6:29 p.m. I (Managing Editor Libby Arnosti) walk into the newsroom to find Rachel sitting on the table, many productive people working around her, and an opened box of Cheez-its. This last makes me happiest.
6:32 p.m. Rachel shows us two great things that happened in her life today: 1. A newly-printed and totally legitimate business card for her job at the Union-Bulletin. 2. A new titanium spoon/fork/knife contraption. The excitement in the room is palpable.
6:36 p.m. In other news, both Feature and Backpage are completely finished and have been copy edited once each. A&E is ready for copy edit. What what.
6: 45 p.m. Rachel clarifies a confusing point to the general newsroom: “The point of news briefs is that you’re supposed to find news briefs.” OH! Well in THAT case …
6:52 p.m. Tristan’s computer starts humming loudly. I conclude that it is probably about to explode and encourage everyone to save themselves.
6:54 p.m. Blair determines that the culprit is actually a really bad Wilco song in which Wilco is apparently trying to drone his listener to death. The “music” is turned off and people return from their duck-and-cover positions on the floor.
7:00 p.m. Rachel leaves for President Bridges’ house. Again. This is becoming a weekly routine-she is obviously just too important for her own good.
7:35 p.m. Sports is ready for copy edit! Copy editors Marisa Ikert, Chloe Kaplan and Katie Steen bring some newsroom cheer as they start combing through the pages.
7:45-7:55 p.m. Blair does a dramatic reading of The Onion’s “Bo Obama Receives Visiting Dognitaries from Furuguay” for the general enjoyment of the newsroom. Not surprisingly, it relies heavily on dog puns, which greatly pleases Production Manager Sean McNulty.
8:15 p.m. Rachel comes back from the President’s house, sans extra food. I declare her jaunt, therefore, a failure. Meanwhile, all pages except News are fully copy edited and ready for a final check-over.
8:25 p.m Copy editor Chloe and Rachel discover that they have both-unbeknownst to the other-traded in their formerly-matching cell phones for new still-matching smartphones. What are the chances! There is some bouncing, some pronouncing, and then some more working.
8:35 p.m. Rachel whips out a tupperware full of nearly-rotten beans (according to Rachel). Based on the smell, the general newsroom determines that they are already rotten.
9:27 p.m. Things are progressing. Since last post: 5 News headlines, 1 order onion rings, 3 instances of Blair chuckling loudly about something related to Magic: The Gathering, and lots of Sean’s loud and kind of scary Irish rock music.
9:37 p.m. Karah takes a break from writing News headlines to overhear a conversation about Cheeto-hating and chip-buying going on between Rachel and Blair. She quickly decides that News headlines are far more worth her while and returns to work.
9:40 p.m. Inside News is ready for copy edit! Chloe jumps at the chance to examine the pages for minute errors. God, I love copy editors.
9:52 p.m. Sean says he needs Hannah. In walks Hannah. “Oh, speak of the devil.” -Rachel. “Here I am! I have arrived.” -Hannah, immediately embracing her devilishness.
10:32 p.m. Front page and Inside News are being copy edited. I am watching Rachel code a page on codeacademy.com. I realize that I find the ability to type code extremely attractive, and make up my mind to get on that, stat. Or maybe in a few months.
10:47 p.m. Chloe finishes reading News and begins packing up to leave. We take the moment to reflect on how awesome it is that copy editors no longer have to count on being in the newsroom until 1 or 2 a.m. ‘Yay, efficiency!’ we say. Simultaneously, we realize that our efficiency has resulted from cutting out a lot of exorbitant time-wasting, aka a lot of fun times. ‘Curse you, fun-sucking efficiency!” we say.
11:04 p.m. Sean is doing a final check-over on pages. Sports and Backpage are PDF’d.
11:21 p.m. Sean, Rachel and I discuss the value of pinching the muscle between your thumb and forefinger to relieve headaches and/or nervous tension. We all agree it probably works.
11:30 p.m. The whole newsroom reeks of bad beans. Raaaaaaaaaaachelllll.
11:35 p.m. Five pages are PDF’d! Starting to shut computers down. Starting to think of my cozy warm bed.
11:41 p.m. Rachel, Sean and I are alone in the newsroom. All of a sudden, we hear a mechanical man’s voice saying “Hello? Hello?” from somewhere near the table. After a moment of terror in which we attempt to locate the man-bot, we realize. Turns out, Blair called Rachel and her phone somehow answered itself. Let me repeat: Rachel’s phone actually answered a call by itself. We are simultaneously amazed and terrified. I blame it on the beans. Meanwhile Blair has no idea what we’re yelling about.
11:50 p.m. Done, despite all bean-induced scary occurrences. Bedtime!
