Fridays in The Dahlonega Nugget office are fairly relaxed. Well, maybe not all day Friday. Actually, I’m just talking about Friday afternoons. It seems that locals forget about doing anything related to work after about 2:00 p.m. that day. Everyone in town seems to “skedaddle” (for all the non-country speakers, that means “to run away in a hurry.”)
Therefore, there is this unspoken agreement between Nugget customers and Nugget staff members that no unnecessarily difficult tasks must take place Friday afternoons.
Often this allows us here at the office to wrap up any loose ends that accumulate throughout the week.
Haven’t sent those extra emails?—done.
Haven’t sorted through the hundreds of pictures on the camera’s memory card?—done.
Haven’t watered the large Nugget garden outside the front doors?—done.
Once all that is finished, I guarantee that someone will try to make a run for it!
This doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
Somebody will probably need to make a Walmart run, or pick up kids, or pack for a weekend trip, or any other necessity.
For me, these days, I may be able to slip out and head to the new pool, since the new aquatic facilities are finally open.
Everyone has their favorite escape on Fridays.
However, this rule does have its exceptions.
One of these exceptions is the infamous deadline for the Best Of Lumpkin contest votes to be submitted in person at the office.
The deadline for that is—you guessed it—Friday at 5:00.
We really need to reconsider that arrangement next time the contest happens.
I’ve been here when people drive quickly into the parking lot.
These folks may be well-meaning but have poor time management, since they try to squeeze in as much voting as possible until the contest closes.
Once on the property, they are happy to realize that the clock has not struck 5:00.
Relieved, they thrust their ballots inside the door and drive away happy.
But contest season isn’t the only time of year Friday is filled with deadlines.
The Dahlonega Magazine, a publication we at The Nugget are proud to produce in-house with all local talent, has filled many of my Friday afternoons with more work than I care to remember.
To keep this from becoming a problem, we usually make sure to set the press deadline for this magazine earlier in the week.
Don’t tell the people at the press that it’s not the real deadline, just a make-believe one to make sure John doesn’t have to be over-worked at the last minute.
In addition to that, another one of our favorite magazines, The Mountain Traveler, had a deadline that was drawing near.
I remember it clearly.
A few weeks ago, I was supposed to go to several events all in a short time-span happening at the end of the week.
This was the perfect opportunity to plan one of those not-so-real deadlines earlier in the week, just to ensure my survival.
I marked my calendar with “Mountain Traveler deadline—Wednesday.” I underlined it. I highlighted it in a vivid color.
And then I proceeded to tell no one the real deadline was Friday! They’ll never know the difference.
All that matters is that we all were able to live stress-free lives that week.
So, by the time you’re reading this, the new Summer edition of the The Mountain Traveler has been printed and delivered.
If you haven’t read it, head on over to The Nugget office to pick one up.
You will have as long as you want to pursue the 140 beautiful pages.
Well, at least until the deadline for the fall edition draws closer.
I just hope those articles are not due on a Friday!
