Thursday, January 8, 2015

Welcome to this week's Reno News & Review.

OK, this column is not Facebook, so I try to include stories about the less photogenic parts of my life, and the not-so-respectable parts of being a human, but, man, I have got to tell you about my day yesterday.

My day yesterday:

1. I got to hire Georgia Fisher as special projects editor.

2. I was interviewed by a kindred mind at the Epoch Times in New York City.

3. I got the first response to a volunteer's public records request of all 1,900 law enforcement agencies in Texas.

4. I got a call from a U.S. Representative's staff to meet with them on Monday.

5. I got told I'm a finalist for a $12,000 grant.

6. I got interviewed by Channel 4's Jaime Hayden.

7. I was asked to speak to the Media Consortium and Association of Alternative Newsmedia about Fatal Encounters. They're picking up the room and conference costs!

8. I got an update on the next iteration of the Fatal Encounters website. Machine language learning? Multiple languages? Crazy!

9. I got to drink some wine with my girl.

10. Charter called to say they're doubling my internet speed at home for free.

I had one really dark spot that made everything else seem brighter. I also had another dark spot that turned out to be some of the small stuff we're not supposed to sweat.

I don't know what the takeaway to all this is, but I'm sure it's something sweet. Appreciate your good days? Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow you may die? Recognize that we can't really take credit for everything that luck hands us?

Sometimes you just have to believe it: There is no spoon.

***

Update: I did get the grant from J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism, which will help launch encuentrosmortales.org. This site will focus on officer-involved homicides on the U.S. border with Mexico.