Before I go on my usual tirade, I just want to point out that today was my debut. My first article in LGNY appeared on newsstands today. Of course, I had a book review published in the previous issue, but that hardly counts, since it was not a full reporting job like this one was, on volunteering in New York City's gay and AIDS service organizations.
My straight female friends were all very excited for me. More than I was. My gay male friends either didn't care, or were the first to point out a tragic typographical problem that lopped the opening sentence in half. M said, "it was a good article but that error set a tone for the entire article." The perils of Quark and electronic typesetting.
S-I-G-H!
Mr. De Mille, I'm not ready for my close-up.
I was talking with L today and was shocked when, in casual conversation, I discovered she had no idea that King Hussein of Jordan died recently, or that there was a heightened terrorism alert after the arrest of the Kurdish leader. L doesn't have TV at home (which is commendable), not does she read a newspaper. With papers on line, there is no excuse.
L was also the friend who was completely oblivious to our recent elections in New York, including the Senate race in which Schumer dislodged (finally) Senator Al "Pothole" D'Amato.
But L seems quite happy. I accused her of living in an information-free world. "You don't realize how happy I am in this world."
Perhaps I do. When my Grandma hit 95 years old, she stopped reading the paper. I would offer it to her, but she would decline. "There's nothing good in there." I cannot say she was entirely wrong. After 95 years of bad news, well, I'd be jaded too.
This is probably why I start the newspaper by reading the comics, because after starting with the news for a while, I discovered it was all a lot easier to take by starting off with a laugh.
To know what's happening out there can be downright depressing, but it's a necessity. This is not to say that I never enjoy mindless times. Like those soap operas I cannot seem to give up. But I try to get a variety of news from a variety of sources. A diversity of information is important, and if nothing else, when Tony says "Queen Noor is Duane Reade's newest employee," I'll know why to laugh.
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