So last night marked the first time I worked a) a weekend shift and b) a holiday. Christmas. The big enchilada. JC's birthday. Whatever. I was originally pretty bummed when I first learned I had to work it. But then comforted by the reassurances that news should be pretty quiet all by lonesome Sunday and by the fact that my aunt - where the Kralys would be dining - lives 5 minutes from the newsroom, I went into Sunday with a positive attitude.

Until I realized that, holy crap, I really was the paper's only reporter out of the main office that day. Ya know, usually when you go into any job on an "off" day, you'll find one or two other people there, catching up on daily stuff. "Hey, Marc" you'll say. "Fancy meeting you here." Chuckle. Chuckle. But no. No one. Ghost town. Tumbleweed and everything. Which I think I would've normally been completely comfortable with had I a) ever worked a weekend shift before, b) known any of the night people from copy or sports or c) had ever cold-called around to all the cops and fire stations in the area. Which are, I learned, a lot.

I saddled up around 2 p.m. with the goal of checking in on the local fuzz and wrapping up one story in time to meet the kin around 4ish. Got right to calling - about 30-40 places in all. Wrote the crap out of rental housing in St. John (ZZzzz....no no no, stay with me), and was out the door by 4, leaving just one other person, a page designer, in the office. SCENE: Christmas. Aunt's house. Turkey. Wine. Hugs. Nana. (No hug.) Gifts. Bathrobe. Gift receipt. Back to work.

SCENE: 5:30. Work. New people. Whoa, new people with new faces. Shit. Chit chat, we get along great. Well, this will be smooth sailing. Oh, wait. You did want that Hanukkah story? Well, couldn't get anyone. Oh, there's wire copy? Whew. Oh, wait, there's *not?* But no one's around. RANDOM GUY: I know a Jewish family. COPY: great, give Christine their number. CK: Ah, well shit.

Ring ring ring. CK:"Shalom. You're Jewish? That's great. Your dad's Catholic? Even *greater.* Merry - er, well, read the paper tomorrow." Click. Type type type. Hanukkah, by The Times, done. VMAIL: there was a power outage today. CK: of *course* there was. Ring ring ring. CK: "Yo, cops, y'all had a power outage?" FIVE-O: Yep. CK:"Sweet. Later." Type type type. Lights went out, by The Times, done.

COLD CALL #2: Ring ring ring. CK:"Hello, Gary? Anything happening?" FIRE DUDE:Well, yeah, small house fire. CK:"Ga-DAMN, can't a girl get a break?" FIRE DUDE:Uh, no a girl can't? Type type type. Oops, the roof, the roof, the roof is on fire, by The Times, done. FIRE DUDE:Oh, another thing. Off the record, but I think there was a homicide in the Miller neighborhood today. CK:(puking)"Uhh.....wha? A who in the wha?" DUDE:Yeah, not sure, but that's what I heard. Merry Christmas! puke, puke, puke Ring ring ring. CK:(holy-crapping)"Uh, detective, I heard there may have been a homicide in Miller today. Is that true, could you give me the details of that?" DET:No, there was no homicide. Um, are you vomitting?

...And to all, a good night!