Despite the digital revolution, newspapers have hung on to a few quaint artifacts from the ink-stained days of yore. One of my favorites is the little placeholder marking the spot of an unwritten column. The Washington Post, for example, acknowledges a writer’s absence by running this line below the column’s standing head: “So-and-so is away. Her column will resume when she returns.”
Of course, So-and-so has been filing columns from home since the pandemic forced a redefinition of the workplace. She hasn’t set foot inside the Post newsroom for 18 months. This begs the question: From where is she away? If she is taking a stay-at-home vacation, she is not away at all. Did she feel obligated to pack a bag and go somewhere for a bit, just so the newspaper’s declaration that she is “away” retains accuracy? You never know when the Post factchecker might be on your trail.
Those are just some of the things I’ve been thinking about while trying to take a bit of a break from following the news of the day, such as it is. Sometimes the cumulative weight of the daily newsfeed gets to be a tad too much, and you really need to get away for a bit. But who wants to go anywhere while the delta variant runs wild?
I figured now is a good time for a short break. This blogsite just had its fifth anniversary. I can’t thank you enough for playing along with me these past few years. I pontificate in this space primarily for the purpose of thinking stuff out. The older I get, the more cognitive exercise I need. But to know that a whole bunch of smart people actually read what I write is a wonderful bonus that I will always treasure.
I won’t be gone long. Please know that I am away, and that my blog will resume when I return. Meanwhile, I will focus intently and singularly on this ontological query: How do I get to “away” without leaving the house? That ought to send me rushing back to the world of infrastructure bills, filibuster reform and, back by unpopular demand, the Taliban.
Catch you later.