribers. It is actually sort of fun to do other than I have to get up at 5 a.m. to do it. I was told by my new boss (who is THE editor at the magazine) to inject some pep into the articles and headlines to counter the boring (and, as of late, bad) news in them. My last two headlines:

Election Results Get Mixed Reviews from World Markets
Stocks Drop Worldwide as Glow Wanes Around Presidential Election

The thing is, I can tell the truth *unlike most journalists these days* because I'm not all up on Obama's dick. I know that about 98 percent of my colleagues at this paper are liberal-leaning from email conversations we've had. So, it isn't like I'm writing for a conservative-leaning pub like Investors Business Daily. I've actually gotten kudos from the publisher for my stories and headlines this week - that is something I have seldom received in my three years of writing for this pub. Our main competitor's clever headline over its wrap-up of financial events spurred by election results was simply: Obama Wins Election. My editor saw fit to write me a glowing email commending me for a more accurate headline with more meat to it. But, like I say, the competitor is so bathed in the morning-after effects of Obama's victory, that they couldn't see fit to indicate that the world hasn't changed overnight at the word of the Annointed One's election.

So, there is my bit of silver lining this week. I've been pretty down for a number of reasons. My computer monitor died Monday morning, so that hasn't helped. I sub today at one of the local high schools. Unfortunately it isn't East High, so there will be no dancing the lunchroom as Gabriella and Troy smooch on the roof. Ahhh, if only Corbin Bleu would be in the classroom today. *heart thumping*