Pete Nickeas

is a wonderful city.

The bars stay open past midnight. The food options are diverse. You can have a few drinks and not worry about getting picked up for a public intox. Hell, they encourage it — the downtown district has a free shuttle that stops almost every block. The view of the mountains is wonderful, and Coors Field is clean and classy.

All the things we want in a city, basically.

But since I got a job in Chicago, that will probably be our last time there. For the foreseeable future anyway.

Details to come.

I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who gagged when Lara Logan played cheerleader on CNN last weekend.

Quote of the year (it’s only July, I know):
“Anyone who wants to know why network television news hasn’t mattered since the seventies just needs to check out this appearance by Logan. Here’s CBS’s chief foreign correspondent saying out loud on TV that when the man running a war that’s killing thousands of young men and women every year steps on his own dick in front of a journalist, that journalist is supposed to eat the story so as not to embarrass the flag.”

This whole Hastings / Rolling Stone / McChrystal flap is bringing about a lot of good journalism discussions.

But on Sunday, bored for about 15 minutes, I turned on CNN and heard a CBS correspondent acknowledge her “unspoken agreement” with the people she covers: she won’t “embarrass them by reporting insults and banter.”

Background… Michael Hastings’ much discussed profile of (former?) Gen. Stanley McChrystal.

Here’s the excerpted transcript … … …

KURTZ: When you are out with the troops and you’re living together and sleeping together, is there an unspoken agreement –
LOGAN: Absolutely.
KURTZ: — that you’re not going to embarrass them by reporting insults and banter?
LOGAN: Yes.
KURTZ: Tell me about that.
LOGAN: Yes, absolutely. There is an element of trust.

… … …

Element of trust? I’m sorry. Maybe this is a TV thing? I don’t know. I don’t know of this “element of trust” she speaks of that gives reporters a “don’t embarrass my sources” card.

I mean, if someone tells you off the record and you say “yea, off the record,” then that stays between you. There is certainly an element of trust between sources and reporters in that regard.

Unless you establish ground rules (as suggested here by Tom Ricks), and you say / do something stupid in plain sight of a reporter,  why would that not be reported? Why SHOULD that not be reported?

To be fair, Logan continued with another point after saying “there is an element of trust.”

CONTINUING… … …

LOGAN: And what I find is the most telling thing about what Michael Hastings said in your interview is that he talked about his manner as pretending to build an illusion of trust and, you know, he’s laid out there what his game is. That is exactly the kind of damaging type of attitude that makes it difficult for reporters who are genuine about what they do, who don’t — I don’t go around in my personal life pretending to be one thing and then being something else. I mean, I find it egregious that anyone would do that in their professional life.

And, I mean, I take that to the point of, even when I plan to interview someone about something difficult, and they want to know the areas of the interview, I might not say, well, we’re going to spend the whole interview on this, but I will list that. I will list that controversial issue.
KURTZ: Because you don’t want to blindside them.
LOGAN: Because I don’t believe in that.

HERE is what she’s referencing from the earlier Hastings interview:

KURTZ: Did the rest of the media, in your view, protect General McChrystal? I mean, there are a lot of glowing profiles about this guy. “Newsweek” called him a “Jedi Warrior.” You come in. You’re not a beat reporter. You’re there to do one piece, and you gave us a very different side of the way the war is being run.
HASTINGS: Oh, I’m positive that that’s the case with General McChrystal. He was a subject of a series of glowing profiles. And there’s — this is actually an interesting journalistic point.

There’s a reason why when General McChrystal took the job, everyone writes a glowing profile of him, because then that assures access later on. And that assures better — if you ever write a favorable story, they’ll get better access later.

And that was a game General McChrystal’s team played very well, that if you get — that if you write us a good story, we’ll give you good access.

They gave unprecedented access to everybody. You know, they let — you know, debriefings. They let you hang out with them. And they try to make you feel like you’re part of the team.

But that’s an illusion. You’re really part of the team. You know?

… … …

To me, it doesn’t sound like Hastings is “pretending to build an illusion of trust.” It sounds like (from Hastings’ answer) that McChrystal was building the illusion throughout the course of these glowing profiles.

But, it is good to know that a CBS reporter dedicated to covering two wars and the ongoing deployment of hundreds of thousands of young people in support of major combat operations, has an “unspoken agreement” to not embarrass the people she covers.  Every time I see a CBS report on the war I’m going to ask myself, “I wonder what information has been left out because of this unspoken agreement not to embarrass people.”

VACATION! Erin & I are going to Denver next weekend for a low-budget honeymoon. Two nights in Denver, a Rockies game, maybe some shopping and whatnot. We’ll see. Pictures to follow.

Speaking of, here are some wedding photos. Shout out to Pat Yeagle, wedding photog extraordinaire, plus good friend and whiskey drinker.

A good read via my colleague Josh, one man’s defense of Michael Hastings’ much discussed profile of (former?) Gen. Stanley McChrystal. Perhaps a more substantive post to follow.

In the meantime, there’s been quite a bit of discussion prompted by Hastings’ profile. I find the AfPak Channel on ForeignPolicy.com to be quite informative.

And Tom Ricks’ blog, too. He guessed that USMC General James Mattis would take over in place of McChrystal, but made his pitch for Gen. David Petraeus, who did eventually replace McChrystal.

Until then, I’m going to start jacking fools on their way from the ATM.

Just joking.

If nothing else, not having enough money has taught us a lot. I feel like I’m ahead of the game anyway because I’ve never really had a ton of money and have been paying for some of the “necessities” since like 5th or 6th grade. I feel more responsible, more self sufficient, and more in a position to build a future based on my experiences and I’m grateful for all of that.

BUT DAMN I’D BE GRATEFUL FOR SOME MORE MONEY TOO!

Here’s the thing. I was half stupid and half broke in college, so a chunk of my credit card debt is 40’s and handles of whiskey. The other chunk is rent, tires, books, moving costs, etc.

One of the things I’m most proud of personally is not having incurred any debt since living in Wyoming. Erin and I have been out like 4 times since being here (more than three months now), and our recreation consists of at-home-drinking. Which, I’m good with. In my personal life I’m very fiscally conservative.

I just gotta get rid of some of this interest bearing debt. It’s a joke. It’s amazing what percentage of my monthly expenditures are from credit cards.

Work is going well, though. This last week was a grinder but I loved it. I didn’t feel like, at the end of the week, that I worked as much as I did. It flew. I was out of the office a lot, met a ton of people, etc. Plus, what I’m working on is material of consequence. I’m not pissing in the wind.

Here’s a random string of sentences:
Erin just started working full time. I’m debating the idea of getting another job. If work stays this busy I won’t have to, so I’m hoping that it does. My two brothers aren’t gonna make it out for Thanksgiving, I don’t think. That saddens me. I’m going back to Chicago for Christmas and my brothers will be there. Big ass party on the 26th. Everybody’s invited, as always. I’m glad winter is around the corner. I’m sick of people warning me about the Wyoming winter. GET ON WITH IT MOTHAFUCKA! I’m ready.

I don’t know where to start … this is like three blog posts condensed into one.

It’s hard to empathize with people, people don’t care about poor people, and media coverage lacks when it comes to poor people.

(EDIT: I’m going to do more posts on the various topics.)

First … I confess, I have a hard time empathizing with people. Or feeling bad for people when bad shit happens.

I’ll cry like a baby when some bad shit happens to innocent people. This is probably one of the most profane videos I’ve ever seen. And I had a disgusting feeling in my gut watching a kid in his final moments. How could you not feel bad about that?

The two or three dozen people involved in that kids death will get theirs one day, and I can’t feel bad for them. They’ll go to prison and get spit out, or avoid jail time and go to a group home, or never get caught. They’ll get theirs, at some point in life, and I can’t feel bad about it.

Feeling bad for kids and other innocent people, though, is about the extent of my feelings for “man kind” in general.

When you do bad shit to people, bad things happen to you. That’s life.

How many people died of gun violence in Chicago last year? More than 500. To say it was a long hot summer would be an understatement.

There’s another video floating around of a guy who stuck a gun in someone’s face, then got the shit beat out of him by someone who fought back. It was gruesome. The guy who had the gun was on his back, on the ground, with a guy over him throwing punches quicker than most. Left, right, left, right. Just laying into him with a disregard for his well being.

But when you stick a gun in someone’s face, that’s what happens. Someone’s gonna fight back.

What’s bothers me, I think as much as the problem itself, is the media coverage. The Chicago Tribune’s editorial board isn’t in the streets pounding its chests about the lack of parenting, policing, whatever it is … that’s leading to 500 violent deaths in the city. You don’t see any special projects, either.

(Disclaimer: of all the papers in the country, I have more admiration for the Trib than any other paper. Their political coverage is what, in my humble opinion, what political coverage should be.)

Under its “Watchdog” tab, you don’t see “violence in the city.” Or anything similar. It’s not to detract from their state coverage (out front on almost every story involving Blago and observing the Trib’s bureau in Springfield was a learning experience in itself) or their city hall coverage (I still point to the “Neighborhoods for Sale” series as an example of what I one day hope to do) but they aren’t dedicating resources to this like they are other things.

The closest thing I’ve seen to a comprehensive look at what it’s like to be in the hood in Chicago is Alex Kotlotwitz’s “There Are No Children Here.” And that story details life two decades ago.

Maybe I’m wrong, and the Trib has three people in Englewood right now working on a project. But I doubt it. I just don’t see it, and it’s something we should be seeing.

I’ve covered parts of the North Platte River for work - a free bridge, long-range planning, and free money.

Today was actually the first time Erin & I really tried to take in the scenery. We ran from point A to point B on this map but along the river instead of along the road. About two miles, and we kept a 10 minute / mile pace despite the last quarter mile (by my estimation) being uphill, which is good.

Getting up that hill was great, because the view above the river just keeps getting better and better. We walked the two miles back and detoured to a hill to the north of the river (we were running a path halfway between the hilltop and the shore) and got a great view of Casper. I wish I had a camera, because it was really something else.

We’re going to hike this weekend and there will definitely be pictures. When we went up the mountain yesterday, there wasn’t a ton of good views but we didn’t venture around the trails much. More just scoping the place out.

In other news …

This giant zucchini will be turned into two types of cookies and three types of bread over the next day or two, and half of it is going to Jake, since he hooked it up with lots of vegetables.

We cooked a lot this weekend too, and I was surprised how well grilling went Saturday night. Grilled chicken, barbecue chicken, burgers, plus Erin made crab Rangoon type pastries and there was beverages to be had.

So, we’ve got leftovers for most of the week and Erin’s making bread.

And, I bent the shoe horn I have. Who knew those things could bend?

And I’m kinda tired.

I was actually worried when I got to work this morning about what I was going to do for stories this week. Of course, that lasted about fifteen minutes.

Here is a summary of what’s been going on at work. And I’ve got a couple good stories for tomorrow, so HELL YEA!

Runner Blog Day 7:
Erin and I agreed after a brief conversation that we should alternate days on the routes we run. Today, we ran the route that’s shorter but it’s got a lot of hills and you can feel it in your muscles more. Tomorrow will be the longer route that’s more of an endurance test than anything.

We usually run our route then walk a lap around our apartment complex - I would estimate that lap to be about 1/5th of a mile. Maybe 1/4. Anyway, we’re going to run far, and when we feel like we’re getting too far, divert ourselves back towards the apartment complex then run till fatigue. Then we’ll walk a little bit, run til fatigue again, and then walk home. That way, we’ll still get a “cool-down” at the end.

At some point when our legs are stronger and we don’t have to worry about our ability to run, and it’s just a cardio challenge, we’ll start running for time and time only. We’re still at a point though where we’re figuring out our physical capabilities and seeing where we stand.

I did feel great today though. Only 1.2 miles but we ran it through and without too much of a work out. I was a little sore during the run but it’s only because I’m out of shape.

We need a couch damnit but we don’t have enough money to pop for one. Not yet anyway. Maybe after we both get our next paychecks.

On that note, we’re starting to get settled and it feels nice. Where we’re at feels like home. The inside of our apartment, I meant. Wyoming still does not feel like home but we’re starting to learn streets, neighborhoods, shortcuts, etc.

The job is going well and I’ll be starting on a project in the next couple weeks, so I’m excited about that.

The work blog is coming along nicely, too. I’m looking forward to being able to market it - in the next week or so I’ll be making a concentrated effort to get the readership up.

Runner Blog Day 5:
Ran alone yesterday. Erin felt sick. It sucked. Usually I’m the one telling her to run more and at times I forget I’m running, which is exactly what I need. Running alone was different but I suppose I better get used to it. Erin does not share my enthusiasm for running and said she’s not going to do the 30-days thing. Which sucks, but, oh well.

I got just as far as Day 4 but quicker. I made the mistake of running about an hour and a half after lunch, though. My bad. I feel like I could’ve ran the whole way if I didn’t run so soon after lunch. I’ve noticed that about 3.5 or 4 hours is optimal for me - long after lunch but not quite hungry yet for dinner. So I’m running tonight after going to the movies with Erin.

With what, you ask?

This.

Been on the run since the beginning of the week and now it’s already Thursday. Hell yea!

Speaking of running…

Runner Blog: Day 3
Day 3 was better than day 2 and that’s basically what we’re looking for. Erin wasn’t feeling like running at all when I came home from work but she ended coming with and we made it through 90% of the uphill portion (which was 7 decent hills totalling about 4/5ths of a mile), walked for a little bit, and ran the last quarter mile or so.

It was hot as hell out but I think it feels great. I’m stuck in an office all day, usually, and feeling the sun is pretty nice.

One of these days we’re going to invest in a stop watch. Once rent is paid. Priorities and all. We’ve been moving at a quicker pace, I know that, but just not sure how much quicker.

The goal is to get to the point where we can run to the top of Casper Mountain. It’s a change in elevation of 3,000 feet and the road up is about six miles long.

I don’t have a time-line set yet but with about a month and a half before winter hits, I don’t know that it will be before December.

Just keep running I guess. We’ll see what happens.