I just now bought a spot of travel insurance my new employer requires as it sets me up in Montpellier, France for the fall. I’ll be teaching conversational English to my client family, in exchange for which I get room, board and French school. Totally sweet deal in a hip college town near the Mediterranean, one that makes the sting of the premium entirely bearable (and to boot, the irresistible French resolve and joie de vivre stole my heart decades ago). Besides, the money’s a trifle against a lot bigger issue – France is positively wonderful, but so’s the milestone that colors this year’s visit. As of Friday, May 27, I’m calling it quits after more than four decades of journalistic mirth, madness and reward. My position as La Jolla Village News editor is the last formal post I’ll hold over 44 years of this stuff in three states – meanwhile, there’s no denying the latest round of pivots that mark all that time, like the very kind invitation I received two years ago to write for San Diego Story and the decidedly untimely September death of Kevin McKay, San Diego Community Newspaper Group managing editor. On top of it all, I’m absolutely tuckered out beyond my capacity to understand. The grind has been almost too much more than worth it, as I was privileged to incorporate feature angles people ideally didn’t get anywhere else, included in a 600-word story on 9/11 that amid my anger took me all day to write; an interview with Polish labor unionist and former president Lech Valesa; a feature on the iconic Apollo 8 astronauts; and what I hope was a reasoned political perspective on the chasmically tragic Paris shootings last November. And even with both feet nearly in the grave, I’m not quite done. You can find me this summer at San Diego Story (sandiegostory.com), a performing and visual arts emag for which I provide the most scintillating local theater commentary in the history of the universe. I’m also in the beginning stages of building a travel website – can’t very well go to France without leaving a trail, and I’ll be declaring as much through stories and reports on the site and at San Diego Story. There’s still a lot to do out there, and I’d go nuts if I cut myself off amid what I acknowledge as vaguely workaholic tendencies. But thanks, thanks and ever thanks to publisher Julie Main, managing editor Tom Melville, reporter Dave Schwab, graphics magicians Chris Baker and Barbara Rogel and everyone at the San Diego Community Newspaper Group family for input great and small (even to the guy in Ohio who issued me a death threat 40 years ago after a review of a play that totally sucked candied yams). Indeed, all good things do come to an end – and your kindly readership is the best good thing of all. Salut et a bientot! Best,
Marty