RE: Mail Dogs

I received four emails and two phone call about my story today. The lady on the phone wanted me to come out and write a story about the dogs terrorizing her local park. The other lady wanted to know how to solve her own dog problem and about dog bite laws. Of the four emails, one was another story idea, one wanted to know how to solve his dog problem, one wanted more information, and the other was a correction. But I’ll take what I can get.

Where was this guy when so many of us were fighting to get tighter dangerous dog ordinances passed just weeks ago and went into effect 7/1? No one at the post office was there to help, but they are quick to say nothing ever happens. You need to get the other side of the story and find out why the postal service wasn’t behind that legislation! They threw their carriers under the bus on that one!

-Rebecca P.

Since you wrote the article in today’s paper about dog attacks do you know who to contact in Dallas about a neighbor who allows their dog to roam the neighborhood without a leash?

Robert P.

That was a good article about dog attacks in Dallas, and especially in our neighborhood. By the way, Millerdale Lane is in Urbandale, not Pleasant Grove. There is enough bad news in Pleasant Grove without their getting the rap for ours.

Sincerely,

Catherine G.

Hi Christina,

Thank you for writing the article on dog attacks in Dallas. It enrages me to think that we, as a civilized society, continue to allow innocent people to suffer from vicious dog attacks. As your article pointed out, the victims are often children and elderly people. Most of the more serious attacks come from pit bulls. Do you have any statistics on the number of people who have been killed or seriously injured over the past 10 or so years due to dog attacks, and how many of those were pit bulls. I plan to write an editorial on this, but thought you might be able to help with some statistics.

Regards,
Dennis H.

RE: Front Page Material

My mom, as any proud mom would do, sent an email to my grandparents, aunts, and uncles about my front page story. This is the reply from Grandma Og:

“Yippee for sure! Of course I email these to my close friends. Mary Jo will get a copy as she is the one who is most interested in bright kids.

Congratulations, dear Christina. That is going to look so good on your resume.

Need I say grandma and grandpa are proud?!!!! Love, Grandma J.

I wish Grandma Vee could have lived to see you two grow up. She loved you so much. We Grandmas get pretty emotionally involved.

By the way, I can’t understand the enjoyment in those dogs.”

From my Uncle Terry:

“Wow! Awesome!”

From my Aunt Cindy:

“I am soooo proud. I’ve told everyone in LA who will listen!!!

See you guys soon.”

“The Baby”

A fellow {college} intern’s response to my front page story:

“Look out, North Texas. ‘The baby’ is on the case.”

Congrats from the Editor’s Editor

“Congratulations to both of you on your page one stories. Many an intern has come and gone without one… especially high school interns, Christina.”

The 1A Edition

Categories

In my mind, my categories make perfect sense. In other peoples’ minds, {possibly} not so much. So here’s a brief explanation:

Better Than A Library

This story brightened my day:

“SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) — A measure seeking to commemorate President Bush’s years in office by slapping his name on a San Francisco sewage plant has qualified for the November ballot.

The measure certified Thursday would rename the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant the George W. Bush Sewage Plant.

Supporters say the idea is to commemorate the mess they claim Bush has left behind by actions such as the war in Iraq.”

It’s almost worth moving out there and establishing residency just to get a chance to vote on it!

10WordReview: The Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera (now showing on Oxygen)

Beautifully designed. Loved the black and white to color aspect.

On Recommendations

My friend Helen and I have pretty similar tastes in books. Obviously, it’s not exact but it’s pretty close. Except, the problem with that is she also has similar tastes with other people she knows. So not only will she recommend a book to me, but she’ll also recommend it to all of her other friends as well. They’d get to borrow her copy of the recommended novel {that’s not at the library} and I’d be seventh or eighteenth in line.

But ever since I’ve started book blogging, and reading other people’s book blogs, I’ve been up to eyeballs in recommendations. For example, here’s the list of sixty-two books I starred just from June to date:

10WordReview: Th1rteen R3asons Why

Th1rteen R3asons Why (by Jay Asher)

Cannot believe it’s Asher’s first. Amazing. Gripping. Suspensful. Wanted more.

“I wanted to push Stop on the Walkman and rewind their whole conversation. To rewin d into the past and warn them. Or prevent them from even meeting. But I can’t. You can’t rewrite the past.” (pg. 60)