Afternoon Edition

I love newspapers.

It came from my youth, when I would read both the Appleton Post Cresent (an afternoon paper at the time) and the Chicago Tribune (delivered in the mail). I would read the Post Cresent  after I got home, and the Tribune when I would be home for lunch (oddly enough, I frequently came home for lunch from elementary, junior high, and high school)

I remember quite clearly my father reading the Post Cresent in the yard in the afternoon on temperate days. It was nice.

It probably didn't hurt that I started delivering the Post Cresent while in Junior High (in the afternoons during the week and Saturday, Mornings on Sunday) and to my sophomore year in High School. Good money for a kid!

Then when I moved to Madison I subscribed to both Madison newspapers (at the time the Capital Times - which was the morning paper, and the Wisconsin State Journal, which was the afternoon paper.) Since i was a student, I could also get the Wall Street Journal for next to nothing. So I developed that habit as well.

My first job as an engineer took me to Greenville, IL. There, I subscribed to the St Lois Post Dispatch, as that was the closest big city to Greenville. I loved the Post Dispatch. I remember one day coming home from the mine (The Coffeen Mine from Consol) and a local policeman followed me to my trailer. (Not sure why. I was sober) he asked if he could look inside my car (of course, officer!) and then looked me in the eyes. I asked him if he could use his flashlight to help me find my Post Dispatch. It was under my car.

When I was living in Kemmerer, WY, I subscribed to the Salt Lake City Tribune. That was a fine paper, but not enough funnies.

I moved to Houston in 1980 when we still had a morning paper (The Houston Post) and an afternoon paper (the Houston Chronicle). I, of course, subscribed to both. I just loved reading the Post with my coffee before I went to work and the Chron with my beer after I got home. I was very sad when first the Chron went to a morning only edition, then finally bought Post and shut it down.

I lived in Denver for a year as well. They, too, had a morning paper (the Rocky Mountain News) and an afternoon paper (the Denver Post). I did my best to keep them both in business, to no avail.

I moved to Caracas in 1993, and that was a newspaper mecca. They had an English language paper (I think it was called the Daily Journal) that has since shut down, and many, many Spanish language papers. I subscribed to El Universal. What I didn't understand I made up in my own mind.

After Caracas, I moved to Singapore. There, they had (and still have!) a pitiful excuse for a newspaper called The Straights Times. There may be a worse newspaper in the world, but I have never subscribed to it.

And so I am back in Houston. We don't have an afternoon paper, but we do subscribe to three morning papers (All delivered before 5:30 AM, thank you very much!) the New York Times, the Houston Chronicle, and the Wall Street Journal.

I can't say I don't miss my afternoon paper, but I am glad that I have these three papers to enjoy.

For now.