A blind drive to Spokane
No, this isn't a Fear Factor thread. This is another work tirade, somewhat.
On Thursday morning, I will begin a trek to Spokane for two days of state basketball and with two teams there, it is a blind drive - I'll have no clue how they will do while I'm driving. Thus, this is a blind drive, one where I can arrive covering semifinal teams or two disappointed, but still alive consolation teams and games not worth the long drive to get there.
Why?
This morning, the state Class B basketball tournaments - boys and girls, concurrently - in Spokane began in earnest at Spokane Arena, where I was supposed to be today originally.
But because Aberdeen, a Class 3A school, qualified for the state 3A tournament in Tacoma, I was dispatched to cover the first Bobcat game - at 9 a.m. A 2-hour drive there, a few hours working and then another 2-hour drive back, all before 2 p.m. and all before I even typed up one word on the story.
Write the story and then, go home for a while before returning at 8:30 p.m. to lay out the pages - because no one can do the pages. Rick will be in Tacoma for Aberdeen's first-round consolation game at 9 a.m. and no one in the office can break away to take the pages.
Then, I'll go home, approximately at midnight, go to sleep and wake up early, probably between 6-7 a.m. and head onto the road by 8 a.m. for an approximately 350-mile drive, about six hours straight through.
But then, I don't drive these trips straight through. That would be suicide, not taking a break or three to stop, walk, pee and then get back onto the road. So, it'll take be about eight hours to get there. If all goes well, I'll be there by 5 p.m. and both teams will either be on the court or just finished.
Yes, in this age of cell phones and other wireless communication, I should be able to find out who won or not, but that's not the point. Why, in the blue hell, am I leaving on Thursday when the tournament started on Wednesday?
Because the paper didn't want to spend money for five days lodging, meal stipend, mileage and work hours, I was left in limbo before my fate was decided. Luckly for the higher-ups, Aberdeen made it to state, which meant that I had to stay to cover one day before leaving. That circumstance saved them two days lodging, stipend and mileage.
So, I get to stay up until late doing more work, then sleep less, then drive a lot, then sleep little (in a hotel room, which isn't ideal sleeping conditions for me... it takes me days to adjust) and then work my ass off covering whatever games, plus a notebook so that people feel like they're there personally.
Fuck... I sometimes wonder what I would be doing if I followed my Dad's advice and studied computer science and engineering?
Well, enough of a rant for now. I have to pack, rest and say hello to my wife, whom I rarely see anymore. I hope you all are having a better time this week than I am...
(c) R. Burns
On Thursday morning, I will begin a trek to Spokane for two days of state basketball and with two teams there, it is a blind drive - I'll have no clue how they will do while I'm driving. Thus, this is a blind drive, one where I can arrive covering semifinal teams or two disappointed, but still alive consolation teams and games not worth the long drive to get there.
Why?
This morning, the state Class B basketball tournaments - boys and girls, concurrently - in Spokane began in earnest at Spokane Arena, where I was supposed to be today originally.
But because Aberdeen, a Class 3A school, qualified for the state 3A tournament in Tacoma, I was dispatched to cover the first Bobcat game - at 9 a.m. A 2-hour drive there, a few hours working and then another 2-hour drive back, all before 2 p.m. and all before I even typed up one word on the story.
Write the story and then, go home for a while before returning at 8:30 p.m. to lay out the pages - because no one can do the pages. Rick will be in Tacoma for Aberdeen's first-round consolation game at 9 a.m. and no one in the office can break away to take the pages.
Then, I'll go home, approximately at midnight, go to sleep and wake up early, probably between 6-7 a.m. and head onto the road by 8 a.m. for an approximately 350-mile drive, about six hours straight through.
But then, I don't drive these trips straight through. That would be suicide, not taking a break or three to stop, walk, pee and then get back onto the road. So, it'll take be about eight hours to get there. If all goes well, I'll be there by 5 p.m. and both teams will either be on the court or just finished.
Yes, in this age of cell phones and other wireless communication, I should be able to find out who won or not, but that's not the point. Why, in the blue hell, am I leaving on Thursday when the tournament started on Wednesday?
Because the paper didn't want to spend money for five days lodging, meal stipend, mileage and work hours, I was left in limbo before my fate was decided. Luckly for the higher-ups, Aberdeen made it to state, which meant that I had to stay to cover one day before leaving. That circumstance saved them two days lodging, stipend and mileage.
So, I get to stay up until late doing more work, then sleep less, then drive a lot, then sleep little (in a hotel room, which isn't ideal sleeping conditions for me... it takes me days to adjust) and then work my ass off covering whatever games, plus a notebook so that people feel like they're there personally.
Fuck... I sometimes wonder what I would be doing if I followed my Dad's advice and studied computer science and engineering?
Well, enough of a rant for now. I have to pack, rest and say hello to my wife, whom I rarely see anymore. I hope you all are having a better time this week than I am...
(c) R. Burns
posted by R. Burns at 3/02/2005 05:23:00 PM
1 Comments:
Comp sci and engineering ain't all it's cracked up to be. Take it from the person who was a business major and is learning all that other stuff on the fly on the job when it's time to put fires out.
{{{{hug}}}} for you and K.
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