This Reminds Me

Archive for March 27th, 2008

San Antonio – Long acknowledged by friends and family as a newspaper junkie, a 52-year-old South Texas woman has confessed to being newsprint-free for nine days.

“I cancelled the San Antonio Express News last week,” said Becky Woodworth, former jounalism student and devotee of the AP Style Guide. “I have not rustled a sheaf, folded a stack or trashed a crumple in seven days.”

Friends and family remain skeptical.  “We took a newspaper?” asked Rachel, 16, a Myspace blogger and sometimes YouTube vlogger.  “I’ll miss the Sunday funnies,” acknowledged Lois, 14, a noted illustrator

“With the help of a 12-step program, I’ll make it,” said Woodworth.  “It’s about 12 steps in any direction to a computer, and I can hit the news sites online.” .

It’s true.  I cancelled the paper.  Keith had urged me to cancel the left-leaning San Antonio Express News for years, but I’d resisted.  One by one, my reasons crumbled.  I saved money clipping the Sunday coupons….until I started buying so much as Costco.  The kids needed a paper for homework….until they began searching their current events online.  I knew so little about San Antonio landmarks, attractions, government, etc. ….until I acknowledged I basically ran in a grid from home-church-schools-work-Costco-HEB anyway, with any deviation requiring military planning far exceeding the capacity of print  Mostly – I loved reading the paper on the bus ride downtown…until the carrier couldn’t seem to deliver it before we had to leave for work.

Newspaper clippings are included in most family histories. Keith and I were surprised by our engagement mention in a gossip column.

I read newspapers – multiple newspapers – for decades.  As a teenager and young adult, I always asked friends going out of town to bring me a paper from their destination.  I paid for my mom’s newspaper for many years, continuously “surprising” her with cards stuffed with banner lines (one banner line per month of renewal.)  When I worked in Southwestern Bell External Affairs, I devoured both Houston papers cover-to-cover by 9 a.m. every workday as part of my job, carefully clipping any telecom references.  I’ve delighted in the stray discovery of an article of interest to a friend, and startled at a familiar face staring from an obituary.

I perused the Houston Chronicle for our 1992 “Three Wise Woodworths” Christmas card photo.

I’ll miss the newspaper.  The kids think that’s as crazy as the watch I wear (instead of reaching for my cell phone.)  Or how I sometimes listen to a CD in the kitchen instead of plugging in my Zen.  Or that I might rent a movie instead of downloading.  Or – horrors – that I’ve been known to hand-write a note or place a call instead of dashing off a text.

“Honey!  They published my letter to ‘Dear Abby!’”

One thing about a keyboard, though.

There’s no messy ink to wash off your hands.