One of the things one learns from working in a newsroom is the importance of focusing on the task at hand. Holiday seasons come and go, platters of food appear and disappear, but the newsroom remains impervious. Attention must be riveted on the news product, because a lost train of thought is a lost, um, where is K going with that giant tray of Christmas cookies?

Keeping one's mind on the assignment is not easy with all the distractions. This is true for many in our multi-tasking society (when was the last time you did even a small project from beginning to end without interruption?) but it's especially so in the newsroom.

Let me just check this message ... oh, the cookies have landed at the copy desk. 'Scuse me one second ...

Anyway, as the nerve center for all things newsworthy, a newsroom is a veritable pit of attractive nuisances. You're trying to tote up the bonuses of Wall Street execs and suddenly some kid is careening across Colorado in a runaway balloon (not) and you have to start counting all over again -- one million, two million, etc.

Hey, nut horns, my favorite. Oooh, and little cheesecakes ...

The police scanner and TV are on, phones are jangling, colleagues are interviewing sources through their head sets and one can't help but overhear them, especially when they get mad, which hardly ever happens, but when it does, look out. Yo, ML, where'd you get the brownies? Really? I didn't see those ...

E-mails are flooding in-boxes. People are calling out for the mayor's home phone number and the dividing line between East Liberty and Highland Park, debating the lyrics of "Eve of Destruction," arguing over who gets first crack at the "Mad Men" DVD ...

What's that aroma? OMG, K put out a chocolate bourbon cake at the city desk. Girl, you could flunk a Breathalyzer test just from walking past it. Maybe just a small piece ... what're those curly things on top, candied orange peels? Cool!

It takes a powerful lot of discipline -- Yikes, that cake packs a wallop!!!! -- to keep one's mind trained like a guard dog on one's story. I usually don't like candied fruit but these are really good. But one is a professional above all else, and when deadlines loom, there's no time to be sidetracked by frivolity.

We live in serious times. And serious times call for serious people, willing to get to the bottom of things. Why is the state Legislature so corrupt? Where are the snow plows, and why are they sometimes "ploughs?' How can UPMC call itself a nonprofit? What is the point of Wayne Newton?

Who made this pie over in the Features section? Apple and sweet potato, what a fabulous combo. Nice and tart, too. Musta been C. Good crust, C.!!

Only the most seasoned pros can maintain their laser-beam concentration no matter how events conspire to divert it. Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these courageous couriers of information from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. Man, did you see the Food section's mail this morning? Every cookie company in the world is sending Christmas samples. Hey B, pass the oatmeal-raisin.

Is it not the job of the press to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable? Wow, those cinnamon-covered nuts have a bite to 'em. Is the pen not mightier than the sword? Are bittersweet chocolate chips not superior to milk chocolate any day of the week?

Did someone mention Australian sausage rolls in the Ivory Tower? Leave it to the editorial page writers to go all rogue and exotic. Better mosey on over there ...

Where was I? Oh yes. Focusing is very important. But so is keeping attuned to the goings on around town. Like First Night. Looks like a pretty good lineup this year. The Average White Band's playing; didn't even realize they were still around. What was their big hit again?

I wonder if they demand raspberry nut bars in their contract? They would if they could taste these. Good thing I just happened by the Business section as R was laying them out.

As I was saying, tangents are the enemy of news. Speaking of which, could you believe Tuesday's vote for Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press? All these great women to choose from, and they pick a horse for the No. 2 spot after Serena Williams. Zenyatta had a great year beating all those male competitors, but still ...

Do horses like candy canes? They eat sugar, don't they? But maybe the peppermint would put them off. There must be 50 candy canes in that jar near the Entertainment desk, plus Hershey's Kisses. Remember when there was only one kind? Now they've got all these different varieties.

Thou thinks I doth digress too much? It is only to prove my point. Digression is a symptom of an undisciplined mind. And it takes great discipline to walk past that amazing gingerbread. It's not the hard, crumbly stuff of gingerbread-man cookies. It's really moist and cakey, with soft vanilla icing. Guess I'd better at least taste it. For research. One never knows.

So you see, no morsel can be overlooked in the single-minded pursuit of digestible stories. I forgot all about this bag of caramel-coated popcorn from V. Big stories from little crumbs are made. The appetite for truth and accuracy is undiminished. Which is why I swear that every treat mentioned here is somewhere in the newsroom at this moment.

Best wishes for a sweet New Year. In conclusion, I think I have a Godiva chocolate somewhere in my desk.

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