The Bureau Chief

     I am big on comic books and crime stories. My parents read detective stories voraciously. I picked up the playful version of that.

     I know what the “Editor” and “Chief” are supposed to act like since I have seen them in everything from “Superman” to “Spiderman”…and no where are they calm, cool and collected. My “chief” with my new reporter’s job is amazingly enlightened.

     He quotes Robert Frost, Jewel, and eats Doritos and Diet Coke.

     Now how am I supposed to process that?

     Instead of barking out orders via email, my Chief calmly collects data, encouraging a bevy of reporters along the way. There seems to be no ridiculous demands…or expectations to throw ourselves in harm’s way for a story. Just a mellow, calm intelligence that permeates quick notes via the computer.

     In the course of business correspondence, he let slip his ability to read ancient Greek and  Hebrew. I couldn’t help but notice my Chief is more like a pensive Indiana Jones when in professor mode.

    I threw together a modern Greek message, not easy to do since the font is not so easy to come by…one of my problems with typing Arabic as well. He pieced it out though my grammar must have been atrocious since I have only studied Greek with a travel book.

     Made me wonder if this is the norm, since he is more like the editor to the Washington Post in “All The President’s Men”….thoughtful, careful…smart…

      I think my Chief is better then the comic book versions…seems more like the guy who can motivate groups of people to do work…did Stan Lee ever talk to a real editor? Or have they shifted over the years?