1. I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)     Otis Redding
2. The Man I Love                                                             Etta James
3. Comes Love                                                                   Ella Fitzgerald
4. You’re The Nearest Thing To Heaven                      Johnny Cash
5. I Put A Spell On You                                                    Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
6. This Girl’s In Love With You                                     Aretha Franklin
7. Here I Am (Come And Take Me)                             Al Green
8. Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You                                Lauryn Hill
9. All Over Again                                                             Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
10. Hallelujah I Love Her So                                          Ray Charles
11. Just One Kiss                                                              Raphael Saadiq Feat. Joss Stone
12. Just A Little Bit                                                          Etta James
13. For Once in My Life                                                  James Brown
14. Two Hearts, Two Kisses (Make One Love)          Frank Sinatra
15. Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours                     Stevie Wonder
16. When She Begins                                                      Social Distortion
17. I wanna be your lover                                              Prince

So, expect it in your mailboxes soon. If I don’t have your address (like, for instance, one Miss Unfokused) shoot me an email. I love y’all!

I’m Going to Miss:

• Mi Tierra market on the weekends: God, I love this place. I go at least once a weekend to get my favorite drink, melon agua fresca, from one particular lady. It’s so sweet and when you’re done with the juice you can stick a spoon in your cup and scoop all of the melon bits out of the bottom of your cup. I also am going to miss the little old lady who missed her calling as a used car salesman. She slashes prices on her tamales and elote until I can’t help but walk away with a shopping back full of her wares.

• Not driving: Say what you will about WMATA, and I’ve said plenty, but it’s more than we got in Austin and I love being able to get around without driving.
• My friends in “the program”: Everybody in the MPS Journalism program at Georgetown that I attend calls it “the program” and I love it because it sounds like we’re all in some kind of cult. I guess it’s not that far from the truth because I feel like we’re a pretty close bunch. I’m going to miss everybody I’ve sat through class with.
• Brunch with Mustang: There were two distinct periods for me here during my stay: Pre-Jessica and Post-Jessica. She was my partner in crime and we really tore it up. Couldn’t ask for a better friend and she was always available for bloody marys on the weekend when I needed that hair of the dog the most.
• The Smithsonians: they are truly amazing museums and they’re all free, including the zoo!
• Nighttime at the monuments: If standing on the edge of the Lincoln Memorial and looking out over the National Mall to the Capitol building at night doesn’t get you, then there’s something wrong with you. The Jefferson’s probably my favorite, though. I love how it’s surrounded by water.

• Walking down 19th street: I love all the houses and it’s a shady way to walk almost the entire way from my place to the GUTS bus at 20th and Massachusetts.
• Adam Express: I’ve never been to Korea, but this is the best bibimbap I’ve ever had and the kimchi is to die for. Plus, the couple that runs the joint is adorable and they’re always happy to see you.
• Roasted onions with pine nuts and blue cheese at Jaleo: Never thought onion could be that delicious, but the way it’s cooked makes the onion sweet and almost jelly-like. Doesn’t sound good, but it’s one of the best things I’ve put in my mouth EVER.
• Krav Maga DC: I had such a great time learning there and getting my ass kicked. I’m definitely joining in Austin when I get back.
• The fruit vendors in my neighborhood: These ladies got me HOOKED on mango, pineapple or watermelon with Valentina chile sauce, salt and lime. I’m a woman possessed. I can’t walk past one of those ladies without buying some. Watermelon’s my fave, but I enjoy all of the varieties.
• The shaved ice guy at 17th and Columbia Rd: He HAND SHAVES his ice. He’s doing God’s work over there and he always has one or two of his kids with him handling the money. He makes a MEAN spicy sno cone. I think my favorite is tamarind with chile sauce and an entire fresh squeezed lime.
• Malcolm X/Meridien Hill Park on Sundays: Every Sunday a bunch of people gather in park and play drums together while others dance and lounge around. It’s a real community event and I love going to people watch. The drum circles in Austin just can’t hang because these guys actually know how to drum and they follow a leader that sets the tone. It doesn’t sound like a bunch of smelly hippies “feeling the music.” It sounds like actual music.

• The Capitol building: It’s really just a stunning building. There’s something about driving (or sitting in the passenger seat) down North Capitol and seeing it at the end of the road. It’s one of those things that never gets old. T

• Chief Ike’s Mambo Room: Ya know, I hate on this place too, but it’s really not a bad bar at all if you know when to go. I am the first to admit that it can be a nightmare on the weekends, but if you go on a quiet weeknight or during the day (not during football season) on the weekends, it’s a nice neighborhood bar. They got Natty Boh for hella cheap and I ain’t mad at that. There’s a dog that hangs out there too, which is always a good sign in a bar. Plus, it’s the site of one of the most memorable first impressions anybody’s made on me in years. Yeah, Robyn happened there one night and it was EPIC. I also paid an obnoxious guy to go away that night, if I remember correctly, or rather I paid a cab driver to take said dude away from me with great haste.
• Free events at the National Mall: I saw Taj Mahal play while laying in the grass under the Washington Monument. I saw “On the Waterfront” while laying on a blanket with an over-sized pillow drinking 2 Buck Chuck with friends. There’s a lot to do in DC and I tried to take advantage of as much of it as possible. Many good times were had by all.

• Walking down U Street on the weekends on the way to 9:30 Club: I live close to 18th St., but I don’t ever go there. It smells like vomit and it seems like there’s always something shady going on. I head to U St. instead for drunken people watching. It’s like a classier version of 6th St. in Austin.
• 9:30 Club: Austin is the Live Music Capital of the World, sure, but I’m gonna miss this venue. It’s what I wish Emo’s was. It’s big enough for large  shows, it’s inside, it’s got a great bar, food and even a coffee bar and most of all, I don’t have the uncontrollable urge to get a tetanus shot when I use the restroom. I saw some great shows here too: Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears and Questlove all threw it down and made me dance until I didn’t smell appropriate for company.
• The Daily Telegraph Washington Bureau: I really got to experience the craziness of the 2008 Presidential Election in a helluva way due to my internship there. They treated me so well there and they took me to National Press Club events and fed me nicer meals than I’ve had in years.
• Sticky Rice: Some of the best sushi I’ve ever had and I had a couple of great nights that began drinking sake there. Also, just general big ups to the H Street Corridor. It’s a fun place to be.
• Marion Barry: Teflon oughtta do some research on what this man’s made of, because DC’s mayor-for-life is so slippery that nothing can stick to him. “Bitch set me up!” Uh huh, that’s right Mr. Barry. And he keeps on getting reelected, bless him.

I’m moving back to the great state of Texas soon. I like DC a lot, but it’s expensive to live here and they have winter. I’m not a big fan of winter. There’s also the whole “girl out of Texas” conundrum. Also, Texas is better than California. I always knew that, but having evidence is always fun.

I first saw that Michael Jackson had been rushed to the hospital on Twitter. Most of the media sites I checked had updated and had a breaking section that showed that he had been hospitalized. The discrepancies started when several more gossipy sites started reporting that he was dead. So far as I can tell, several websites jumped the gun on reporting Jackson’s death by more than 30 minutes.

In the crazy news cycle that we live in on the web, is there anything to gain by holding back until something has been confirmed? Can we afford to be sure? As a journalist it makes me hella uncomfortable to even consider putting information out there that hasn’t been affirmed in some way. As I sat with some fellow students at school today, we were comparing which sites had gone with the story that MJ had died and which ones were holding off. I tend to value a news source taking that extra couple of minutes to make sure, but I am not under the erroneous impression that I am an average consumer.

What do y’all think about the way that Michael Jackson’s death was reported?

I’ll leave you with some of my favorite Michael Jackson videos. RIP MJ. Thanks for the tunes and the dance parties you’ve inspired.

Thriller

Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough

Beat It

The Way You Make Me Feel

Smooth Criminal

Black or White

All videos are from Michael Jackson’s official YouTube page.

Have a good weekend!

There are certain things you do not do while conducting an interview. One of the biggest no-no’s is asking closed questions. NEVER ask a question that could be answered by yes, no or any other one or two word response. Dave does that repeatedly, even after it is obvious that Joaquin is in a less-than-conversational mood.

Another stupid thing to do in an interview is to insult your subject. Dave does that from his opening remarks through the bitter end. I’ve watched Letterman before and I know he can be quite a dick to guests, but I’m sure being insulted from the first word out of Dave’s mouth to the last was not helping Joaquin adopt a chatty demeanor.

When Dave started to talk about the movie he said that it’s a great movie and Joaquin is great in it, but then he asked Joaquin who the lovely lady in the movie with him is. Joaquin looked confused, and while I’m sure his state of mind had a lot to do with it, there happen to be several lovely women in that movie.

After Dave answered his own question, he kissed Joaquin’s ass again, to which Joaquin said, “Thank you.” That’s perfectly acceptable behavior for someone who’s just received a compliment.

Joaquin actually started to open up after Letterman’s soliloquy about how sad he was that Joaquin is retiring from acting. Joaquin said it was difficult to talk about something so personal in front of a live studio audience and the rest of God and country. It was a pretty lame answer, but at least it was an open question that required Joaquin to talk a bit. I’ll give Dave a point or two for that.

I don’t deny that Joaquin had a big part in one of the most awkward interviews of all time. He was chewing gum, which is totally inappropriate. He wasn’t exactly forthcoming, which is pretty weak considering he was there to promote a movie. BUT, there are a ton of people who go on talk shows that don’t know what clip they have and Dave acted like this was some sort of unforgivable, mortal sin.

If I were Joaquin, I wouldn’t have been bending over backwards to make the interview great either, since Dave started off the whole thing by insulting him. He did just enough to technically address the questions asked of him and went ahead and let his freak flag fly. I, for one, don’t blame him.

Dave needs to stop being so lazy and figure out some real questions to ask. This “aw, shucks” flattery routine he does is not good interviewing. He has exactly two tricks: asskissing and insulting. His guests do the grand majority of the work for him. It’s time for that old dog to learn some new tricks.

But, I knew the commissioners pretty well and it was quite obvious to me who was lying, who was simply ignorant and who was honestly trying to do good things for the community. But, I couldn’t tell my readers because I had to treat everyone equally.

The reason people read newspapers is because they have lives. They don’t have the time or desire to go to every city council and planning and zoning meeting. That’s what reporters do. They become experts on the politicians they cover and what’s going on in their communities. Why people don’t let reporters tell them what’s going on in for real is beyond me.

Look, I understand that not everyone is going to agree with my assessment of things. That’s fine. I’m going to tell you how I made my analysis of the situation, though. I’m still going to give you the facts, but after I’m done breaking it down I’m going to tell you how I see it.

I have had to write articles where I knew for a FACT that the person I was quoting was full of shit. I couldn’t prove it though. SO, in order to be “fair” I had to quote them and my only recourse was to find an adversary and let them say why they didn’t agree. Unfortunately, the adversaries rarely said what I would have. All I could do was present as much evidence as I could to the contrary without seeming like I was out to “get” somebody.

Look, I’m not a political rival or a special interest group that has a vested interest in a grand majority of the beats I have covered. Wouldn’t you rather hear it from me than somebody who has an ax to grind? Sure, I’d have an interest in taxes and zoning near my house and all those other things, but if I told my readers about it, what would be the harm?

I’m just so tired of being told that in order to preserve my ability to work as a journalist I can’t speak my mind except to my colleagues in the newsroom. Because, ladies and jellyspoons, the bile  you hear on the airwaves or see on cable television is a far cry from the partisan fire breathing that goes on newsrooms all over America. These people have opinions. They’re just not allowed to tell anyone about it.

My point is that nobody is free of biases. Instead of pretending like the delicate minds of our audience would be shattered if we put a little analysis in articles outside of the opinion section, let’s add value to our stories. We get paid to know what the hell is going on. Let’s tell people about it.

I took an ethics class last semester where I was told that as a reporter these things were strictly forbidden:

• Having a political sign in my front yard, even if it belongs to my spouse
• Putting any bumper sticker on my car or any of my belongings that might be construed to reveal something about my opinions
• Disclosing any political views on facebook, no matter how vague
• Attending the inauguration
• Attending any kind of march, demonstration or protest that I am not covering
• Writing any blog entries about my political views

I could start to do these things in the event I get an opinion writing job, but since experienced journalists are the ones who get those plumb jobs and there are scads of unemployed journalists out there with more experience than I have, that’ll be a cold day in hell.

I’m not suggesting that every news article should be an editorial or op-ed. I’m just suggesting that reporters should have the flexibility to tell their audience something directly if there is something that a bare recitation of the facts can’t accomplish.

Campbell Brown of “No Bias, No Bull*&^%” appeared on The Daily Show and she said it best, I think. She said, and I’m paraphrasing, that if Candidate A says it’s raining outside and Candidate B says it’s sunny, a reporter should be able to look outside and say, “Clearly, it is sunny and Candidate A is wrong.”

I totally agree. What do y’all think?

But, it’s a practical thing. If someone of interest dies, that moment is not the time to start gathering information. People rarely die according to deadline and imagine the outcry if the Austin American-Statesman hadn’t had an obituary ready when Lady Bird Johnson died.

The Miami Herald is taking obituary planning to another level, apparently, when it comes to Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

Miami Herald senior editor Manny Garcia called Fidel Castro “a constant pain who never seems to go away, and you pray that he passes soon.” Here’s a link to the article this quote came from where he wrote about the Herald’s anticipation of the sickly leader’s demise.

Former Miami Herald editor Tom Fielder said that preparations at the Herald for Castro’s death are, “maybe more detailed than the Pentagon’s plan to invade Iraq.”

via Romanesko

My bachelor’s degree is in English Writing and Rhetoric and nothing gets my panties in a bunch like wordiness. Legal writing really irks me, as I’m sure you can imagine.

Some of the writing in my textbooks remind me of style exercises I had at St. Edward’s. We’d get ridiculously long sentences and the assignment would be to eliminate the unnecessary words.

Here’s an example:

“It is unusual because the decision turned not so much on the Court’s rejecting the constitutional claim that there was a need for confidentiality as it’s rejecting the remedy and doubting its own ability to fashion coherent rules in advance.”

-The Fourth Estate and the Constitution: Freedom of the Press in America by Lucas A. Powe, Jr.

Here’s how I would change it:

“It is unusual because the Court didn’t reject the constitutional claim of confidentiality: the Court rejected the remedy and doubted its ability to write coherent rules in advance.”

I just cut out 12 words. Now that I’ve kvetched, I must get back to reading. Wish me luck.