Offbeat News

The news is always so depressing... which is why, if you talk to me about "current events" on a regular basis, you know that I don't usually go beyond the headlines nowadays.

For example, one time I was talking with a friend about what I usually read in the news, and I looked back to the last 5 NY Times articles I had sent myself. I think they had something to do with yoga & middle age weight gain, my law firm's new building, new styles of Korean restaurants in Manhattan, maybe Harry Potter, maybe some sort of travel news. You get the picture.

When I visit the NY Times site (daily or more often), I have a pretty set pattern. I scan the front page for interesting headlines or read my email newsletter for the top headlines. Then I read certain sections: NY Region, Business, Health, Tech, TV, Travel, Dining, Style, Real Estate. You get the picture.

But right now? Even the headlines are painfully depressing. The only way to keep from breaking down seems to be to read the human interest stories or the offbeat news. This one is pretty good. An ostrich got loose on the Golden Gate during rush hour, and suffered "road rash" from the fall and ran around on the bridge. Or there's this one, about a Brazilian puppy love motel, complete with dimmed lights and films.

Even as amusing as those articles are though, it doesn't make stuff like Hurricane Katrina go away. I have a really hard time wrapping my mind around devastation and saying anything about it (see: tsunami), so don't expect some sort of commentary or story or opinion about it. It won't be here. But for everyone down South and all their friends & family... I just really hope it gets better really soon. Sigh.

Edit (2:23 am): I was reading over last August's entries to see what I was doing last year at this time, and look what I found. Apparently this avoidance of the news media is not new for me.