The Reporter's "Off-Duty" Sign

In the course of my work, I sometimes find myself running all around town on a particularly busy day. I’ll dash from the school to the court to a city office to a meeting, set up the laptop wherever I can to dash off an article, and generally wish for an IV of black coffee.

And if I happen to see the same person at more than one of these events, or stop for a minute to chat with someone on how the day is going, they’ll typically have a familiar question.

 “When do you sleep?”

 Well, I do that at night. It’s not too difficult. In general, the more precious commodity is free time.

 More often than not, I put in some long days during the week to schedule weekend posts so I can take Saturday and Sunday off. I also try to squeeze in some free time with a break or two during the day, or at least a bit of reading before bed.

 There are, however, certain hazards to being in journalism. News has a bad habit of happening at any given time regardless of my personal life. And if I think it's important enough, I’ll have to grab the notepad and camera and head out to it.

 But there can also be a misconception that you’re on duty for everything at all times. As in any community, only a handful of the thousands of residents are involved in local government or community events or other newsworthy things. And if people recognize you, they sometimes do their best to give you an assignment.

 People sometimes come out of their house or stop their car when they see me out on a walk because they want to discuss a story. They’ll ask for coverage of some event when I’m enjoying a meal at a restaurant. They’ll call at some ridiculous morning hour on a weekend to ask for a no holds barred article on some minute issue.

 There are no doubt reporters out there who live, breathe, and eat the news, eschewing vacations or personal lives to get the details on stories. I’m certainly invested in the goings on in New London, and generally I love hearing a story idea or discussing an issue. But there are time when I wish I came with an “off duty” sign.

There are certain hints, though. For example, if it’s a Saturday or a Sunday and you see me in the coffeehouse reading a book, that’s a pretty good sign that I’m not working. By all means, say hello. But those please, please, don’t start bending my ear on one facet or another of New London politics.

 You can always get in touch once Monday rolls around. Drop me a line at dirk.langeveld@patch.com or 860-276-7478.

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