I'm whipped & it's only Monday

Last week's grueling agenda with MLK Day, the Inauguration, the Medical Mart, Browns Watch, and so much more has whipped my derriere!

It is only Monday, and I am spent, pushed to the limit! It's gonna be a loooooong week.

There is never a reprieve, a break, a time-out up here on the news assignment desk. Something is either always happening in the newsroom OR on the scanners. It's up to me to weed out what IS or IS NOT pertinent and newsworthy on the scanners.

The wall-to-wall non-stop news began this morning with the Browns' GM announcement....right where it left off Friday with breaking news on the Medical Mart situation.

The Canton Mayor story was more reporter-driven, not much for the desk to do except be aware of, should something else break. Tom Beres and Dave Summers rocked on their coverage.

My entire shift, breaking news after breaking news ......my camera guys sat down long enough to ingest their tapes and the minute they were done, I shooed them out the door again on something new.......

We had a lot of new 'spot news' including 3 serious armed robberies (two involved shootings) and then the fire at the Eastlake CEI plant. This fire sounded worse than it was on the scanners as they asked for mutual aid from Willoughby, Wickliffe, Euclid, Painesville Twp, Mentor-on-the-Lake, and Mentor....but a representative from CEI said it was not as serious as it sounded and there were no injuries reported.

Gathering updates on the water main break, child left alone, home invasion/dead body ID, ID on the morning fatal fire, etc., occupied the rest of my time.....

Needless to say, it IS going to be a LONG week on this rollercoaster ride.....

Magical snow globe physically & emotionally drained

It's like day and night.

Yesterday, full staff PLUS.....people from other parts of the building helping out in the newsroom and people from out-of-house coming into our home to assist on the most comprehensive election coverage in town.

Today, back to the normal, hard-working grind.

I pull into the parking garage and can actually find a spot, multiple spots.

I walk into the newsroom and there are only about a dozen people right now working away.

It's like someone let the sparkling water out of our gigantic, election night news snow globe. Just physically and emotionally drained.

What has NOT changed: all the food that continues to circulate around the newsroom. This MUST stop. My willpower level is non-existent right now. I am definitely not near starvation by a long shot but have the mindset that I will never see another Cheryl & Co. fudge brownie --ever again!!!!!!



Back to NEVER a dull moment. It's more intense and busier on NON-ELECTION days. On election night, that is your one goal, your focal point.

The other 364 days are non-stop, grueling days with dozens of tentacles whipping around constantly thrashing at you. You have to stay moving and multi-task to make it through the day successfully. News comes from all angles, all topic matters and you must pick and choose and decide the news of the day. Sometimes it's just you in the newsroom. No one to cover the phones while you make a restroom pit stop or grab an apple so you don't pass out.


Back to reality!