It’ll be two years, tomorrow

It’s been two years Beaver Believers. And I still hang my head in shame. I recently found the response to “the article.” It never ran (for a few reasons) but it’s out here now.

Last weeks article was no lie. When I’m wrong, I admit it.

The typographical turned factual error was the salt on the wound that was opened by my inability to write a coherent article. Making a blatantly obvious mistake during any article is unacceptable. To make that mistake at such an inopportune time made the entire piece look overly-condescending and awfully immature and pessimistic.

It was my 13^th column – ironic if nothing else.

I give everyone the right to point and laugh, name-call, boycott my articles, and hold the fact that I made a mistake over my head for the rest of time. And I understand that will happen, and I deserve it.

Does this change my opinion? No. But as readers, to drag the entire sports department into the hole I have dug would be an unfortunate mistake. The sports editor holds the sports section to a higher standard and trusted me to do so as well. I failed.

I know Jerry Pettibone and Mike Riley are different people, but apparently I didn’t know how to differentiate them at the bottom of the 14^th paragraph. People say, “What was he thinking?” I don’t even know. I also know that Simonton, Smith, and Allen were Riley recruits.

I’m left with Nappy Roots repeating in my head, “Where yo head at?”

I smeared not only my reputation through the mud, but also brought down The Barometer with me. I am sorry.

I know many of you who commented on last weeks article promised to never read The Daily Barometer again. Bringing the rest of The Daily Barometer staff into this situation is unnecessary and illogical. The rest of the staff had nothing to do with the thoughts in my article, nor did they have any responsibility to eradicate all typographical errors. I was responsible for that and it is my responsibility to remain accurate.

And if you decide to read another one of my articles only to rampage my inbox with letters, I will probably deserve it.

To all of you who replied to that article by accusing me of suffering from mental retardation or questioning my sexual-orientation, gender preference, family’s situation both financially and structurally and my mother’s race, please keep away from attacking my family, surfacing homophobic undertones or racism and please stick to something a little less offensive to everyone, like, Nick you are an idiot-jobless-loser, I disagree because…

So really what do I want? I wanted to quit but that wouldn’t be very respectful. Anyone can go down screaming in a burning jet. It takes guts to want to crawl out of the wreckage. Get up. And every year point back to that spot and say, “I survived this – it didn’t kill me. It made me stronger.”

I want to be reminded of this everyday of my life because it will only motivate me to succeed.

After two years people still bring this up and it doesn’t amaze me, but that they think I never learned anything from the situation does surprise me. But I smile and nod – listen intently. I know that they need to vent. Who wouldn’t?

And I wasn’t lying. I enjoy it when this is brought up. It keeps me motivated to write well, be concise and triple copyedit. I’ve learned a lot. And I’d like to think I’m better today for what happened.

You know, sometimes you need to fall off the bike – really bad – in order to really learn.