My Day

I don't get into my non-Bulldog life here often (in fact, I don't think I ever have), but I thought I would break "kayfabe" today just because this was such an awful day for me.

My day actually started last night (in a way) when I received a phone call from one of my sources. Now, I'm not talking about Woodward and Bernstein-type sources or anything, but once in a while, maintaining good contacts pays off. They told me, essentially, to be at my desk the next morning ready to write a big story. So I got to work an extra hour early today (6 a.m.) ready for the news.

Well, it doesn't hit until 8:30 but the extra time was good for preparation. The story was complex enough and interesting enough that I actually needed the extra time to prep, and kept me busy until roughly 2 p.m. Because of the way my company works, I was constantly being interrupted by various higher-ups telling me how to write this particular story, and many of their comments were contradicting each other! Although I'm used to it by now, it's quite frustrating.

After a quick lunch (and I'm talking 10 minutes, tops), I had an appointment/interview to do and that kept me busy till about 4. I get back to the office, and check my voicemails. One of them sounds too odd to be true. It was somebody whose voice I didn't recognize, warning me that "big news" would be hitting later that afternoon and that more instructions would follow. Now, unless I know the person (such as my contact from last night), and given that this person didn't even leave me their NAME, it's hard for me to take it seriously. Honestly, I was joking about the call to a colleague and was starting to get ready to go when the news hit at 4:30. And, on my beat, the news doesn't get too much bigger than this. I froze for a good minute in front of my screen with only one thought: SHIT!

Now, on top of all this, my direct supervisor has been in the States all week, and he had JUST left for his flight home when this news hit. Sometimes, I can appeal to him (and given the day I've already had, I think I'd make a good argument) but without him around, it's tough to get the story reassigned.

So I didn't leave the office until roughly 6:30, a good 12.5 hours after I arrived. Exhausted, I headed home on the subway where some random person (and I'm not making this up) walks right up to me and flips me the bird! I'm not sure what exactly I did to warrant that... it was beyond strange. I was at a loss for words. What do you when someone gives you the finger for no apparent reason?

I am exhausted, starving and cranky and only one thing lifts my spirits. I'd been given a DVD the other day of my son's school holiday performance (I wasn't there for it, unfortunately) and hadn't yet had a chance to watch it. Well, once I popped the DVD in and watched him perform... any anger/frustration I had, it completely lifted. I'm still completely exhausted, but at least I'm in a much better mood now.

What a day.