I have never been this sleep-deprived in my life. I’m averaging four hours of sleep a night, which for a girl who usually gets nine is a big deal. However, I wouldn’t trade this once-in-a-lifetime experience for all the sleep in the world. I have had the great fortune of working under Jennifer B. McDonald, an editor for The New York Times Book Review. She is talented, patient, kind and funny, which all make for a happy “Team Copy Desk.”
And despite my sleep deprivation, there have been unexpected bonuses to working late nights. Heading home after a 16-hour day, I finally laid eyes on a javelina (also known as a peccary), when three of the wild and aggressive pig-like mammals made their way across Broadway at Country Club Road. I had been longing to see one in person since moving to Tucson two years ago. Fortunately, I had two fellow Institute participants, Sal and Jamie, as fellow witnesses.
Gives new meaning to the phrase “Good night, and good luck.”
Cecilia Ragland Perry