Ever wonder how those courtroom sketches get on the evening news? Me neither! But since Aaron Glancy caught me leaning over something sketchy the other day, I thought I’d better explain myself: The last gavel drops around 4:30. Scribblers dribble out, followed by the flotsam of the day. It pays to hang around ’til Sparkles departs, lest he trip and take out his eyeteeth the ONE DAY you’re not there. Trouble is, the Monster wants its meal. Come five o clock a guy you see at company picnics is gonna push a button and up will pop your reporter – who can currently be seen primping, mumbling and tweeting from the front seat of your mobile newsroom. Her shit’s in check, but you, you got things to do… Like fleshing out a fresh report. Sure, your scintillating video of the defendant’s ingress will fill in some of the blanks, but for that minute-thirty passion play to really pop, you need art, baby. Which is exactly why I burst from my live truck like a man unhinged, desperate to find one of two sketch artists known to roam Camp Edwards in the afternoon. I didn’t have to go far. There she was, making small talk with a beefy freelancer as a cable news shooter pawed at her chalk. I waited my turn then chatted her up. She was a local lady, taken with the fray. I was a deadline junkie, itchin’ for a fix. Together we did business under that tree, as yet another supplicant cued up for the view. About the time, Aaron sidled up with his fish-eye and sparked all this exposition to begin with…

I hope he can live with himself.