What a crazy week.

We were down to two full-time reporters and a few part-time interns.  It’s never easy filling our news hole each day, but it’s miraculous to do it with such a small staff. But our guys really delivered this week and I’m incredibly proud of them.

Still, there was a moment Tuesday night when I was struck with sheer panic. Columnist Joe Bell e-mailed me saying he wanted to take the week off. I barely had enough news stories to fill the paper as it was, but now I had another hole.

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Sorry to get around to this so late, but wanted to thank all of you who have written me very kind notes about my Father’s Day column.

It wasn’t easy to write. In fact, I choked up about halfway through writing it and when I left work that night I felt like I hadn’t done it justice. So I was pretty surprised when I got around to seeing my e-mail basket and all those notes there praising it. Props to our ME Brady Rhoades for cajoling me to write it. I sort of resisted it, but I went along with it and it seemed to have resonated with readers.

Last night’s “Chat with the Editors” at Newport Rib Co. went smoothly, thanks to the great folks who work there. It was the best venue yet (sorry, Skosh, but Newport Rib Co. gave us a microphone!).

About 15-20 readers attended and we had a nice little chat about a variety of issues. I’ve been joking all day that in the past two meetings it was more like Spat with the Editors (OK, it wasn’t that bad, but folks there were a bit feisty). This definitely seems more like a chat — like a backyard conversation with friends while you’re waiting for the burgers and dogs to cook on the grill.

Much of the discussion involved the rehab home issue in Newport Beach.  But we also talked about John Wayne Airport and the efforts to build a new library in Costa Mesa.

If you missed it, don’t fret (This means you, Geoff West — when are you going to come to one of our Chats?), we’ll have another one soon. Probably at Newport Rib if they’ll have us.