It’s like clockwork. Every year around this time, The Evening Sun’s staff starts exhibiting behavior even stranger than the norm. It’s like some mysterious illness has struck causing reporters, editors and sales staff to wander aimlessly, shaking their heads from side to side and muttering to themselves. We all take on a haunted look, personal hygiene habits start slipping, sleep deprivation sets in, and caffeine consumption hits near overdose levels. I know I personally have developed a tic over my left eye.

There is no mystery, really. We know the cause. It’s Progress - our annual five-day publication which features in-depth articles about Chenango County’s communities, organizations and business.

The finished product is something to be proud of, to be sure, but the process of putting it together is nothing short of torture for the ES crew. Which is why we dare not speak its name the other 11 months out of the year. All it takes is a slip of the tongue, and the “P” word will have even past staffers quaking in their boots.

You’re probably asking yourself what is it about Progress that has us all in a tizzy. Is it the sheer volume of ads that need to be sold? Interviews conducted? Copy to write? The challenge of balancing this additional workload on top of an already full plate?

The answer is yes. All of the above.