Never a dull moment in week of decisions. (Comment).

WHAT a weird week.

Early Monday morning: In the office about an hour when fire alarm goes off and jittery sounding security guard instructs us to leave building. Several of us wonder whether it's the real thing, but this might not be the best week to take any chances (even if the exercise seems like a monumental waste of time).

Late morning: Plowing through routine items for next issue: calendar, upcoming conventions, a few features. Hard to focus on everyday stuff when so much is happening around the world...Paper goes to press early Friday morning for delivery on Saturday and it's hard to plan...Seems like war is a good bet by the end of the week. Already have stories scheduled on homeland security and LAX but might want more...Maybe the hotel business or media coverage?... Just don't get carried away--by the weekend, readers will have been inundated with war news so focus on local stuff. And no interviews with cab drivers or shrinks!

Afternoon: Spectacularly clear day--seems hard to believe that news is so bleak. Lots of buzz about Bush address at 5 p.m. Dow is up 281 points on anticipation of a quick war, but markets are volatile. Gold is up while oil is down--not the way it's supposed to happen... Next week's issue features annual real estate awards so we're starting to edit profiles of winners. Hard to muster up enthusiasm; 2002 was a slow year, though there are notable winners: the downtown developer Rob Maguire, Rick Caruso for The Grove, and Scott Johnson, whose firm designed the new MGM Tower in Century City. The boss is planning a reception on Tuesday night for the winners and wants me to say a few words. Ouch. Can't I just pretend to be working?

Early evening: Bush speaks. Forty-eight hours and counting. Everything stops in the newsroom. Even a few folks from other departments wander over. Prez seems to handle himself well--and goodness knows, the guy has come a long way from his bumbling campaign. Still, he can't seem to shake that deer-in-headlights delivery.., very Kiwanis Club.

Evening: Maybe it's just St. Patrick's Day but the ride home is especially treacherous. Drivers either on cell phones or veering in and out of lanes (and then giving you the finger when you call them on it).

Tuesday morning: Now the boss wants me to hand out the awards tonight--and maybe in my spare time I can put together a little something for each of the 11 categories? Just before manager's meeting, he offers me a chance to bail out, but I know this guy-he's waiting for me to say, "If you really need me, I'll do it." Which is exactly what I say.

Afternoon: More editing... Line editors up to their ears with real estate profiles. Stories coming up too short or too long, other stuff backing up... Firm up a few more war-related stories that with any luck will hold up by weekend... Start gathering up info on real estate winners... Job candidate comes in for interview scheduled weeks ago. Getting an MBA and isn't interested in a journalism job. Just wants to pick my brain--bad day for that... Back to real estate speech.

Evening: More than a hundred folks at the Peninsula when I show up. Lots of cocktail schmoozing, good cheer. Boss quiets crowd and we take turns handing out the plaques. Nice event and appreciative winners... Kind of a relief after war news.

Wednesday morning: Yet more editing of real estate profiles... Contact editors of sister publications in Orange County and San Diego on their warrelated coverage. Need to make changes in pages to accommodate late stories and photos... San Diego pushing story about the owner of a French restaurant who is getting hate mail--but who is an ardent Bush supporter!... CNN in the newsroom but no one has time to watch talking heads... Market slow as traders wait out the early hours of the war.

Early evening: Several reporters stand in front of TV as missiles are fired on Baghdad. Seems like the Americans are looking for quick knock-out of Saddam, but who knows? Talking heads of little use, especially those retired military guys hired by the networks. Same with reporters "embedded" with U.S. military personnel; softball interviews with soldiers sound like pre-game jock-talk.

Evening: Real estate section finally put to bed; rest of the paper awaits tomorrow... Media coverage building, demonstrations continuing... Helicopters hover around Federal Building, just blocks from our house. Occasional sirens blare... We're getting closer and closer, but to what?

Thursday evening: Rumors about who's in control in Iraq... Maybe the Americans got Saddam in an early raid and we'll be spared all the fighting and casualties... We're ready to go to press--what a weird week.

Mark Lacter is editor of the Business Journal.