Sparks? Yikes.
Regarding your first point, true dat. Also, considering your job description, I'd assume that most of your stories are filed long before you leave the venue; this guy had some features and advances he hadn't backed up. Still had the audio/notes from his interviews, and such, but had to rewrite everything, of course -- and I still don't know how he managed to keep from killing the kid who wiped out his laptop. As he was trying to find someone in charge so he could borrow a computer and get back online, the kid (who worked for that school's SID) said, "You know, when I have to rewrite a paper or something, it's usually better the second time." I would've thrown him out the freaking window.