Frustration

I run a small town news website - Happy Camp News - where I'm managing editor, publisher, head reporter, photographer, cook, bottle-washer, and everything else.

I've been trying to get the local sheriff's department to send me news releases since I started back in 2001. However I wasn't a real business until 2003, so at first I didn't press it. Here it is 2005 and I'm still having trouble with this.

What IRKS me is that the daily newspaper in our county seat gets news releases from the sheriff's department constantly. And I'm not asking for any extra consideration - I just want the same exact news they're giving to the daily newspaper. I pay a county business license fee and feel I'm as entitled to county sheriff department news as any other news agency in our county.

I've written to their PR Rep three or four times since January and went to see her once in person - she claimed she was in the process of getting used to a new computer system. bleah... how long does it take?

Our Sheriff will be here in town soon... and you KNOW what I'm going to be asking him about!

This week I finally got the first news release - check out my front page. "Evans Promoted to Sergeant". And this would be oh so great to hear except that it happened back in DECEMBER. I got the news release on March 18.

Missed Communications, Shopping and a Broken Playstation

Yesterday was Mother's Day. My oldest daughter, Simoné, called me from Georgia. Unfortunately I wasn't there to get the call and she just left a message. Then I called my mom and left a message. Then I called Simoné back and left a message. Yay for message machines, but I kind of miss the old days when we used to really connect with one another more often.

I drove to Grants Pass with my son in the afternoon - to buy him shoes. That was my primary purpose for going there. I like buying the kids' shoes at Big 5 Sporting Goods because the sales on brand-name athletic shoes are enticing. Aaron got a pair of Spaulding court shoes... they look great.

Then we went to Walmart and bought paint for his bedroom and the livingroom. He chose blue and yellow paint - to be applied with a roller that will make it looked textured, like stucco. The roller cost nearly as much as the paint! I got everything we need to complete the project. My livingroom will be white with green trim.

I also got all the supplies we need to fix his Playstation 2. I found a cool repair guide online so now all I need is nerves of steel and brains... to get this thing fixed. It is the second Playstation 2 he's owned. They seem to break down a lot. Right now we're dealing with disk-read errors and a CD tray that won't open.