Fury and calm

The Penalty Box

Sister S came week before last and Sister K left just yesterday. So Mom has had lots of attention. The Sisters bring a lot of energy to it -- getting her in the pool, taking her outside -- and she tries harder when they're here, summoning cogency and a determination to make the most of it. Meanwhile I have faded to a frequently seen, uninteresting object, like furniture.

It's OK.

Gannett, which publishes USA Today, has bought the Journal company, where I work, and there's lots of upheaval in the newsroom. In our little suburban shop we've lost seven or eight people, and we will be sending our stories and dummies to Des Moines for layout and copyediting. It's almost funny. We've spent hours in training to learn the new Gannett software, and meanwhile, of course, our bosses have chosen this week, launch week, to take vacations, so a few of us are doing an extra paper. Learning new software and doing more work. This is infuriating. The "servant-leadership" model is a foreign concept hereabouts, and the managers are all about domination and privilege. It is hard to hold my tongue, and sometimes I don't.

We got away for a couple days to the Vospers' island place a couple weeks ago. A lot of driving, but worth every mile.