tuesday nights

7:36 p.m. ~ Ahh yes, another Tuesday night spent in the Spencer office. Got here around 6 p.m. The graphic designer usually has a few sections printed when I arrive. Initially, it's an hour or two worth of proofing. Then I migrate to a computer and surf the web for a few hours. The sports guy (who's quite the character) usually finishes his stories by 10:30 or 11. Our very last deadline is 11:30 p.m. Sometimes we're early - if there are no Tuesday night games and sometimes we just squeak by.

7:47 p.m. ~ Given such late hours and a steady supply of caffeine and sugar from the vending machines, we often come up with pretty interesting conversation topics. Tonight the police scanner is providing our entertainment. They've been chasing some schmuck on foot since I got here - and having a heck of a time of it I might add. Oooh, they finally caught up with him! What will happen next? The idiot is laying in some brush trying to crawl away. Not the smartest of criminals are we! I wonder what this guy did to have the cops after him.

8:07 p.m. ~ All is quiet with the scanner. Now we're discussing names for gerbils. Pimp and Ho, Tango and Cash. Sometimes gerbils fight, wrestle or box each other. The graphic designers want to get their gerbils little boxing gloves. Now we've moved on to emu's and how they make excellent lip gloss and the possibility of riding llamas. See, I'm telling you... we get rather inventive as the night wears on.

9:15 p.m. ~ Just had a nice chat with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. They called to tell me the Discovery Channel was doing a special on wild fires out west. We chatted for awhile. After describing what I do on Tuesday nights, my sister-in-law wants to see if her class could take a tour of their hometown newspaper press. She teaches elementary kids. Most excellent!

9:55 p.m. ~ Silence. Just the annoying hum of the flourescent lights and the press running downstairs. Along with the occasional clicking of keyboards and computer mice. Just wanted to clarify - although I wouldn't be surprised if there were real mice in the Spencer office.

10:37 p.m. ~ I have officially exhuasted my resources of things to write about. Not to mention the fact that the sports guy should be done writing his articles by now so it's juat a matter of time before I can drive the half an hour home.