A blog about Kern County and Personal Journals.
Real Name: Jennifer Baldwin Member Since: March 14, 2006 Last Signed In: December 07, 2009 Profile Views: 13318 Blog Views: 20191 Shifting priorities Turnip Wars Death, death, death! Dressing alike at work Take time to "smell" the flowers What? Daylight Saving starts Sunday??? Ever wanted to host an exchange student? Watch out for downtown con artist! First day back: So far so good The new hope June 06 July 06 August 06 September 06 October 06 November 06 December 06 January 07 February 07 March 07 April 07 May 07 June 07 July 07 August 07 September 07 October 07 November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 October 08 November 08 December 08 January 09 February 09 March 09 April 09 May 09 June 09 July 09 August 09 September 09 October 09 November 09 December 09 January 10 February 10 
RSS 2.0    Share!
|
|
|
Today is my first day as a former employee of The Bakersfield Californian. I was one of the newsroom staff who was laid off yesterday. But as much as I am mourning the demise of the newspaper industry right now, I am also, frankly, really happy. I am very thankful for all of the great things I got to do and learn while I was at TBC, and now I am just very thankful to be sitting at home typing this blog post with my 4 1/2-month-old baby sleeping in his swing next to me. I had only been back to work from maternity leave for three weeks, and those three weeks were really hard on me to be away from my baby. Thankfully my mom has been staying with us to watch him during the day, and I only live 1.3 miles from the paper, so I could go home for lunch every day to see him. But this layoff is a testament that everything in life works out the way it should. My priorities are now shifting. I'm going to try to find a way to work part-time or from home in order to spend more time being a mom. So like I told all of my now-former co-workers (and always friends) yesterday, don't cry for me Argentina! I'm looking forward to new adventures :) (The picture was taken by my mom when I arrived home, severance package in hand, yesterday. No tears, only smiles!) Who's got the biggest turnip in Bakersfield? Robert Kidd thought his was pretty big, at 4 pounds and 18 inches in circumference. But after his picture was featured in The Bakersfield Californian, our photo editor Alex Horvath got a call. Kidd's turnip was small potatoes compared to Ernie Kipfer's titan, which weighs 11 pounds, 8 ounces and is 30 inches in diameter. Now THAT'S a giant turnip! Let the turnip wars begin!!! I don't believe it when people say they want more "Good News" in the newspaper. As always, the top read stories on Bakersfield.com are about death, death, death and DEATH.
We don't call each other in the morning, we don't send out e-mails at the end of the day, we don't plan these things. But sometimes multiple people show up to work in the newsroom wearing the same color. How is it possible that six people in the same little office can wake up one morning and decide "I'm going to wear purple today." Well, it happens. And I have tried to document the phenomenon as best I can over the years. (Sometimes I really have to cajole my co-workers, and some flat out refuse to be photographed.) Here's a little video I've put together of our matching days. Go ahead, laugh at us :) Need to gaze upon some beauty today? Don't miss the gallery of wildflower photos submitted by our readers. It's like taking a drive on the country roads of Kern County right at your desk. If you have photos to submit, send them to me at jbaldwin@bakersfield.com to add to the gallery. Or post your own at Bakersfield.com/youreport. Here's the link for the gallery: http://people.bakersfield.c... This is your brain (000) This is your brain on maternity leave (.) The past four months have been a whirlwind and now all of a sudden BAM! time is slapping me in the face saying "I'm flying by!" I JUST realized that daylight saving time starts this Sunday. Is it seriously that time of year again? This time last year I was brand-spanking-newly knocked up. Spring was in the air, life was growing all around and inside of me, I was full of fear and hope, and I was puking a lot. Thank God that's over! But I have just spent four glorious winter months hunkered down in my cozy home, all bundled up with my newborn baby, playing silly games, singing songs, rocking him to sleep, and watching the fog and rain out the windows while we stayed all safe and warm inside our cocoon. Now suddenly I had to stretch my wings and return to work this week. Sunday, the time shift will further pull me out of the den of my precious winter. I'm going to miss the rainy days playing with all our "friends" and dancing to Old MacDonald. I actually do love daylight saving time. I love the late, warm evenings for walks, barbecuing, and spending time outdoors. Some of my favorite childhood memories are of playing in the street with all the neighborhood kids and even some parents until it was bedtime. So I will grieve the winter past but welcome summer with hopes of once again playing outside until bedtime, this time as the parent enjoying the laughter of my little guy.
The closest my family came to hosting a foreign exchange student was two German kids traveling with "Up With People" for a couple of days. They were so much fun to have around! I always wished we could host a student for a longer period of time, but our house was pretty full with foster kids already. In any case, it's very fulfilling to open your home to a young person. If you've ever been curious about being a host family, check out this You Report article.
Local elementary school principal Bill Jager has written a funny and telling story about his encounter with a panhandler the other night. He calls it "A Few Good Bakersfield Souls." Of all the times I've been hit up by panhandlers, I've never experienced an elaborate a story as Jager and his wife heard from this guy, who said, in short, he and his family were trying to get enough cash to buy train tickets home to Texas. But the Jagers cared enough to follow up on the guy's story and go down to the Amtrak station to check out his tale. As I edited the story today to run in The Californian, I, too, drove to the Amtrak station (their only phone line is a voice recording) to confirm the story. Yes, the agent said, this panhandler is well known among the staff. He apparently tells people he's trying to get to Texas, then says they can even go to the station and give the money directly to the agent, who is holding the money for him. Of course, the agents are not. But how many people just take the panhandler's word for it and not check it out for themselves? Good thing there are skeptics out there — and, as Bill Jager puts it, people with big hearts who are ready to empty their pockets to help others in need. Hello bloggers! As I watch the inauguration with my baby boy on this important day in history, I know he has been born into a time of new hope for this country. Derek's life began on the day Obama was elected president of the United States. I voted absentee from the hospital to participate in that historic event. And now Derek is witnessing the hope become a reality. Some day he'll understand the legacy that Obama has brought to our country, and how Derek is a part of that legacy. May Derek contribute to the future of America as he grows into a man and into a proud citizen of the U.S.A.! |
