Treason!

I've been reading the newspaper on a daily basis since I was 11 years old. Back then it was the Washington Post -- today it's the Trib (not because it's particularly great, but because, well, it's here). I've had the paper delivered to my home, wherever home has been, every day of my adult life.

When the Internet came along, I was happy to be able to read the Post again every day, along with the New York Times. So I'd add those in after reading the hard copy Trib.

Over time, things gradually began to shift. I'd read the news online throughout the day, so by the time I got my morning paper, most of it was old news. I started just skimming the national and local news. Now sometimes the paper will sit unread for hours on a busy morning. And really, what it comes down to now is the Tempo section (or whatever they're calling it now). I like having the daily comics and crossword, Ask Amy, celebrity gossip, reviews, etc.

Is that enough reason to continue to pay $220 a year? Most of this stuff -- even crosswords -- can be found online. I love newspapers, and I hate to be one of those hastening their demise, but that demise looks pretty much inevitable (at least in print form), with major dailies shutting down at a sad pace (the latest being the Rocky Mountain News).

It all seems like a ridiculously cumbersome endeavor -- printing miles and miles of newsprint, shipping it out to the four corners of the region. Not very green.

So in these perilous times I'm contemplating becoming part of the problem, and ending something that's been a daily habit for most of my life. Maybe I'll start by cutting down. Weekends. Or Sundays. Instead of going totally cold turkey.

Oh, but it's sad when a love affair dies.