I've been easing back into writing for the paper. I took a break while we went to Montana and I got used to what my life was like before I had "deadlines." I do really love to write for the Express though so I need to get back into it. I definately don't want to ruin my opportunity. So the past week I have been working on a Progress Report for 2008. I know, I know a progress report usually reports on something that has already happened but the way the editor is looking at it is that the public wants to know what they can expect in the coming year...more like a progressive report. Anyway, I am responsible for the report on the library, regional history center, health department, and transporation department. The beauty is that I am not actually the author of the reports. Instead I am working with the head honcho of each organization as they write the report. This has been a good project to ease me back into it all.

I have also been assigned to write a series(to be run in Feb/March) on the drug Meth. This drug is considered a serious state-wide/nation-wide threat to our society and communities. The research I have done has really scared me. Unlike most other illegal drugs, meth can be "cooked" or produced in any location with the right equipment and ingredients(nearly all of which can be purchased at your local walmart). The contamination that results to the surrounding environment puts innocent neighbors or bystanders in serious risk to their health(not to mention children of meth cooks - don't get me started on that one). Hotel rooms, apartment buildings, and homes where the previous tenant cooked meth are full of toxins that are VERY expensive to clean(most of the time the contamination cannot be reversed). These toxins soak into the walls, carpets, almost anything...then when the meth lab is discovered and shut down or the people move out of the location, the unassuming new tenants suffer serious health problems: migrains and seizers among the known affects. So what am I saying? Last month when you stayed with your family at the Holiday Inn, the previous traveler may have "cooked" meth on the coffee table your kids played cards on. When Brian and I moved into our apartment it was obvious that the landlord takes impecible care of his units. But who knows, our next door neighbor could be "cooking" meth in her spare time... Or if 5 years ago the renters of our apartment had a meth lab and we are now sucking down the poisons. Either way what needs to be done? I have about 5,000 other things to say about this epidemic. If you read all that, please BEWARE!!! Meth is not your ordinary drug. It is said to be psychologically addictive in a way your average alcohol or drug addict wouldn't understand. It actually rewires the brain to prioritize survival instincts to include meth among the need for air to breath. Most meth addicts became addicted after the very first try. It only took 1 time for the brain to say "I want that more than I want anything." Mothers and fathers who were once responsible and loving parents give up everything for the drug that "takes your soul." That was a quote I found from a woman who literally lost everything because she tried meth once to lose some weight. She had never done any kind of drug before. She had 3 children, a home in a rich neighborhood, and a successful MD husband. Within a year she lost it all. It is obvious to me that this series needs to be in the paper. Parents need to tell their kids not to even try it once! Mothers need to hear what they could lose just for the hope of staying thin. Families need to be warned that the home they want to buy could have housed a meth lab. There is currently no registry of condemned homes that were once meth labs. They can be sold without revealing the fact to the buyer. I could go on but this is not the point of this post! Ha.

Please note that the following could happen to any newspaper: So I wasn't even going to pick up the paper that came out yesterday except I decided I wanted to cut out a copy of the archive article I write every week. Well, I was mortified to pull out the "Expressions" section of the paper to see a 60 pt size headline that read "Cold temperatures don't the stop feeding process." The article was about local farmers who, despite the terrible cold the past month, continue to feed their livestock daily. I would be embarrassed by the article content if it wasn't so relavant to the people in this area. I was horrified though by the headline's typo. Don't get me wrong - I am not one of "those people" who lecture perfect strangers on bad grammar or pitfalls. In fact, I have plenty of my own in the emails I write or even on this blog. But come on! The paper supposedly goes through a rigorous editing process and somehow that headline was looked over?? I guess this is my vent session because there is nothing I can do about it but my name is associated with the paper....but nothing is perfect and whoever was in charge of editing that page was probably in need of a sugar rush. Who really likes editing....