2009 Christmas Letter (Part 3 — finale)

Since moving back home it has been nice seeing more of Mom, Dad and Grandma, but I plan to move out and move on this summer. I am applying to grad schools (right now my favorites are Northwestern, Columbia and Maryland) and weighing some other options. If conditions ever improve in the newspaper biz there may be full-time work at the Times and there's also the possibility I could have a book published.

Oh, I didn't mention that? That's right, the book, the infamous "Meningitis Memoir" (not the working title) is in its last throes. It is now about 128 pages in single-spaced, 10-point font and I'm thinking that is about enough. Only two more challenges lie ahead: finding someone who will publish it, and then, if I should be so lucky, finding the emotional strength to release this intensely personal work into the hands of the public.

So, if all goes well, perhaps at this point next year there will be a book out with my name on it, just in time for the holidays ("Makes a great gift!"). If I sell any, another international trip may be in my future. After all, that Swiss girl is still out there somewhere.

God bless us, everyone,
Andy

2009 Christmas Letter (Part 2)

After returning from Europe I sent out applications for the three or four newspaper jobs that were open across the country (OK, that's an exaggeration. But only a slight one). Finding no takers, I decided to take the opportunity to give back to my hometown. I left Kansas and signed up for the Minnesota Reading Corps, an AmeriCorps program that places reading tutors in schools across the state. Since August I have been at Madison Elementary in St. Cloud, tutoring 17 kids in grades K-3, 20 minutes per kid, five days a week. It has been tiring, but rewarding. Seems like every day the kids say things that are alternately touching, hilarious and heartbreaking. I have bonded with many of them and it will be tough to leave when my year of service is up.

Upon returning home I also received a call from the the St. Cloud Times, which was looking for some part-time staff. Since September I have been working three nights a week there. I mostly take calls from high school coaches and write briefs, but I've been able to do a few full sports stories and have also found myself becoming the receptacle for all the news stories no one else wants ("Find a local angle on the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down? Sure, I'll take a stab at it"). In short order I went from working 0 hours a week to about 60. I'm still making less money than I was in Olathe, but I feel very productive.

Because of my limited income, I felt it prudent to move back in with Mom and Dad when I returned to St. Cloud. So far the move has been pretty seamless for all the humans involved. Baxter, however, does not get along with their dog, George. George likes to romp and play, which tends to interfere with Baxter's extensive sleep schedule. He is becoming a grumpy old man.

(To be continued... again)

2009 Christmas Letter (Part 1)

Dear friends and family,

This second annual Andy Marso Christmas letter finds your protagonist at the end of a year full of changes. As you can see from one of the enclosed photos, I now have a second adorable niece (although the chilly Milwaukee weather ensured that you can't see too much of her). Elizabeth was born in September and she and her older sister Ellie get along wonderfully so far. Ellie is three years old now and is a little chatterbox. Elizabeth is a quiet, serene baby. It's a nice mix.

The other big changes started in March when I was laid off along with most of the rest of the staff of The Olathe News. Not sure exactly what the impetus was. Something about the "worst economic collapse since the Great Depression" coupled with the "demise of the newspaper industry as we know it," or some such thing. Losing my job was not a surprise (it was the third round of lay-offs in a year), but it was disappointing. It was a job that never felt like work and I had grown close to many of my co-workers.

But one thing my battle with meningitis has taught me is that you have to be willing to embrace life's detours and see where they lead. This particular detour took me first to Europe, which was easy to embrace. I used a portion of my severance pay and my suddenly-ample free time to visit friends in Germany, Italy and France, with a solo trip to Switzerland in between. For those of you wondering about my health, I took about a 10K hike through the Alps (see other enclosed photo), so I guess I'm doing alright.

It was my first trip to the Old Country since college and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had just one regret, and it brings me to a bit of advice for any single, male readers: If while on a train you strike up a conversation with an attractive Swiss girl who says she is on her way home to Zurich, do NOT be honest with her and say you're headed to Lucerne. Instead say, "What a coincidence, I'm going to Zurich too! And I could sure use a tour guide." (These great ideas always come to me well after the fact).

(To be continued)

Questions entertainment news should be answering

The Tiger Woods Saga has proved once again that TMZ and E! have so much more reporting resources at their disposal than their topics of coverage merit. My take on Tiger? Yes, what he did was despicable, but it was not shocking. Rather than telling me who the latest floozy who says she slept with him is, I'd like to have TMZ or E! answer these questions:

1. What ever happened to Lark Voorhies (Lisa Turtle) from Saved by the Bell? Everyone else from the show, even Dustin Diamond, has at least gotten a little TV time since it ended. She just seemed to disappear.

2. Why did they wait until Ralph Macchio was like 35 to make Karate "Kid" III? And, given all that time between sequels, how could they not have come up with a better script?

3. How in the world is there enough material to have an entire TV series called "I didn't know I was pregnant?" Ladies, how has the "I thought I was just constipated until a baby fell in the toilet" scenario played out more than once or twice in human history?

4. On average, how many times a day does Hugh Hefner have a "senior moment" and call one blond house-bimbo by another blond house-bimbo's name?

5. If Steven Seagal makes an arrest on his new reality show, "Lawman," is it actually legally binding?

6. Does Chris Tucker just jet around the globe until he runs out of money and then make another "Rush Hour" movie? And if so, how can I get that gig?

7. Has anyone ever gotten more mileage out of knocking up a high school girl than Levi Johnston?

8. How's Phil Mickelson's wife doing in her cancer fight?