Open space has changed how cities and residents perceive, enjoy land use
Leadership is not about rallying support and taking action for a cause or issue because it’s popular or easy. Leadership is about identifying a goal that is right and good and, despite it being unpopular or seemingly impossible to achieve, pursuing it.
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August 2010
We aren’t perfect. But we try to be.
No one likes to be wrong, but the YS editorial staff absolutely abhors it. It’s a serious problem. It’s to the point of abnormality, usually involving super nerdy topics like verbs and AP style.
Recently, as an example, associate editor Lacy “Ace” Boggs and I got into a knock-down-drag-out fight debating the usage of “Coloradan” versus “Coloradoan.” There were raised voices, veiled threats and bruised egos. The rest of the office just listened in confused awe as we battled it out, nerd against nerd.
If a mistake makes it into the magazine—if there is a misspelling or ridiculously conjugated verb or a wacky metaphor that doesn’t make sense—things get even more tense. I usually have to leave the office, get a breath of fresh air and repeat a self-assuring mantra.
While we’ll admit when we are wrong, we truly don’t take mistakes lightly.
So when I looked at the cover of the June issue—after it was already printed and delivered—rage rolled through my veins.
Firey or fiery? Um, hello!?!?
Why didn’t we spell-check the cover? Why didn’t I notice the mistake during the 15 to 20 times I read the cover? Why did I misspell it in the first place? Why? Why? Whyyyyyyyyyyy?
I have no answers, no excuses, just an overflowing amount of regret and disappointment. It could have been avoided; it should have been avoided. While we don’t have an official copyeditor, Ace and I, members of the production team and interns edit the magazine each month. But this time, our system had failed. There’s not much we can do now (Though, I think I’ll blame the interns).
Which brings me to the Smart Issue. We came up with the idea for this brainy edition over a long lunch last winter, and I’ve been excited about it ever since. There’s nothing more exciting (again, super nerdy) than exploring cutting-edge education initiatives, especially when most schools are seeing drastic cuts. It’s finding the bright spots in an economic tsunami.
But, I have to admit, it’s difficult to be an arbiter of academia when your readership knows you have imperfect spelling skills.
Grammatical errors in print journalism are kind of like bad math in engineering or bad style in the fashion industry.
In J-school, professors liken misspelled names to malice. In the work place, it’s not an option: get it right or don’t have a job. Tales of Stephen Glass or Jayson Blair are like horror stories that inspire fear in rookie reporters.
“The printed word can ruin careers and change lives. Don’t screw up,” an editor often told me (That same editor once wrote “Oakie” instead of “Okie” when referring to people from Oklahoma. Huzzah!).
But some mistakes don’t ruin lives or careers. Many are not lawsuit-worthy. They are just simply errors that make you look really stupid and feel even stupider.
Especially when I get a text from my brother saying, “I found a mistake in your story!”
The truth is, you can have 100 people tell you that you are a great writer, a wonderful reporter and a quality journalist. But when you make a mistake—a mistake that tens of thousands of people potentially see—it makes you question your talent, your ability and your smarts. It internally heckles your ego (my huge, huge ego).
So, what do we do about it?
We move on. We suck it up, and we don’t make that mistake again. That’s the lesson of the issue: Smart isn’t always about being right, it’s about learning from being wrong.
For this issue, we decided to spell-check the cover.
August 2010
Boulder County packrat assembles a treasure trove
I get a lot of grief about the stuff I collect; books, magazines and newspapers as well as family heirlooms that I just can’t seem to part with. But my penchant for collecting (OK, hoarding) pales in comparison to the late Ray G. Dougherty.
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June 2010
Dear Colorado, secure our right to float
I don’t claim to be a “rafter,” but I have flown down rapids through town and country, ravines and canyon walls. It’s a frantic, frightful rush that leaves you wanting more, going face to face with Mother Nature, and with hope, living to tell your adrenaline-fueled tale.
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June 2010
For athletes, sports medicine and training are all encompassing
I grew up taking naps under a massage table. During the spring and summer, my father, a sports massage therapist and coach, would spend weekends working at races, tournaments and bouts of all kinds. And I would get dragged along—thanks, Dad!
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May 2010
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