Dear Editor: Mondays Were Bad Enough Already......

I realize this is outside the realm of your job description, but I don't know where else to direct my complaint.

I know we live in a relatively small county, smack dab between the capital city metropolis that is Atlanta to our west, and the university town of Athens to our east. We only make the news when a teacher is "fired" for posting pictures of herself holding a glass of some alcoholic beverage in Europe on her summer vacation or when a local dude kills his wife and stuffs her body in a well.

We do appreciate, however, keeping up with the news in the larger towns. That has become a bit of a challenge of late. First the Atlanta Journal-Constitution stopped delivering. We didn't miss it so much, because the editors over there feel compelled to include pertinent stories from all over the metro area, and we live just outside the edges of that distinction. Still, we felt a little like second-class citizens, not important enough to have home delivery of what is probably the state's largest newspaper.

We preferred your paper anyway, with its hometown (did I mention I was born in Athens?) flavor and excellent coverage of all things UGA. The first thing in my daily routine is to take the dog out around 5:00 AM and fetch the newspaper from the box. I sit in my recliner with my cup of coffee and peruse the paper, which Hubby allows me to read first so he can do the puzzles.

And now the economy has touched YOUR newspaper. Apparently budgeting concerns forced your paper to stop using the paid drivers who delivered the paper, contracting instead with a company that delivers ANOTHER county's newspaper to our area. Only they don't deliver on Mondays. Not to worry, your organization's letter of explanation read, we would still receive Monday's newspaper. On Tuesday. With the Tuesday paper.

Wait.......what?

I realize I can read most of your paper's content online, and if something really major happens that I need to know about, the Atlanta television stations are likely to cover it.

But still.

I read that little box on the sports page that tells what events will be televised that night. I like to read the recap of the Braves game that I watched on Sunday. I keep up with the Bulldogs and how the pre-season is progressing. What if our (we hope we hope we hope we hope we hope) star running back does something spectacular or even ordinary on Sunday night, and I don't know about it until Tuesday?

There's just something about holding the newspaper in my hands, even if I do get them dirty from the newsprint. And now I have to start my work week off with no newspaper. It doesn't feel natural, standing on the porch waiting for Gus to come back from doing his duty, instead of walking to the paper box and retrieving the paper.

I feel like those folks in the Wild West who had to wait until the stagecoach arrived once a week to bring them their newspapers and mail. We just aren't very special out here in the country.

As if Mondays needed anything else to make them suck.

Sincerely,

The Bragger Household