From Bob Keary class of 2001 (atbu@bu.edu):

Hi, it took me a while to get to this blog but voila. I haven't heard from some of you people in forever! I guess my bio comes next - I started working at The Review in '98 as a Copy Editor for Ryan and Chrissy, and I stopped working at The Review in '01 as a Copy Editor for Eric and Sue. Somewhere along the way, people started calling me the Copy King, and I got a big, red, fuzzy crown at our last GRB that I continue to wear to work today. Even though I don't work at a newspaper, much less a copy desk. I work at a burger place, but not Burger King, but the BK people saw me and now i'm mired in a lengthy and costly court battle. Coincidentally, my initials are BK; that is my only defense. Please visit my website, www.burgerbob.com, to offer support (but only if it's financial support). Actually, I'm at Boston University getting my Master's in Screenwriting. I'm going to write movies, so Jess Zacholl needs to drop me a line cuz I have a planned spring break trip to LA to meet studio peeps and I'm so coming to see you and have drinks at your Irish bar. If you have a good idea for a movie that you don't mind I steal, please e-mail me.

A Delaware/non-Review matter: Does Brutus the Buckeye scare you as much as he does me? Well, even if he doesn't, you're a UD alum and you should vote for YoUDee in the CapitalOne 2003 Mascot Bowl.

Job posting from Michael Lewis (sweetlew2@hotmail.com):

Hello everybody, wanted to put the word out that my newspaper, The Glens Falls Post-Star, has an immediate opening for a sportswriter (no, I haven't been fired... yet). We're a 38,000 circulation paper owned by Lee Enterprises, a pretty good company as far as benefits and stuff goes. Basically the new sportswriter will help the rest of us covering preps, as well as help out with our minor league basketball and hockey teams. Yes it's cold up here in the winter and the social scene isn't exactly the Upper West Side, but we're a really good sports section that wins lots of APSE awards, we have tons of space to write, and the editor is a pretty good guy.

Anyone interested in applying, email me at sweetlew2@hotmail.com and I'll make sure your stuff gets to my editor.

Check it out: our former paper's Web site has a new look.

From Oakland L. Childers:

I want to get my two cents in on this one. I always found Dr. Jackson annoying because I was getting freelance jobs while I was a freshman in 308 or whatever it was called, and still he would not quit harping on me to improve this or that, especially style. It drove me nuts. Turns out, though, he was right. Even the best writers need editors, but I was young and cocky and didn't think I needed some old cracker telling me what I needed to do. It wasn't until I went to work in the real world that I realized just how important all those little things he wouldn't shut up about really are. I think my writing and certainly my editing is better because in the back of my head I still hear him saying "God damn it Oakland, if you don't get this style down you're going to be working at the Bufordtown Bugle." Incidentally, I now work at a paper resembling, in my mind, the Bufordtown Bugle, whatever the fuck that is. A few years ago, I got a copy of McKay Jenkins book in the mail, and as I had recently fired my book reviewer, I called his publicist and arranged an interview. When he called, I said "hey, how's Dr. Jackson's book coming?" and Jenkins just about had a heart attack laughing. He has made it no secret, I guess, that he absolutely loathes Dr. Jackson. I had the unfortunate luck of drawing Susan Whatshername as my 307 professor. Does anyone remember that lady? She worked for the New York Times and always brought her clips in. She was awful.

From Oakland L. Childers (oaklc16@aol.com):

Hi, I'm Oakland L. Childers, Entertainment Editor etc. of the Review from 1994 until 1998. I lived in the famous 16 Thompson house, in George Reed Village, with such notable Reviewers as Matt "the Maniac" Manachio (also known as Killer and Big City), John Chalbalko, Pete "Ratso" Bothum, Ryan Cormier and the various hos that came and went from our ghetto enclave. After college I went to Colorado, where I became entertainment/features editor of the Colorado Daily in Boulder. I stayed there until Oct. of 2002, when my wife and I moved to Alabama where she owns a chemical company with her brother. I work at a very small paper now, which makes me happy because I actually get to see my wife. As many of you now know, daily news editors work about 12 hours a day, and I burned out a little. I do a lot of freelance music writing (check Josh Withers' site for a couple things we did together) and am expecting our first child in April.

I was high almost the entire time I was at the Review and almost never slept, which worked out well. During my tenure at the Screw, a lot of strange things happened. Here's a couple off the top of my head.

* The famous Delphonics, at the ripe old age of about 75, beat the shit out of each other on top of me and a photographer at the grand opening of the Philadelphia Hard Rock. Needless to say, we got the scoop.

*Bill Werde turned me on to the wonderfull world of snorting Ritilin, which, along with all the coke we were doing at the time, rendered me an insomniac for several years. I'm proud to report that my only vice today is Perrier, which I consume almost non-stop.

*I performed, nearly naked, with my band, Streetsweeper, at a Review function. Despite the popularity of our ode to Amy Grossberg, "A child's right to lose," Streetsweeper fell apart after I abandoned our guitar player somewhere in the middle of the country during a cross-country trip.

*Speeking of Amy, for nearly a year after the murder, Josh Withers and I secretly hid her mug shot in photos appearing in the Review. If you look closely, you're bound to find a little Amy peeking out of the shadows.

*Ryan Cormier had to have his wisdom teeth out, but swore he wouldn't take the pain killers his doctor gave him. He was such a good boy back then. The pain was awful, of course, so he reluctantly took the percocet or whatever it was. The next day, I came home to find Ryan on the phone, begging his doctor for more pain killers. Thus began his rapid descent into substance abuse.

*Ryan called our house on Matt's graduation day, on which Matt dressed in his cap and gown at about 5 a.m. and just sat on the couch, mumbling something about cherishing what we had. Seriously, we all thought he was going to kill himself. Then Ryan calls and says something like "hey matt, did you kill yourself?" on the answering machine.

*Everyone said Mike Lewis pissed his pants on election day, but I never believed it to be true.

*Does anyone remember the wall of shame? That shit was awesome. And what about Superchum? I loved his cartoons. Boobies and Wu-Tang. In a less PC Review, I think that comic would have been a winner.

I'd love to hear from you guys, so shoot me an e-mail at oaklc16@aol.com. I hope everyone is doing well.