a post a day - that might be pushing it

When I first started this whole blogging shenanigans, I had a few folks tell me I should blog every day, so that people would read it more regularly. That, and to keep it short, which is virtually impossible for me.

So, in my new-found effort to post daily (brought to you in part by sheer boredom and cold weather), here's what is on my mind tonight:

Sure it's probably pretty weak to start with the weather, but Chicago did just have something of a snowstorm tonight. Highlights include 6 to 9 inches (complete with a Snow Advisory, breaking it to folks, in case they haven't noticed, that we are getting a lot of snow) and a plane skidded off the runway at Midway. I know this because a Fox News Alert cut into the last minute and a half of the OC, which to me is a sin punishable by death. Sure, it's breaking news, but let's recap. It's snowing heavily, so a skidding plane might just not be that unusual. Had it been 77 degrees and sunny, this might be more of a news event. And sure, a few folks were injured, but seriously, does that warrant cutting off 'scenes from the next'? (If it turns out that people were seriously injured or killed, I will delete this post immediately and ... well, feel really, really bad. Call me insensitive or a bad news judge, but I am just a little miffed right now.)

addendum: Turns out, a 6-year-old boy was killed, so indeed this was a tragic news event. And yes, I feel bad for whining about the OC. Let's all move on.

addendum 2: Speaking of plane crashes and news judgement, what about the crash Tuesday that killed more than 100, mostly journalists, in Tehran, Iran? Nope, probably didn't hear much about that one. I'm just sayin'... That discussion might be for another day.

And my lovely alma mater's listserv was blowing up again today with the announcement of a new J-school Dean. The fuss was because the dean-to-be vowed to better integrate the marketing school and the journalism school, which threw many alumni into a tizzy. My two cents are that the reporting side needs to know more about the business of journalism, readership, trends. These things, the bread and butter of the marketing side, are crucial to the newspaper industry's success, and if the J-school can utilize some of the resources already there, I say do so. But know, that this is one of the best J-schools in the country, and the faculty and certainly the alumni will not stand for any line blurring between marketing and journalism. Take that as a personal threat, Mr. New Dean.

My fellow J-schoolers who did the global quarter this fall (which, if you are new here, I did in the spring, hence the birth of this blog), are packing up and coming home. I am shocked it's over for them so quickly and relieved that my friend in Caracas is making it out alive. Knock on wood.

I also just realized it's a little more than four weeks until I ship off to Honduras. (Yikes!) I have been practicing my Spanish - today I reviewed the past imperfect tense and entertainment vocabulary. (Jugaba el futbol. I used to play football.... That's right, I'm pretty much fluent already.) By the way, if anyone wants to come down to Honduras in February, I have built in a week to travel after the program.

Yep, that's all I've got. C'mon, folks. Not every post can be Pulitzer material. Post a day? Not likely.