I’m a person of routine. I do things at a certain time at a certain place in a certain way. But I like routine. It tells me that things are – more or less – going smoothly. A flooded basement is not part of any normal daily or weekly routine; it’s a major pain in the ass. Yes, I have to admit I like things pretty much the way they are. Boring? Predictable? Dare I say anal retentive? Natch. But I take some comfort in it. I try to look at things from an analytical perspective, which may help explain my math degree. And you know what a happenin’ crowd math majors are.
The down side is that I can get easily frustrated when things don’t go as planned or if changes, however minor, interrupt my personal mirco-utopia. And when I say changes, I’m not talking life-changing events here people. A flooded house, new home purchase, moving, divorces are big deals. But things like running out of coffee, flat tires, no weekend paper left at the corner store and “what do you mean the lottery machine is down?” are sources of angst to no end. (As a math person and knowing the odds, I shouldn’t buy lottery tickets; but still, its part of my routine.)
Weekends are big on routine for me. I sleep in a little later, buy the Weekend Telegram, make myself a large pot of coffee and take my time going through the paper from beginning to end - all done in the relative peace and quiet of a house where kids sleep in to 10 or 11. It’s part of my routine. I simply enjoy reading the Tely. I even read sections that remind me of things I don’t have. Real Estate....Wheels... Life.
But I digress. The Weekend Telegram has recently started to let me down, thereby upsetting my routine. And I’m sure you are aware, one of The Tely's mission statements was to meet my high journalistic standards.
The problems initially started when they decided to stop publishing the Sunday Telegram (complete with WalMart flyer) and publish the paper on Saturdays only. The publisher said it was due to economic reasons. Fair enough. But The Weekend edition has begun to lose steam, particularly in the editorial section, which is normally my favourite and the first section I read.
Now things are not all bad. I enjoy the editorials and follow columns by Pam Framptom, Russell Wangersky, Lana Payne and Bob Wakeham (although his constant reference to his days at the CBC and how things were much better under his leadership, are starting to wear thin). But Wakeham says what’s on his mind and does so in no uncertain terms. There are also many good, articulate and insightful op-ed pieces and letters to the editor. (However, some of the comments left in the online edition are less than desirable. You have the same people shouting the same things day in and day out. This not only cheapens what they say, but it reflects poorly on the paper. Check out an example here. I'll have more in an upcoming post.)
And while I don’t read columns by Ed Smith, Tony Collins, Michael Johansen or Gywnne Dyer it certainly doesn’t mean that they aren’t good - they just aren’t my cup of tea. But to be honest, I am a big sports fan and I never read anything by Robin Short. His columns tend to be somewhat self-serving as he tries too hard to ruffle feathers and have that big city sports reporter persona. It falls flat in small town Newfoundland.
But the biggest disappointment is the column by Randy Simms. I know he’s in various media including radio and television and is up to date on current events in the province, but his columns are pedestrian at best. He seems to painstakingly walk a fine line to appease everyone. (His outlandish suggestion to profile Muslims because it delayed him at the airport being the exception. Now that was self-serving.)
I’ll be the first to admit I know nothing on running a paper. It has to be demanding with deadlines, late breaking stories and so on. Proofreading alone has to be maddening. But The Telegram provides some of the best news and arts coverage in the province. Talented reporters such as Rob Antle, Steve Bartlett, Alisha Morrissey and Moira Baird among others, make reading the news more enjoyable than watching it.
I don’t mean to be overly critical on the paper – lord knows it has its hands full. That, by the way, that was not a Randy Simms-ese statement of appeasement. I’m just giving my opinion. Take from it what you will. But the editorial section needs an overall. My routine just isn’t the same.
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