I have a cool job. My job is never boring and very rarely the same from day to day. There’s always something new and exciting to write about, which is a testament to our community and how engaged and active Riverbend residents are.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at that job and what happens at the RiverBender.com building and beyond in the daily life of a news reporter.
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Last week, I was dog-sitting. This meant I spent Sunday night at my cousins’ house, under a pile of dogs. The four of us (me and three dogs) got up bright and early on Monday morning. They watched as I got dressed and packed up some leftovers for lunch, and then I was out the door.
It was a bitterly cold, snowy morning as I trudged across the parking lot, loaded down with my purse and bag and a heavy winter coat. And then suddenly, oops — I hit ice, my feet slipped out from under me, and I landed flat on my back in the parking lot.
There’s a moment, after you fall down that hard, before you get back up, when you kind of reassess your life. I lay on the ice and processed. From that angle, I could clearly see the security camera, and I stared into it like a character on “The Office.” There’s nothing more humbling than this, except maybe how long it took me to struggle to my feet without falling down again.
I made it up to my office and immediately texted my entourage: my mother and best friend. From my mother, I got concern. My best friend could only laugh at me. I popped an aspirin and went about my day.
When I’m in the office, almost all of my time is devoted to writing and interviewing. I went through a few interviews I had conducted the previous week and pulled out the relevant quotes and info I wanted to use in my articles, and then I got down to business.
I usually write around three to six articles a day, though this can vary depending on what else pops up. I’ve learned that you can perfectly plan out your day, but the news business has other plans. Spot news or last-minute invites are common. Throughout the week, I’m often running around the Riverbend region, stopping in at special events like the Widman Trail ribbon-cutting ceremony or annual traditions like Freer’s Cookies and Cocoa fundraiser.
That night, I slept on the couch with the dogs and woke up to an aching back. I’m no spring chicken anymore. The dogs watched me hobble to the kitchen for another aspirin, and then it was Tuesday.
This was exciting because I was going to see Suki Waterhouse perform at The Factory in Chesterfield. I drank an iced coffee that morning, which is typically the base amount of caffeine I require to make it through the day. And then, knowing it would be a late night, I made a rookie mistake: I downed an energy drink at 1 p.m.
By the time my friends and I got to the concert, I was bouncing off the walls. We danced and sang along and enjoyed the show. When I collapsed on the couch that night, I was still wide awake. The dogs and I watched the 11 o’clock news (is it a surprise that I’m a bit of a news junkie?) and waited for sleep.
My late night caught up with me on Wednesday. I stopped by the Mac’s on 4th Market next door to the RiverBender building and stocked up on junk food and energy drinks. I wrote my articles, conducted a few interviews, edited stories for my colleagues, and then went home and was in bed by 9 p.m., dogs and I snoozing side by side.
Come Thursday morning, I had a big interview with Santa Claus. We talked on the phone for almost half an hour about what it’s like to be Santa at Christmastime, and then I popped in my earbuds, turned on some depressing music (my favorite genre — think Elliott Smith and Phoebe Bridgers), and wrote this article.
That afternoon, I trekked out to Principia College, where they were excavating a mastodon. I had no idea what to expect when I arrived, but I followed the trail of cars through the Principia campus to the excavation site. I watched in awe as a professor and students worked on a 27,500-year-old skull, and I spoke to a few passionate students about the experience, trying to hide my own excitement and appear as cool and professional as possible.
But on the inside, I was geeking out a little bit. It’s not every day you talk to Santa Claus and watch a legitimate archaeological excavation. I wrote this article and then dashed off to my next event.
By Friday, I was exhausted from my busy week. I worked until 5:30, then returned to my cousins’ house and worked some more. The rest of my crazy Friday night was spent cuddling with the dogs and watching reruns of “New Girl” on Netflix.
And that was my week! I’m happy to report the dogs are happily reunited with their people, and my back feels much better. And the cool part about this is that no two weeks look the same. It’s Tuesday as I write this, and I’m already busy with new projects and stories. My job and my life are never boring, and I’m grateful for that.
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