Since returning to the office in late August after two years of working at home, I've been getting readjusted to the daily routine of working in a room full of people and how all the different personalities mesh together. I've said it before and I'll say it again, our current lineup is one of the most enjoyable I've worked with and we've all been growing into our new roles together. The newsroom is a place where plenty of work gets done but fun is had as well.
Sometimes, however, it's good to get out of the office and have some of that fun in a new location. That's what happened Saturday evening, after Sunday's newspaper was completed of course, when myself, Bethany Porter, Taylor Moore and Jeff Simmons met at Detention at the Elementary in Morrison for a night of laser tag. Sadly, Nikki Childers wasn't able to join us but, other than her absence, the complete newsroom assembled.
First off, let me say how impressive Detention is. Jeff was a first-time visitor to Detention, (at least this one, I can't attest for his behavior during his school days) and his eyes boggled trying to take in all the games, mini-golf, bumper cars and laser tag. Despite all the many distractions offered, we managed to focus and make our first act of the outing buying laser tag tickets. We each purchased three eight-minute games and prepared for friendly warfare. Taylor was the only laser tag veteran in the bunch so he tried to give us a crash course in what to expect as we waited for the previous game to end.
The rest of us didn't know quite what awaited us or if we'd be the only ones in the game. We definitely were not. It seems the Detention is a very popular place on a Saturday, something I deduced as I found a spot in a very crowded parking lot upon arriving. Another surprise was just how impressive the laser tag room was. I'm not quite sure what I anticipated, but it wasn't a multi-level area with ramps and multiple hiding places adorned with paintings of all four members of KISS. That was a pleasant surprise for this member of the KISS Army and something that my fellow participants knew would delight me as soon as they saw it.
Other than having a really good time hanging out together away from the office, we learned that all of us shoot laser guns with the accuracy of a Stormtrooper, which for those unfamiliar with Star Wars is not very good. Each of our three games had nearly 20 participants ranging from older folks to small children. The Standard crew all managed to finish in the top half of participants in each of our three games, although Jeff finished last in our group each time. If he wants to dispute me, he has his own column space. As long as I'm telling this story, I'll point out I finished in first place in the third game and finished the day with the highest score recorded in any of the three games we played.
The most important part of the day, however, was the time we spent together. To paraphrase an old saying, the newsroom that shoots together, stays together.
Standard managing editor Seth Wright can be reached at (931) 473-2191
