I woke up feeling like a little like Bill Murray in the movie “Groundhog Day.” I know that’s not an original thought but it’s totally appropriate. Today looks pretty much like yesterday. I look at my calendar and every tomorrow looks like today.
Here is the audio version of the next chapter of Falling in Love While Working From Home, Chapter 6—DAN: WHY’D SHE HAVE TO BE SO GOOD? Jessica finds herself on the hot seat during an editorial meeting. And who’s laughing at her? Dan. Only Dan thinks he’s trying to be a nice guy to the newbie.…
Chapter 7 March 24, 12:05 p.m. Jessica: THE TROUBLE WITH ZOOM The trouble with Zoom calls is how visible you are to everybody else—and to yourself. As Claire goes through the news budget with the rest of the staff, I find my attention wandering to Rashima who’s got the baby on her lap. She’s my…
Here is the audio version of the next chapter of Falling in Love While Working From Home, Chapter 5—JESSICA: I hate Dan It’s not a good day. Exhausted after her first week, JESSICA has to weather criticism from Claire, an argument with Lori and another with DAN. The pandemic lockdown is taking a toll. She’s got…
I toss down the newspaper with an exasperated sigh, making enough noise to wake up Rex who stares at me. He’s probably wondering if I’m ready for another walk.
“Relax, boy. We can’t go out again. We just got back.”
Chapter 5 March 23, 4:30 p.m. Jessica: CRITICISM FROM ALL SIDES When I hang up from my unpleasant call with Claire, I just sit there. I worked twelve-hour days all last week—with time set aside to help Lori with her schoolwork—and it already looks like I’ll be doing it again this week. Though I’m working…
It’s here, the audio version of Chapter 2—Jessica and Hanna. HANNA announces her wedding may be off. They can’t get a marriage license during #pandemic. Hanna’s #romance is the real thing. How can JESSICA help her best friend? A new audio chapter will post every Wednesday morning. Remember I’m recording my own self reading the chapters.…
Since who knows when I’ll have a chance to meet everybody in person, I have to use these online moments to get acquainted with my colleagues, to put faces to bylines and figure out what everybody covers. Already I’ve realized that I’m pretty low in the pecking order. All right, at the very bottom. But I’m still a reporter and that’s exactly where I want to be.
It’s here, the audio version of Chapter 1—Jessica: Starting Out. Meet JESSICA, starting her first day as a reporter during a pandemic. Meet DAN, a seasoned veteran of the newsroom. Already Jessica doesn’t trust him—and they haven’t even met? Then comes the bad news: Their editor has asked Dan to oversee her work as she…
“If we don’t have a marriage license, how can we get married?” It had never occurred to me that when the counties announced they were closing their offices during the lockdown, that would mean marriage license offices, too.
Mary K. Tilghman, writer 