Norma Rae meets newspaper carrier

So we had this little fire at our newspaper today. It was in the wee hours in the morning in the pressroom, and the pressmen wisely ran out of the building because we have these CO2 containers that, well, might combust if they encounter things like extreme heat.
Thankfully, no one was hurt.
But the timing of the fire was such that the regular carriers had either gone home or to other jobs or whatever it is they do after delivery around 5:30 in the morning.
Read Brad Barnes' story here.
What the fire meant for me and Michael and many others in the newsroom and around the building: We helped sort and count papers in our distribution center, then deliver them. I have a newfound love and respect for newspaper carriers, and those who prepare papers for delivery.
(Another result, at least for me, was black-bottomed feet. Because it chose to rain today. Then my feet got grossly wet and I was wearing black sandals that rather "bled." It's only because I trust you so implicitly, Internet, that I can post this nasty photo of my foot. It's the left one, in case you're interested.)
My friend Regina from HR and I paired up and I had about 200 papers to deliver. I can proudly say we got them all.
Some funny stories from the experience:
--Three of our newsroom retirees were called in and admirably helped out. However, two of them lingered so long at the sorting depot that the publisher and others had to shoo them out and remind them they had deliveries to make. Not much later, the publisher and the circulation director bumped into them eating a leisurely lunch at a BBQ joint.

--The same two retirees reportedly got into an argument while driving around about just how exact they needed to be in their deliveries. As in, "Do we really need to deliver ALL of these?" One took it rather as a calling as if to say, "We cannot disappoint these people; they're counting on us."
--On my husband's route, his partner-in-crime was tossing a paper onto an upstairs apartment porch--but then the paper came out of its plastic wrapping and fluttered to the ground like bird feathers.
While I would not choose this particular job in a million years (not least of which because I'm not a night-owl), I can honestly tip my hat to those who do this for a living. First of all, how do you do it so quickly? And secondly, doesn't it just suck when it rains?