DadTalk

Growing Up Without Dad

My dad died when I was 9. For most of my life, I would have denied that his death had any real impact on my development.

After all, I was a fiercely self-sufficient young boy with a strong sense of awareness at a very young age. On the day my dad died, I mentally took on the role of “oldest male” in the house and never really saw his death as a negative. I suppose that’s strange, but I’ve always been the type who rises to meet adversity.

Of course, there was a touch of silliness to it. I didn’t get a job as my grandfather did when his dad died. I didn’t take over the role of raising my brother. And in actuality, I didn’t know squat.

But, I did grow up a lot on the day my dad died from an embolism caused by a metal plate used to mend a broken leg. My sense of responsibility was immediate and immutable. In many ways, I acted as adult-like as my immature mind could muster.

It wasn’t until my kids were born that I started to realize something had been lost. Consider:

Want to Learn More About Twitter?

If you don’t, I understand. I mean, enough is enough already. On the other hand, Twitter is getting hard to run away from. If you want to learn more, go to my other site for an article on how to make the most of Twitter.

What Was I Thinking?

Because I’ve just launched WriteThru.com, which offers free webinars to media professionals seeking to enhance their technology skills, I’m going to cross-post my “explainer” here on DadTalk. Please feel free to spread the word about WriteThru … I can use the help!

I LEFT THE LOS ANGELES TIMES knowing an economic storm was coming, but I had no idea just how hard the media world would be hit. I figured there would be layoffs at newspapers beyond those of the late 1980s and early 1990s, but then mistakenly hoped that the market would stabilize.

Today, I find it heartbreaking to see so many hard-working colleagues and friends suddenly wondering how to pick up the pieces of their damaged careers. PaperCuts counts nearly 16,000 newspaper jobs lost in the United States in 2008 alone and nearly 9,000 more so far this year. And by all accounts, TV, radio and magazine employees all have been equally pummeled.

But I do not believe that professional journalism will die. Hints of what might emerge are seeping through. Think ProPublica. Think VoiceofSanDiego. Consider the possibilities of electronic ink/paper. I don’t know exactly what form this golden era of journalism will materialize, but I do know that many of the journalists who are losing their jobs today will help launch this renaissance.

Webinar Let’s Meet to Discuss Building a Blog

I’ve never been much of a joiner. Most of my life I’ve avoided cliques, fraternities, religion, political parties, etc.

If there is one group, though, that I’ve always identified with, it’s been journalists. I feel at home when walking around a newsroom, even if I don’t work there. I’ve tried to move on, but I still feel the ups and mostly downs the industry has faced of late.

It’s been particularly painful watching friends losing their jobs. It frustrating to watch highly-skilled, hard-working individuals wondering how to find a job in today’s nasty employment environment as the technological world around them has changed.

While I may not have the answers to journalism’s bigger issues, I do know how to help individuals. At the moment, providing an educational forum seems like the best place to start.

So at 10:30 a.m. (Pacific Daylight Time) on Monday, I’m offering journalists, and of course my readers, a free webinar on how to create a blog. Future courses will tackle topics like free office software, how to find journalism jobs and how to easily record video.

If you feel like donating, to help defray the costs, who am I to stop you?

If you’re interested, click on the link to sign up for a Blog Fundamentals webinar.

Thanks.

Awards Cybils Names BestChildren’s Books

Our house is unusually busy leading up to Valentine’s Day. That’s because my wife, Anne, is wrapping up the annual children’s book awards – called the Children’s & Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awards –that she began with a friend a few years ago.

This year, because Anne reviewed my favorite category, Fantasy & Science Fiction, I had the pleasure of reading most of the finalists. I have to say, better stuff is being written for kids than adults.

If you read The Hunger Games or The Graveyard Book, you know what I mean. The finalists and books in other categories are fantastic too.

So, if you’re a parent who is wondering what books their children should read on spring break, check out the full list of winners here.

Flower Power Winners It Was a Tough Call; Find the 20% Off, Free Vase Coupon

While contests tend to give my blog a small boost, I find learning about other people more rewarding. Consider that most of the stories I received about why a loved one deserves flowers reveal a bit about what is going on in America in a way that the media fails to capture.

Below are a quote or two from one runners-up and the winners, who will be notified by email. And for those of you who read this far, I have another surprise. By clicking on this link, you will receive 20 percent off and a free vase if you order flowers from ProFlowers. (Yes, another ad, but what the heck.)

And now, for the winners:

Not Sure What Books to Buy for Your Kids? Read This

My 6-year-old son is a voracious reader. Just yesterday, I pulled a copy of James Herriot’s Treasury of Inspirational Stories for Children. Less than two hours later, he was halfway through the 260-page, picture-filled book.

Later the same day, we went to the library where I picked up a copy of The Time Warp Trio’s Hey Kid, Want to Buy a Bridge? Seth finished the 72-page book by bed time.

No, this isn’t a post designed to brag about my child. Rather, it’s to illustrate a common problem parents face: figuring out what is good reading material for our children. For example, I chose The Time Warp Trio series because the librarian assured me there was nothing scary in the books. (Seth recoils from all things scary.)

A good librarian is always a wonderful way to find out whether a book is age and/or quality appropriate. Another way, is to peruse Cybils, which just released its finalists for the best children’s books in 2008. The selections are made by tome-loving bloggers, most of whom are librarians, writers and teachers.

To learn more, just click on preferred categories and read why these books are considered the best of the best. In mid-February, Cybils will announce the winners in each category.

Blog, Real Worlds Merge

So for the last week or so, I’ve been looking at a handful of software vendors for a project at work. I finally get it down to one.

With a couple questions in mind, I called up the owner, who is based in Indiana. I tease the guy that he doesn’t have a very Indiana accent, which he tells me is French.

A bit later in the conversation, he mentioned he lives in Bloomington, Indiana. The first words in my head are, “No, it can’t be….”

I go to my blog, click on the sidebar where I have a link to 4213 Miles, which is about this young mother who married a nice man from, where else, France.

Double checking the hubbies name on the site, I ask, “You’re not Cedric, are you?”

“Yep.”

So there you have it. I randomly call a number in Indiana and meet the husband of a blogger who is incredibly nice and has posted very sweet comments on my site.

How do you like that?

Nominate Favorite Kids Books

My mind kind of works along tracks. The tracks can merge with each other at any time.

The downside, though, is that I often block out new tracks. In this case, I’ve neglected to remind everyone to nominate their favorite children’s books from this year.

Yes, it’s once again time for my wife’s annual book awards known as the Cybils. If you have a favorite book in the following categories, you need to nominate them before midnight tonight:

• Young Adult Fiction
• Poetry
• Non-Fiction Picture Books
• Non-Fiction MG/YA Books
• Middle Grade Fiction
• Graphic Novels
• Fiction Picture Books
• Fantasy and Science Fiction
• Easy Readers

Thanks!

Spit Out Coffee Grind for Tea

Speaking of contests, one of my long-time readers, Summer, has embarked on a campaign to convert coffee drinkers to tea.

Summer makes and sells custom blends of tea, soap, bath salts and lotions through her company, Felicitea. Unfortunately, we live too far away to sign up for massage therapy.

Here’s a quick rundown of the contest, but follow the link for more details:

Part I – Tea lovers post a short video and tell us why tea is better than coffee. The winners will receive a sample set of four teas and personalized tea ware.

Part II – How this part works is still a bit mysterious, but the goal is to convert coffee drinkers to tea. Winners of this part of the contest will receive a sampler set of Summer’s custom teas, personalized tea ware and a custom blend for the winner. (Summer, I have some ideas on making a tea with nutmeg.)

My wife, by the way, has been a big consumer of herbal teas ever since her doctor proclaimed: “You have consumed your lifetime supply of caffeine.” Heh, I bet a lot of people have.

Personally, I’m a big Honeybush fan.

And now the plug: Please help Summer by entering the contest or spreading the word. Thanks!