And then you can have lunch...

In the previous post, I wrote about the news beast and how it must be fed each day. After the day I had Friday, I have to mention that the beast's appetite doesn't always stop at news.

My day Friday actually started Thursday (one of my days off) evening with a message from our assignment manager, "Chris, this is Jenny at the station, I was calling to see if you could come in at 8:30 (my normal start time on Fridays is 9:30) tomorrow so you can shoot a court case. Give me a call and let me know."

I made a quick call to the desk to let them know I could.

And on Friday...

8:30 a.m. - I arrive at the station, load and head for the courthouse. I'm not a big breakfast eater, so I'm just having coffee on the way.

11:00 a.m. Having sat through just over two hours of testimony with no resolution, I leave the courthouse and call in...

Me: "Jenny, this is Chris. I'm done here. They heard testimony, but three people weren't available so they've continued to the first of May."

Jenny: "OK. Bring that back and then you can have lunch."

11:30 a.m. I arrive back to the station and Jenny greets me, "They need you to cut a VO of that for the midday, do that, then you can have lunch."

I head for the edit bays.

11:50 a.m. I'm about to send the courtroom VO to the server for the midday when I look up and see Jenny...

Jenny: "Are you done with that?"

Me: "Just sending now."

Jenny: Holding out a map, "OK. There's a cement truck that overturned, I'm going to need you to go check that out and then you can have lunch."

Me: "This is on Sylvania-Metamora road. That's a haul from here."

Jenny: "I know, but it sounds like it'll be there for awhile."

12:25 p.m. I'm finished with the overturned cement truck. Fortunately, the driver only had a minor injury. As I load my gear into my Jeep, I feel my cell phone vibrate on my hip...

Jenny: "Chris, are you done out there?"

Me: "Yes"

Jenny: "OK, I know this is far away, but I need you to go get a pep rally at Riverside Elementary that Efrem is MC'ing."

Me: "Riverside's nearly at the opposite end of the universe from here."

Jenny: "I know, but you're all I have. When you're done there, you can go have lunch."

1:20 p.m. I've been at Riverside for the past 15 minutes. The pep rally doesn't start for another ten. My phone vibrates again...

Jenny: "Have you finished at Riverside?"

Me: "No, it doesn't start for another ten minutes. I haven't seen Efrem. I don't know if he's here yet."

Jenny: "OK. As soon as it starts, shoot it fast and then come back. You're going to have to go do an interview with Jennifer at 2:00."

Me: "If this thing starts on time, the best I can do is get back to the station to pick her up by 2:00."

Jenny: "OK, just get back as quick as you can."

Me: "So that lunch thing isn't happening."

Jenny: "For you and everyone else."

2:05 Arrive back at the station. Pick up Jennifer Jarrell.

2:35 Arrive at 180th Fighter Wing Base with Jennifer to interview four people who have been waiting for over a half hour.

6:14 After shooting four interviews, editing a package for the 5:30 show, refusing a live shot and two other editing chores, and handing off my 6:00 VOSOT to someone else, I'm sitting in Barry Bagels wolfing down a sandwich in order to get to Sylvania Northview in time to see my daughter sing in her school's Songfest.

The moral of our story:


Some days, the news isn't enough to fill up the news beast. Some days, it has to eat your lunch too.