Time to say thanks
Sharing personal views and anecdotes sometimes gets me in trouble. I heard a lot of comment about last week's column being "true to life." I also got some flak from Daughter #1 because I spend a lot of time writing about the trials of raising teen-agers but never mention when they do something nice.
So let it be known that after all the school and computer shopping, she did say "thanks" by sending a beautiful bouquet of roses to me at the office.
Kids are like that. Just when you think it's time to trade them in or lock them in the closet they turn around and do something nice.
I occasionally get in trouble because I don't often mention Daughter #2. She presents an entirely different outlook on life. She's been known to push the envelope a bit. I guess that's where I got the idea about locking kids in closets.
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The OE wrote last week about "wonderful interns." I've been here long enough to have my own list. It just so happens I remember the quirky ones.
For instance, one intern spent the summer sitting at her desk with her feet propped up reading the AP Stylebook. I've read it. It's informative but I never could figure out what she found so fascinating.
One summer we had an intern who needed to be rousted out of bed every morning. She didn't fit the typical intern mold. She was in her mid- to late 20s and seemed a bit surly. She had more illnesses than anyone I've ever known. With an imagination like that I bet she's a fiction writer now.
We also had several interns who thrived amidst clutter. The more books, magazines, papers, cups, and cans stacked on and around their desks the better they functioned. It drove the cleaning lady nuts. She had a weekly battle trying to get them to clean up after themselves.
Summer interns were refreshing. Some were dedicated to learning about community journalism and wanted to "set the world on fire." We remember those. Some came convinced they knew everything. Those aren't that memorable. Others just made us look forward to fall, when things returned to "normal" — just in time to save the sanity of the cleaning lady.
— DONNA BERNHARDT
