Thank you, Helen Thomas

Helen Thomas is 85 today. It was in August 32 years ago when she changed my life.

I was a very young newspaper reporter in a small town in central South Carolina. In those days - pre Woodward and Bernstein - a print journalist 'created' a career by moving from paper to paper and gathering experience and clips. I had started out in Wheeling, WVa. I got my big break when I was hired by the Pittsburgh Press. I started on Monday and they went on strike on Tuesday - for 3 years. But I didn't stick around even for three weeks.

My parents were living in Aiken, South Carolina. Actually, they were just getting ready to move to North Carolina. I went to visit and stopped in at the newspaper there and got hired. It was actually a good gig as newspapers go. I got to do a bit of everything. I was even the sports editor for a few months. I was on track and making tracks. Until Helen Thomas stopped me in my tracks.

It was a Sunday morning in August and I was reading the Sunday paper and drinking my coffee. I got to Parade and opened up the Q&A section in the front cover.

Q: "Is Helen Thomas the only female reporter in the White House? How much does she make?"
A: "Helen Thomas is the only White House print reporter (and the first) and makes $29,000 a year."

WTF??!!!!!! Even in the early 70's and even as a person of the lower class (female), I had hoped after basciallion years (which is what I figured Helen Thomas had logged in) of reporting I would be making more than $29,000 a year!

That was it. I was done. Being a newspaper reporter in those days was no glamor job. I remember my father kept asking me when I was going to get a job he could tell his friends about - having a daughter who was a reporter was embarrassing. Lois Lane and Helen Thomas - that was it as far as the public knew - for female reporters. But, I liked the investigative bits. I loved being in the know and having a license to be nosey. However, honestly, I wasn't that good. And $29,000??!! NFW.

Three months later, I was selling office equipment for IBM. My starting salary, before commissions was $18,000. My first year, I made $30,000.

So, thanks, Helen... Happy birthday. I hope you got a raise.

Thank you, Helen Thomas

Helen Thomas is 85 today. It was in August 32 years ago when she changed my life.

I was a very young newspaper reporter in a small town in central South Carolina. In those days - pre Woodward and Bernstein - a print journalist 'created' a career by moving from paper to paper and gathering experience and clips. I had started out in Wheeling, WVa. I got my big break when I was hired by the Pittsburgh Press. I started on Monday and they went on strike on Tuesday - for 3 years. But I didn't stick around even for three weeks.

My parents were living in Aiken, South Carolina. Actually, they were just getting ready to move to North Carolina. I went to visit and stopped in at the newspaper there and got hired. It was actually a good gig as newspapers go. I got to do a bit of everything. I was even the sports editor for a few months. I was on track and making tracks. Until Helen Thomas stopped me in my tracks.

It was a Sunday morning in August and I was reading the Sunday paper and drinking my coffee. I got to Parade and opened up the Q&A section in the front cover.

Q: "Is Helen Thomas the only female reporter in the White House? How much does she make?"
A: "Helen Thomas is the only White House print reporter (and the first) and makes $29,000 a year."

WTF??!!!!!! Even in the early 70's and even as a person of the lower class (female), I had hoped after basciallion years (which is what I figured Helen Thomas had logged in) of reporting I would be making more than $29,000 a year!

That was it. I was done. Being a newspaper reporter in those days was no glamor job. I remember my father kept asking me when I was going to get a job he could tell his friends about - having a daughter who was a reporter was embarrassing. Lois Lane and Helen Thomas - that was it as far as the public knew - for female reporters. But, I liked the investigative bits. I loved being in the know and having a license to be nosey. However, honestly, I wasn't that good. And $29,000??!! NFW.

Three months later, I was selling office equipment for IBM. My starting salary, before commissions was $18,000. My first year, I made $30,000.

So, thanks, Helen... Happy birthday. I hope you got a raise.

misc bits

So... I'm clicking along here at work and all of a sudden, I got no internet access. None. I called the Help folks and learned I had been put in the Rathole Database. I have no clue what that is but I am honored. John, my new best friend on then help desk, got me out and I was hooked up again. But I have been in the Rathole today and probably you haven't!

I have been asking Sheri to please find someone to work in parallel to John to get this shit finished up! John is doing the shelves. There is also a security system that needs to be yanked out of the wall and a valance that needs to be made and hung. She kept saying that John will do these when he's finished the shelves. Only John never seems to finish the fucking shelves.

She finally agreed last Sunday that my request was reasonable and finally today she says she has found Tony. He will do the security work in 10 days. No word on the valance. So, I asked her again for a plan on that. Every.fucking.thing.is.a.struggle. I want this finished.

I got an email today from a guy named Worth Civils. Isn't that a name?? He's a reporter for Wall Street Journal Online. He's working on a story about Ameritrade and read (here on LJ) that I used it and asked me about a new feature.

I have not ever been hounded by reporters but I have been contacted now and again for various odd things. Half of me wants to say 'go awwwwwaaaaay' but the other half of me remembers 30 years ago when I worked so hard to get comments and quotes that weren't stupid or unthoughtout. Usually the guilt wins out.

I do remember the time the fact checker for Sports Illustrated asked me if I was a Microsoft Millionaire... (this was for a sidebar about my website where I chronicled the impending implosion of the Kingdome.) I had a Japanese reporter interview me for a newspaper story that was frighteningly long - frightening because I had no clue what it said. I had a friend at the time who was working on the Nagano Olympics and he got a woman in his office to translate it for me. When you mix the normal number of mistakes and errors with the cultural differences, you get one hilarious piece.

I did respond to Worth Civils and even tried out the feature for him.

My brother's last day at Prudential was today. His next career starts this afternoon. I so hope it works out for him.

misc bits

So... I'm clicking along here at work and all of a sudden, I got no internet access. None. I called the Help folks and learned I had been put in the Rathole Database. I have no clue what that is but I am honored. John, my new best friend on then help desk, got me out and I was hooked up again. But I have been in the Rathole today and probably you haven't!

I have been asking Sheri to please find someone to work in parallel to John to get this shit finished up! John is doing the shelves. There is also a security system that needs to be yanked out of the wall and a valance that needs to be made and hung. She kept saying that John will do these when he's finished the shelves. Only John never seems to finish the fucking shelves.

She finally agreed last Sunday that my request was reasonable and finally today she says she has found Tony. He will do the security work in 10 days. No word on the valance. So, I asked her again for a plan on that. Every.fucking.thing.is.a.struggle. I want this finished.

I got an email today from a guy named Worth Civils. Isn't that a name?? He's a reporter for Wall Street Journal Online. He's working on a story about Ameritrade and read (here on LJ) that I used it and asked me about a new feature.

I have not ever been hounded by reporters but I have been contacted now and again for various odd things. Half of me wants to say 'go awwwwwaaaaay' but the other half of me remembers 30 years ago when I worked so hard to get comments and quotes that weren't stupid or unthoughtout. Usually the guilt wins out.

I do remember the time the fact checker for Sports Illustrated asked me if I was a Microsoft Millionaire... (this was for a sidebar about my website where I chronicled the impending implosion of the Kingdome.) I had a Japanese reporter interview me for a newspaper story that was frighteningly long - frightening because I had no clue what it said. I had a friend at the time who was working on the Nagano Olympics and he got a woman in his office to translate it for me. When you mix the normal number of mistakes and errors with the cultural differences, you get one hilarious piece.

I did respond to Worth Civils and even tried out the feature for him.

My brother's last day at Prudential was today. His next career starts this afternoon. I so hope it works out for him.