In late 2004, the young college graduate got her first look at the storefront office of the Canastota Bee-Journal, a well-worn little newsroom just a hop and a skip from the old Erie Canal in Madison County, New York.

Christine Ennis was the new Municipal Editor, a title far grander than her starting paycheck, but there were other compensations. She was shown the ropes by a pair of experienced co-workers who, along with Christine, did all the reporting, wrote all the copy, shot all the photos, and made up all the pages for weekly publication.

The busy Bee ladies became close friends, and Christine grew close to the community in the course of covering hundreds of events and hanging out with the people who made Canastota work- or just made it a lot more interesting.

With all that hard work came the privilege of sounding off about any subject she wished, when there was space in the paper for a column and the inspiration struck. For Christine, that was most weeks, and the column- Soda and Sleep- was named for the caffeine and catnaps she finds essential for a happy life.

The Bee-Journal has gone the way of many another newspaper in the early 21st century, but the best of Christine Ennis's columns are right here in this book. They cover a wide range of topics and emotions, but mostly they're just like her- bright and funny.