A Day In My Life

I’ve often heard technicians remark that every case is unique and, similarly, one of the reasons I love working at LMT—and have done so for the last 30+ years—is that no one day is the same. There are always articles to write, surveys to analyze and brainstorming to do.

To kick off our new series, A Day In the Life—which offers a detailed look at one day in the life of a laboratory owner, Jason DeFranco, CDT—I’m sharing a glimpse into one of my days as the Editor of LMT and how I go about bringing you the information you need to stay ahead of the curve.

Monday, February 25

5:20am: I jump into my exercise clothes and head to the gym for my 6am workout. Between the gym and getting to work: stop at Starbucks (I’m a Flat White addict); feed my dog and cat; and drink a smoothie.

8:45am: It’s the Monday after LAB DAY Chicago and I’m exhausted but exhilarated! We had record-breaking attendance this year—4,676 attendees from 49 states and 45 countries—and the expanded education on Thursday and the longer Exhibit Hall hours on Friday were a hit with attendees and exhibitors alike!

8:50am: The editorial staff gathers around to quickly rehash the show before getting to work on finishing this issue.

9:00am: I let my German Shepherd, Rocky, out of my office to say hi to some of the other LMT dogs (and staffers!) who have arrived.

9:05am: Since I’ve been out of the office since last Tuesday, I start reviewing and replying to the massive number of emails I’ve received.

9:30am: Editorial meeting to discuss the LAB DAY Chicago coverage for the April issue; we have a lot of exciting show news to share with you, including numerous developments in the digital denture and 3D printing arenas. 

10:15am: Finish the layouts of the Today’s Products and Services and Contents pages.

10:30am: Our Creative Director, Tarol Samuelson, arrives and we go over her work for the day. The editors handle the basic layout of the pages and then Tarol fine tunes them, often working her magic in Photoshop to achieve all the graphic effects in the magazine (like the digital denture you see on our cover this month!). 

10:45am: Meet with Judy to discuss upcoming personnel needs.

11:25am: Start digging through and organizing my pile of literature, notes and business cards from LAB DAY Chicago.

12:30pm: Talk with Kim Molinaro, our Managing Editor, regarding a few details about the new digital edition of LMT we started offering in January. If you haven’t seen our digital editions, check them out here: LMTmag.com/DigitalEdition.

1:00pm: Lunch and quick trip to the nearby dog park (even though LMT has a doggie door and large fenced-in yard, Rocky likes to get out mid-day!).

2:15pm: Start organizing our schedule for IDS in Cologne in mid-March; we’ll be covering the show in our May issue.

3:15pm: Make a few final edits to Associate Editor Laurel Carbonneau’s cover story, Complete Digital Dentures: Early Adopters Tell All.

3:30pm: Run to the kitchen downstairs for my afternoon pick-me-up: a chai latte made in our Keurig coffee maker.

4:00pm: Take a call from a lab owner interested in writing a technical article for LMT. Fill him in on our submission guidelines and chat about what’s happening in his business. Make a few notes for possible future coverage.

4:15pm: Review more page proofs of the March issue.

5:10pm: Check email and make a few notes for tomorrow’s staff meeting.

5:20pm: Head home. Many LMT staffers have a long commute so we’re all big fans of podcasts to pass the time. I’m finishing up Slow Burn, a fascinating recap of Watergate. And speaking of podcasts, if you haven’t listened to Voices from the Bench, a weekly dental technology podcast with Elvis Dahl and Barbara Warner Wojdan, I highly recommend it.

6:05pm: Arrive home where my husband, John, is in the midst of roasting a chicken and vegetables and enjoy a relaxing night at home.

I hope this day in your life is a great one!