The Masthead

I think the rebirth of NHS's Masthead is wonderful news. I played a part in reviving my high school paper and it gave me an enticing first taste of journalism.

However, I've got to ask. In this day and age, when every kid and most parents have access to laptops and smart phones wouldn't an online version of the Masthead make more sense? An online version would give students more practical experience while also saving printing costs.

Just a thought.

Catching Up

Room with a View

I've spent the past 10 days far, far away.

I absolutely cherish the first seven days, having discovered and fallen in love with San Diego. This isn't an exotic location for many, but it was my first time south of LA. Unfortunately, I had to blend in some work with play, but I actually enjoyed both.

In so many ways, San Diego stands in a sharp contrast to Newburyport: West vs. East; New vs. old; Car Culture vs. Walking City. But we felt strangely at home there as well. Downtown San Diego managed to capture an essence of its East Coast counterparts with tight streets, mixed use buildings and a nice walkable feel. Even Petco Field, home of the Padres, is shoehorned in a squat set of city blocks ala Fenway.

The family came with me, so we found settled on a hotel outside the downtown right on Mission Bay. You can see the view from our room up above. The picture doesn't capture this, but the waterfront reminded us all of Newburyport in the summer time: warm waters, a sea of boats and the gentle arc of a bridge just off to the left.

At nearby Mission Beach we found an old amusement park complete with an old-style roller coaster that brought back memories of Revere Beach. (I never rode that roller coaster but I do remember it standing.)

We spent the eight day driving across the desert to Las Vegas where I had to work for two more days while the family romped around a ridiculously large hotel room. Vegas never reminds me of Newburyport although it did cause me to wonder if we should build a volcano on our waterfront.

We came back yesterday morning on the red eye. The boys slept in this morning so I've had some time to catch up on newspapers. Now I'm just reading about all that has kept my blog mates busy.

I hope you're all well. If you're headed to San Diego drop me a line. I'd love to share recommendations (Balboa Park and Luigi's at the Beach would be my favorites.)

Youth Commission Needs You

We members of Khaki-nation point to our parental responsibilities as reason one why we don't get involved in city activities. I suppose that's a fair justification, not one that I share entirely but I do understand the desire to be at home with one's kids instead of attending some meeting.

But here's where we all might want to make an exception.

The Newburyport Youth Commission is looking for new members. This is an important organization for those of us with children. The NYC helps identify, plan an execute communitywide experiences where those of us with kids - and those without - can gather, meet one another and enjoy as well as important programs like the after-school drop-in center.

Commission Member Jeff Ives says the NYC is at an important point. The group has successfully executed the five-year plan it crafted five years ago, and now it's ready to set a new course that will determine the community events/programs that will be held in the next five years. So if you've got kids you definitely have a horse in this race.

The meeting is Tuesday, 6:30 p.m at the Kelley School.

Jeff was kind enough to answer a few questions about the NYC. I'll print the short Q&A in a separate post so you can get an idea of the group's mission and expectations.

Oh and if you've got a beef with the commission, be a grown-up and email Jeff directly. Don't just drop a load of snark off in the comments section.