I had decided Monday morning not to write a column this week because I needed some time to prepare for a sitting job starting Thursday, and to steel myself for Election Day (I always have a late night of it so I can edit and send our political columnist’s election roundup as an online extra). It was just as well that I decided to do that, having gotten a message just before signing out Monday afternoon of a mandatory meeting the next morning, where we found out that 30 percent of our workforce would be cut (no newsroom jobs lost in the Little Rock office, but 13 in the northwest office). Sure, I got to see colleagues I haven’t seen in a while since I rarely go in to the office but I also spent much of the day fighting fires, re-arranging things and just trying to edit while fielding visits, running errands, and trying not to throw up from the stress. So it was a sucky day.

I’ll be back with a column next week, most likely yearning, with the election behind us, for a return to civility.

In the meantime, enjoy a blast from a Halloween past.