Just keep swimming

It has been a crazy couple of weeks here at the newspaper while I have been learning the ropes of the position of editor.
Last September when I began as the staff writer I had hardly ever touched a Mac computer. I have always been a PC person and in general have a decent grasp of the Microsoft Office programming, that did not quickly translate over.
I have slowly been learning how to use programs like Indesign and Photoshop since starting here, but that was mainly just for writing articles.
Over the past couple of months I began to mess around with layout and formatting, but not on a "for real" basis. I was just messing around with old issues, putting the pieces back together for fun as I tried to learn the ropes. Nothing was dependent on me putting those pages together, there was no press room or circulation department waiting for me to finish an issue on my side of the world so that they could begin their work.
And then all of that changed in what seemed like the blink of an eye and now as I write this I am in the late stages of putting my third issue together, while my coworkers patiently wait for me to finish so that they can get to work on their end.
It has definitely been a crash course in learning over the past couple of weeks and boy have I been busy. I have heard the voice of Dori of "Finding Nemo" fame in my mind quite often as I ran from place to place "just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...."
I have not only been trying to figure out what I am doing as the editor of the Mountain Home News, but I have also still been playing my old role as the staff writer for the paper.
It is a role that I am a bit sad to be handing over the reins on, but the time has come.
It has been a great pleasure to get to know everyone and the comings and goings of our community as the paper's "roving reporter" and though I will be out and about as much as possible, my new role will have me sitting behind a desk a lot more often.
I am happy to say I now have help in the editorial department.
On May 29th, Daniel Katsules (another resident with long ties to the Mountain Home community) has joined us as the new staff writer. He will be helping me cover meetings and all the different happenings in our community.
I am excited to have the help of another person who loves and understands this community. He is in the process of learning what is going to be expected of him as a staff writer, just as I am learning what to do as the editor so patience will still be needed. However, we are very excited to find our groove and start putting our vision of the Mountain Home News to press every week.
As always I am more then happy to hear from you through e-mail, phone calls, facebook and especially by readers stopping in to say hello.