tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-163255542010-02-22T12:12:04.157-08:00spew from sandra fish, a middle-aged broadfishnoreply@blogger.comBlogger168125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-7540640553164245332010-02-21T14:24:00.000-08:002010-02-21T14:24:13.297-08:00

i love watching the Olympics. The skiing and snowboarding are fascinating, short-track skating is a thrill, there's plenty of snark about figure skating and, hey, those curling gals are kinda cute! But i despise being forced to watch on NBC. First, let's address the primary issue. i know Bode Miller won gold in the super combined. There's an AP story about it on my NBC Olympics iPhone app - since

fishnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-68462297627965355022010-01-20T14:39:00.000-08:002010-01-20T14:39:53.842-08:00

So, i'll probably write more about my weekend trip to New York City soon, but first a brief message about grammar. We took the vertical tour of The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine on the Upper West Side on Saturday, where there are spectacular stained glass works. It's a huge cathedral, with several bays of windows denoting various professions. We began on the ground at the medical bay

fishnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-91195384653384227892010-01-12T15:08:00.000-08:002010-01-12T15:08:41.163-08:00

But i have been getting up early! And the sunrises have been lovely, with the waning moon.

fishnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-78707727845767288082010-01-08T19:20:00.000-08:002010-01-08T19:21:23.318-08:00

My first byline in a while (OK, i do have a full-time job teaching!) appeared today in Politics Daily: http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/01/08/colorado-u-s-senate-race-awfully-expensive-awfully-nasty/ Hopefully there will be more!!

fishnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-58268505571849130062010-01-07T20:46:00.000-08:002010-01-07T20:46:55.699-08:00

Every fall and spring, i interact with 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds. Their parents are often younger than me.  These kids are often immature. They've got crazy excuses (ultimate Frisbee, debutante balls, family reunions) to get out of tests. They e-mail begging for Ds. They send me goofy e-mails. They'll grow up eventually, i know. But right now, millions are watching a kid like them grow up on

fishnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-11665496736993361922010-01-06T19:07:00.000-08:002010-01-06T19:07:22.582-08:00

On a snowy, cold day like this, Betty Fish would've been sitting on the marble slab atop the radiator in our ancient house in Collins, Iowa, reading a book, looking out the window, keeping her butt warm! And i guess not a lot else would have happened. i don't recall ever making a huge fuss about her birthday, turning 40 (i'd have been 5) or 50 (me, 15). Today, she'd be 86 (me, 51, tho that'll

fishnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-66618602037272935722010-01-05T10:38:00.000-08:002010-01-05T10:38:04.898-08:00

It's cold in my basement! Especially when typing! So i made these fingerless gloves! Very easy, free pattern. i didn't use the two yarns mentioned in the pattern, instead used beautifully soft Suri Merino alpaca blend from Plymouth Yarn. (And i gotta get that scary polish of my fingers!)

fishnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-13474988007438921922010-01-04T10:48:00.000-08:002010-01-04T11:13:02.959-08:00

This should be a big week (and maybe month) for new reading/watching technology. At least two new e-readers will be announced to compete with Amazon's Kindle, Barnes and Noble's Nook and Sony's Reader at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.  Plastic Logic is introducing the long-awaited Que. The Skiff will be sold (and wired) by Sprint with content cooperation from Hearst Corp

fishnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-34071484882477817912010-01-03T19:40:00.000-08:002010-01-03T19:40:08.293-08:00

My grandmother liked to recall that when she and my grandfather bought this house, it was on the north edge of Tucson with a view of the Catalina Mountains. But unlike Boulder, which adopted a "blue line"  in 1959 to prevent development in the foothills, Tucson and Pima County have allowed plenty of development at the base of the Catalinas and in other mountain areas. Still, this neighborhood

fishnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-18530956547354898592010-01-02T18:34:00.000-08:002010-01-02T18:34:40.391-08:00

from the Arizona Inn. She knit the teal, chenille jacket i'm wearing here for my mother, maybe 40 years ago. It's still lovely. And without her, we likely wouldn't be in Tucson. My grandparents bought a house here in the '40s (yes, the 20th century!) because she was getting her master's degree in math at Arizona. From the late '80s to mid '90s, we visited here for Christmas with the extended

fishnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-10728614278816394382010-01-01T18:18:00.000-08:002010-01-01T18:18:32.704-08:00

OK, unlike my girlfriend, Sexy Mary from Florida, i am not riding my bike 100 miles a day for seven days straight. Instead, we hiked to Bridal Wreath Falls in Saguaro National Park, the east side. It's about 5.5 miles (depending on who's counting) and maybe 1,100 feet of vertical (see prev parens). Continue to mull the decade thing. Ten years ago, i didn't contemplate mortality. But a close

fishnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-61775307862704620822009-12-31T13:24:00.000-08:002009-12-31T13:24:38.536-08:00

OK, technically, maybe not... but it's good enough for me. On this evening in 1999, i was stuck in the Daily Camera newsroom waiting for the end of the world or some such. Six years ago, i was about Boulder Community Hospital, watching college football with Dixie-cup covered needles through my boobs, waiting for what turned out to be the first of my cancer surgeries. (Yes, there were more...

fishnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-90948457052596277142009-12-12T11:08:00.000-08:002009-12-12T11:08:36.720-08:00

And, by extension, i tried to kill my graduate students and myself at a Thursday night party.  That bowl in the middle is this squash dip that i loved when i visited a friend's knitting night last month. So i thought i'd make it and test it out on the 17 students in my fall newsgathering class. i laughed when my friend sent me the Martha Stewart link.  It was the first time i'd ever cooked

fishnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-54444813284957357362009-11-29T12:06:00.000-08:002009-11-29T12:06:36.725-08:00

So i thought i would quantify the text messaging during a week of vacation with a particular nephew. As you can see, there's a theme here. i used Wordle, and the asparagus color theme seemed apropos (tho i can never get these kids to actually eat asparagus, even tho i emphasize the green pee). i find this hilarious. Keep in mind, half these texts are from me to him.

fishnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-77063423639984950402009-09-23T09:24:00.001-07:002009-09-23T09:30:09.590-07:00

It's cold here.And yesterday, a young student (OK, they're all young!!) mentioned that her winter clothes are all in storage and the only jacket she had was a jeans jacket. She'd gotten it out to wear to an '80s party.Meanwhile, i too am wearing a jeans jacket. From the '80s. Started out with a button that read, "Thought i'd be dead by the time i was 30, but things didn't work out." Lost that one

fishnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-46545166174141989412009-09-22T12:17:00.001-07:002009-09-22T12:17:44.381-07:00

As part of my "touch-em-all" tour this year, i've dropped in on lots of old friends - and their kids!i love their kids!! i love it when their kids drop in on me!! i've been to the Hersheypark and ridden the thrill rides with them, i've helped them with their homework (geez, hope i was right on that crossword puzzle!!), i've watched them run around at the pool, i've taken them hiking to the top of

fishnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-60493089523444636982009-09-11T14:07:00.001-07:002009-09-11T14:07:41.756-07:00

Mrs. Bailey was my seventh and eighth grade teacher at Collins Community School in the early 1970s. Yes, she taught two grades, with one grade typically out of the room for classes such as science, art and P.E. She handled the basics, such as English, history and math.I don't even remember her first name, and i'm not sure i ever knew it. She seemed old (who knows what that really was back then!)

fishnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-81526227160213575282009-08-10T11:06:00.000-07:002009-08-10T11:52:25.911-07:00

Back to some posts on finding a job - tho i'm happy to learn that several former students and current friends have been successful in landing various cool gigs in recent weeks!First two words, OK, three or four: Be positive and proactive! Keep going, even in the face of rejection (and when hundreds of folks apply for a job, there's a lot of that out there).For those still looking and even for

fishnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-88017874862284242992009-07-13T17:33:00.001-07:002009-07-13T17:53:23.032-07:00

Once you've sent your cover letter, resume and work samples to a prospective employer, don't just sit there. Follow up!Give them a call and ask if they received your materials. Ask if they have time for a cup of coffee, just to chat. Figure out if you have any mutual acquaintances with the hiring manager and ask that person to send an e-mail and ask what's up or make a recommendation for you.If

fishnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-80315182670566925402009-07-08T11:03:00.000-07:002009-07-08T11:15:25.142-07:00

Each semester, in every class, i include a segment on syllabi that outlines what plagiarism is, why it is wrong and what the consequences are - in my class, at the university and, most importantly, in the real world. i talk about it in class and offer up examples of how people have made this deadly sin and what happened to them.Still, each year, i find an instance or two when students lift from a

fishnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-51946101422000752142009-07-06T15:02:00.000-07:002009-07-06T15:57:58.878-07:00

So you've created a brand and targeted a job market, come up with a great resume and cover letter.But a key feature of getting a job in journalism is showing potential employer examples of the work you've done.How to do that? The Web makes it easy. Sure, you can post things on a LinkedIn account. But you're better off creating your own Web site.First, buy a URL, preferably with your name in it.

fishnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-53856563937065711262009-07-03T10:57:00.000-07:002009-07-03T11:33:13.821-07:00

So you've defined your brand and targeted your job search. Now it's time to spiff up your resume and write a kickass cover letter!First, create a letterhead to use on both cover letter and resume. Use Illustrator or InDesign if you're really into design, or just create it in Word. Your name is the central feature - in 18 point or larger type. Keep it simple, find an elegant, readable font.Put

fishnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-4585632540594341022009-07-02T10:08:00.000-07:002009-07-02T10:48:45.665-07:00

You might think the job search starts with getting a resume and standard cover letter together, but if you really want to succeed, there are other steps to take first.First, define your brand. Yes, you're the brand, as former Rocky Mountain News Editor and Publisher John Temple noted in his spring 2009 commencement speech to the University of Colorado School of Journalism and Mass

fishnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-24671790218312500622009-06-01T18:40:00.000-07:002009-06-01T18:33:01.069-07:00

We've been to the pool, dinner at China's Nine Dragons, the Norway ride (one of my faves), margaritas, a walk around the world with a stop in Canada (Andrew bought a Canadian flag, his dad said, "What's that?"), took a 20 minute break then convinced the kids they HAD to see the Epcot fireworks. They agreed we were right!

fishnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16325554.post-65436353304317487372009-05-31T16:28:00.000-07:002009-05-31T16:52:02.383-07:00

Yes, i may be headed your way. or i've already been there!Really, the tour started in February, when i attended a Poynter workshop in Florida and decided to go early to visit friends in Orlando, taking a great bike ride in Lake County, kayaking in Orange and stopping in at the Orlando Sentinel, my former employer. i stayed late and visited a kid i used to babysit at her home in Gainesville -

fishnoreply@blogger.com0