Do other people suffer from this problem? I read a headline like the one in today's New York Times: Comment Stings Maliki as Obama Arrives in Baghdad. I begin reading the article, intrigued to learn what the "comment" in question is. I keep reading. I get frustrated when, five paragraphs in, I've found only discussion about responses to criticism of the comment. Finally, in the sixteenth paragraph, I find the comment itself.

If the comment is mentioned in the headline, why not give it to us in the first couple of paragraphs? I usually assume that the writers and editors assume that everyone is familiar with the comment itself, and therefore needs no repetition in the article's lead. (I mean, al-Maliki made his comment on Saturday – surely you're enough of a news junkie to know what he said, right?) Maybe I'm just not plugged in enough to the news scene.

Am I the only one who gets frustrated by this? Sometimes I find myself scanning the entire article for quote marks, just to discover the quote itself. Sometimes – and this is much, much more aggravating – the article won't even give me the actual quote, substituting instead a paraphrase or summary. I thought I was supposed to decide, dagnabit! Just give me the source and let me compile it. (Ya like that geeky allusion there, computer dorks?)

TimeWaster™

Check out "Better Already" from my latest musical obsession, Northern State. (I haven't been this excited about a hip-hop act since Babbletron.) This song isn't nearly the best one on their new album Can I Keep This Pen?,* but it's decent – and the video is lots of fun.



Today I'm listening to: Northern State!

* That particular honor goes to track #3, "Oooh Girl".