Illness and tons and tons of driving

Between driving to and from Escondido almost every day this week and the cold I had to fight off, I did not have much time for blogging. Sorry. But I thought I would post at least a little something before Dori and I leave for a weekend backpacking trip with Kenny and Paige near Three Rivers.

My first week working out of the Escondido office has been interesting. I like the people I sit next to and the environment--a busy newsroom with dozens of reporters and editors all making phone calls and working on stories--but I absolutely hate the driving. Half an hour each way, and that's just the time. What the extra driving will do to my gas bill remains to be seen, but I don't have a good feeling about it.

While it is a bit frustrating to be moved around like a pawn by my employer, I am thankful for my job. I get to pursue my curiosity, be in the middle of things and write. That's most important, writing. All the driving I will be doing is worth it if I just keep getting paid to write.

Well, I must embark for the journey home now. I want to be home before the next full moon, so I must move quickly. Farewell.

Moving day

Last night I had the distinct displeasure of packing my desk in the Fallbrook North County Times office to transplant it into the Escondido office (a.k.a. the Mother Ship, the Big House, Central Command). I threw a bunch of stuff away that, at some point, I was sure I would need. Two and a half years is a long time to accumulate dusty post-its and meeting agendas. My favorite were all the business cards for people I could not even remember. Most of what was there is now in boxes and will be moved today.

The significant change afoot here is that I will no longer be based in Fallbrook. The powers that be have decided that all reporters shall be grouped into the Escondido and Oceanside offices. So maybe two days out of every week I will be able to work in Fallbrook, but I'll be doing the rest of my time in the Big House.

It's really not that bad, except for the drive. I spent yesterday in Escondido, and it was a little odd sitting two desks away from a handful of people who could fire me, seeing the publisher walk through the newsroom, things like that. But I suppose it will add new challenges to my job. I have a feeling it will make a better reporter of me, so I cannot complain. OK, maybe a little bit. As I'm driving half an hour each way to and from work.