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04/24/2003 Archived Entry: "I heard a good one today."

I HEARD A GOOD ONE TODAY

It seems someone during a meeting of a local organization last night asked what I was doing "reading in the back room” of the Independent. Now that is really funny since I've been doing it two days a week for 4 years or so. Every Monday and every Tuesday each week, year after year. I was about as close to the back door as you can get, as there was no other place for me to sit. That place is packed with people and desks…all taken by employees.

When the paper was first organized about four years ago, I started proof-reading for them as a volunteer, to help them out. I just stayed. I guess I forgot to go home. I’ve never been paid nor had any benefits other than a meal or two now and then.

Proofing has nothing to do with editing or the content of the paper. Proofing involves catching misspelled words and I usually do it by reading backwards through an article, word by word, so I haven’t the slightest idea what I am reading. When I read the paper, I read it fresh just like other subscribers.

It takes some qualifications to edit, if that were the implication, and I have no such qualifications. They wouldn’t have let me do it anyway. Writers don’t want people editing their stories and they get really grumpy if anyone tries to rearrange their words or tell them what to say.

I don’t know how you can resign from a non-paying, volunteer job, but I just did last week. I want to have more time to do other things. Two days a week out of my life at my age is a big chunk and I wanted that time back to use in other ways. I have a lot of projects I'm involved in right now.

Everyone ought to volunteer some time to help others…and many do. Mine just happened to be that I was helping friends by doing some thankless, time-consuming dull work. And all my friends know that.

If they really get pinched for a proofer, I'll go back down if they call. But I won't be eager as I'm really enjoying the extra time I seem to have suddenly acquired.

So....that's what I was doing in the back room of the Independent.