"Just Ask Me:" A phone call reminds me what's "cool"

In the last few months, I unexpectedly started a new hobby. The idea was to find something I liked to do that encouraged me to get my tired butt out of the chair I collapsed in after getting off work.
I have been baking BOOZY CAKES - playing mad scientist in the kitchen. It is fun for me, but I hate cleaning up the kitchen afterward.
I am tired, and I just don't want to do it.
That chair is comfy, and it calls to me.
It often lulled me into sleep.
But I tell myself, I can't play mad scientist if I don't clean up after myself.
Honestly, my mind is exhausted.
My Christmas could have been locking me in a blacked-out room and letting e sleep for 72 hours, and I would have fallen asleep again when you unlocked the door...lol
But, I love my job being a reporter. I take pride in covering the news and events happening in our local community. I have always loved learning something new, and after doing this job for 18 years, it is weird, but I am still learning every day.
Writing stories for the paper is like writing term papers for school - which
I loved doing it. Yes, I was that weird kid.
So this job is perfect for me.
However, you can only write so many stories before your brain kind of takes a vacation without the rest of your body.
Even a writing program I use several times a day has chastised me in the nicest way possible.
It sends monthly reports about my spelling errors or grammar, or if the content of stories is too formal or not friendly enough. It provides quick lessons to help my vocabulary, productivity levels and be more accurate with my word usage.
I am prompted with the good:
You used more unique words than 98% of users.
You were more productive than 96% of users, using 42,504 words last week.
Your writing streak is consistent at 181 weeks, with words checked since June 2018 at 4,783, 368
Then it tells me my mistakes:
You have three spelling adversaries and add "o" to the end of words. (When my mind becomes tired, I apparently became Italian and do that a lot.)
You also drop your commas in a series, have missing articles and missing periods. (My mind also tends to go in the gutter, and I can't write how that reprimand rolls around in my gray matter.. lol)
Your mastery level has dropped 10%, but you are more accurate than 70% of users. (Ouch for the slap, but thanks for the pat on the back - I guess.)
When you have reports like this, it's easy to see when you are getting tired. I have a problem realizing that I am truly tired.
Funny thing, I received a strange phone call sitting in the Times' office on the first day back to work after Christmas.
My phone rings all the time with someone calling with info, tips, or story ideas. So I quickly answered it. The sound of giggling replied to my voice.
At first, I wasn't sure what was happening. After asking a second time who I was talking to, a young voice said, "Hello, you are my phone neighbor."
I could hear a second voice on the line and realized the two young men were probably bored at home and making phone calls.
My son did this when he was a kid, and I think I am guilty of it too.
So, I answered their silly questions.
"We are just trying to get to know people and have a little bit of fun. Maybe make someone smile. What are you doing now?"
I couldn't help it; I should have a little bit of fun too, right?
When I explained that I was a reporter and getting ready to call local law enforcement; the two voices got slightly nervous.
At first, I didn't think they believed me, and I wondered if they thought I would get them in trouble.
"No. It's my job to call law enforcement. I write stories about what they do. I write stories about other people and groups, as well as the community too, and schools."
"That is so cool," they said. They were very nice and told me to have a good day before hanging up.
As a reporter, you never know what the day will bring when you roll out of bed or how long that day will be. It is an interesting career.
You never know who you will meet or where you will go.
It's long hours, and often things happen that interrupt life. But you keep going because that is what you do as a journalist. Even when you are a little numb in the gray matter, but thanks to my two "phone neighbors" who reminded me, "That's cool."