Another week of “newsing” is in the books.
I did less because I was sick, but it was still an exciting week.
Last Monday evening I stayed home and did not attend the Waldorf City Council meeting. Normally that is Tristan’s responsibility, but she was covering another event.
I was reminded of the last time I was sick in 2022 and the first time I ever got sick after I became an editor.
In May of 2022 I came down with “the Covid” and was homebound for a period of time. It was one of my worst experiences being sick. I couldn’t stand up without incredible nausea and light-headedness. The whole experience rather sucked. But, a big but, I felt relatively fine if I was lying down. Still sick, but no nausea. So what did I do?
I work from home when I’m sick. In this particular case, the entire newspaper was put together with me lying down on my side, with my laptop propped up next to me on a coffee table.
Early last year I made the decision to upgrade from a 2011 iMac, all-in-one desktop computer to a 2021 Macbook Pro laptop. I’m really glad I did. I don’t know how I could have printed that week’s paper without a laptop. I couldn’t have worked from home and I certainly couldn’t have sat at my desk and worked. Oof.
So, the other story I remembered took place about three weeks after I became Editor of the Star Eagle when I was 19, gosh, six years ago. (Wow, time really does fly.)
I took over as editor for my dad who was in the hospital again for his autoimmune disorder, which at the time had not been diagnosed. He couldn’t do the paper and we didn’t have anyone else who could or would put the pages (the newspaper) together.
In the past when my father couldn’t do the newspaper, Reed, our production manager, would digitally lay out the newspaper. Well, the previous time this happened, Reed told my mother, who also worked for the newspaper, that, “Next time Jim can’t do the paper, I’m not gonna do it. It’s not my job. I’m old and it’s too much. Next time this happens we’ll have to find someone else to do it or close the doors.”
That stayed in the back of my mind from the age of 17 until that fateful day in the spring of 2017. So fast forward three weeks, and many hours of copying and pasting, and internet searches on how to use “Quark,” our operating system for the newspaper, and I’m kind of getting the hang of it.
Well, about this time I came down with a really bad cold. I was miserable.
I told Mom that I didn’t think I could finish the newspaper pages. “Can we print late? Can Reed do it?”
I asked all of the questions. My mother assured me on press day (deadline day), Reed could put the finishing touches on the paper, “once I put everything where it should,” and he would send the pages to the printer to allow me to go home and rest.
I did that and went home and utterly collapsed at about 1 p.m.
I tossed and turned in my bed in my sleep, sweating, the whole 9 yards.
I awoke at about 2:30 p.m., to a pounding door. “Eli, you have to finish the paper.”
I thought I was having a nightmare. I opened the door, said, “You’re crazy.” And went back to my bed.
The pounding continued.
Followed by some yelling. And, well, I went back to work.
I asked Reed what the problem was. All he had to do was make sure the spacing between stories was right and click some buttons to send the pages.
I was furious.
Reed hadn’t done a thing I asked him to do and told me it wasn’t his job; he couldn’t do it. Wouldn’t do it.
I learned that day that, heck or high water, the responsibility of the paper going to print falls on the editor.
Thankfully now, there are two other people in our family newspaper operation who know how to layout the newspaper. (My father, who is in good health, and Michael Roy.)
Oh, this was supposed to be about my week of “newsing.”
Tuesday I finished laying out the Star Eagle and made a plethora of mistakes. I remind myself that “my best,” looks different when I am sick. I am sincerely sorry for when mistakes are printed in the newspaper.
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were spent following local sports. Thursday the wrestlers won an unexpected upset. Friday the boys basketball team lost an exciting home contest. And Saturday the girls basketball team did everything they could to win in Hayfield. They really played well. I’m excited for the postseason.
Another week of ‘newsing’ in the books.
“If you’re reading this… Congratulations, you’re alive. If that’s not something to smile about, then I don’t know what is.” ~ Chad Sugg