Being Ewert

Somewhere in the Virgin Islands

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 17:03:13 -0500

Well, for continuity’s sake I thought I’d post the rest of Jim and I’s email chain that came in the weeks after graduating Columbia College:

JSulski@aol.com

5/14/07

to me

Young man with an air horn,

What is your new job title?

Thanks.

James Ewert

5/26/07

to JSulski

Hey, Yo Jimbo! How ya doin? Good I hope. I just made it here to MT and it’s more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. Outside my window deer are just chillin and eating grass. Bluejays and Cardinals (or maybe Robins, I’m not sure) chirp outside my window. We have a huge lake and pond, a library by the water, hammocks, a rec. room with pool, ping pong, fuseball and two huge big screen TV’s. I’m staying in a 8 person cabin right now all by myself. I have my own desk in office and it’s absolutely wonderful. Humpback mountains with little snow caps surround me and there are trees and horses and fresh air and the water…I can see through it, not like Lake Michigan. When I got off the plane in Butte, I walked outside and the car was parked no more than 20 feet away! At O’Hare I would have had to take a damn train or shuttle or some shit. I’m isolated from everything, at least 40 minutes from civilization, no cell phone service whatsoever. I am in my element and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Yellowstone is only a three hour drive and Glacier is about 7 hours. It’s incredible Jim, it truly is. Mick said he’ll be coming out here sometime in the next year and a half, if you get a chance you should too, it’s just so amazing. This is the kind of place a drug addict could go to recover and not feel shitty. Oh, and the staff here, I haven’t met them all yet, but it’s similar to the Chronicle staff, drinks everynight, screws each other. Ha! I’m on my way Jim, I’ll see you when I get there. Until then….stay awsome and remember that above all you are a human.

See you soon

Your buddy

James Harry Ewert Jr.

jewertjr@gmail.com

oh, and I don’t know my job title yet, I know I’ll be working in PR though, planning a PVS publicity trip, I’ll try to schedule something through Chicago. I’ll email you next week after I start working with more details.

Bye.

JSulski@aol.com

6/10/07

to me

James,

For cryin’ out loud! Quit complaining about your new digs! Lighten up! Beautiful mountain sides, fresh air, horses that are designated drivers… Those are no match for grimy rat-infested Chicago alleys where a homeless guy or Columbia adjunct is always happy to be your new friend.

Seriously, you made such a great choice. Suck in all in, James. There is something about limiting the information on the horizon and open space that clears the cobwebs out of the brain and makes beer taste better. I am very happy for you.

Glad the job is going well too. Saw Mr. Mick and Rupa last weekend and we did a little medicinal, holistic, cannabinoid therapy (aka weed) to help me through the final stages here. It was great to see Mick and I’m glad he is off the Michigan for most of the summer.

The Chronicle is quiet (which is nice), it is finally warming up here and I’ve been in shorts for a couple of weeks so summer is looking good. Beer is tasting better day by day so I should be back to near-raging-alcoholic level soon. I also need to dust off the bike.

Updates, please. Send a pix or two as well.

Again, take slow deep breaths. Enjoy the view. Think of all the amazing things mother nature can do! And don’t fall off your horse!

It’s the type of place where the following fits (but not in a bad Sunday school way): Vaya con Dios!

After this, the last email I sent him was at 3am a few days later with simply a link to this story with the subject line “Read.”

Hey Yo Jimbo!

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:27:00 -0500

I came across this correspondence I had with the magnificent Jim Sulski, and maybe I’m feeling nostalgic today, but I just wanted to share it. I may not currently be doing the journalism Jim and I so connected on, but I know for absolute certainty that he would say “who cares, do whatever the hell makes you happy!”

See ya in the future Jimbo

James Ewert

3/7/07

to JSulski

Hey Yo Jimbo! How are the comic books and skittles treating you? I guess I never realized this, but why do you still have an aol email account, that shit went out of style a decade ago. Come on man, get with the times. Hope you’re doin well buddy. If it turns out that you need to lose all of your precious hair and feel alienated by your glossy head, I’ll scalp myself for you in commradarie. Really though, how do you feel? Are you weak, tired, fatigued, or do you feel fine? Be careful with those doctors, some smoke cigarettes, and I don’t know a stranger thing than a doctor smoking cigarettes. Things are going pretty well over here at the paper, this local politics class a bunch of us have been in is about to end and that will be a huge burden off of our shoulders, it should be clear sailing from then on out. I’ve begun looking into Argonne National Laboratory for a potential story, maybe even just a background or historical kind of thing, but it is the place where the bomb was borne, that’s news enough! I’m keeping my fingers crossed right now for a job at Project Vote-Smart when I graduate. I had as good as an interview as possible and I should know soon. It is pretty much the best suited job for me ever. If hired I would go out to Montana right after graduating and stay on their ‘exclusive research retreat in this Montana Rocky Mountain with idealistic college grads,’ IDEALISTIC COLLEGE GRADS! That’s me! Anyway just wish me luck.

I do have a funny story for you. So Nancy comes in last Friday and asks me to proof read the Journalism Department newsletter about the Chronicle and debate we scheduled and holy shit, were there some errors. Not only was it chocked full of gramatical and ap style errors, it was overwhelmingly biased against Haithcock. Now, I’m not one to give her any slack, but in terms of writing, you just can’t write it the way it was. It named one of the candidates ‘Larry Askew’, not David Askew or Larry Doody, Larry Askew. Oh and wait, if you think that misspelling was bad, she named me Jim Elward, Jim fucking Elward! In all of my 20 years on this earth no one has ever fucked my name up that bad. Whoever wrote it obviously has never read the paper before. What was also funny was the condesending tone of the whole thing towards us, it had in there somewhere that the candidates first laughed at the skateboarding question, which is wrong. I have a copy, I’ll show it to you when I see you. It may be hard to understand the ignorant audacity of the thing through an email.

Well I’ve got to go and write some stories. Get better Jim, we all miss you very much, and I at least, am in denial about this crazy situation. I’ve just been saying to myself that you’re on vacation in the Virgin Islands. And if I’m in denial, I can’t imagine how you feel. But that’s the nature of the beast I guess, there’s no sense in crying over spilled milk. Yeah I guess cancer isn’t really spilled milk, but meaning of the phrase means the same anyway. Hang in there, it will be over before you know it. If not, tough shit, there’s nothing you can do but use up every second you’ve got left telling people how you really feel, for good or ill. Here’s your chance, I’m sure you’ve got Nancy’s number, ha! Well Jim, you’ve got a lot of people here pulling for you, so you better come through.

Oh, and if you need a little appitite simulant, you know who to call. Strangely enough, it may actually be a possibility.

Go Cubs!

See you soon. Until then…I remain…your friend…James Harry Ewert Jr.

JSulski@aol.com

3/7/07

to me

James,

First of all, I can’t tell you how good it felt to get your email. If I can’t get James Ewert up close and personal, then, dammit, a virtual version will do!

I’m feeling better everyday although my sleep pattern is off thanks to vicodin and xanax. I’ve weaned myself off the two (although got a few stashed away for… you know). Still, fatigue comes in when it wants to. So does hunger. It’s the body repairing itself, I guess.

Jo and I are meeting with the oncologist tomorrow. According to the urologist, the recommendation will likely be a round of chemo. Surgery was fine (I kid you not, there was no pain and I walked out of the hospital minus a kidney a day and one-half after surgery). But there is always concern about what may still be lingering microscopically. So the plan is to zap anything left.

Don’t know how that will go (like I could lose more hair) but John Ryan, an adviser from NIU who was diagnosed with colon cancer a month before my whole story, is going through chemo now and says it has been fairly easy. He is back at work so I’m hoping I’ll get back there soon.

The job sounds fabuloso and a great way to launch your career. Plus, Montana! Come on. At least you’ll be eating elk at chuck roast prices.

Also, do the Argonne story. Also check into Fermi Lab and the University of Chicago squash courts. It’s a great story. Plus, you can stop at White Fence Farm for chicken.

Sorry about the newsletter story. Wish I could have been there to intercede. Oh well.

Tell all not to worry. Remind them that I’m a tough kid from the south side. When I get knocked in the gutter, I’m conditioned to get up, dust myself off, and keep going. Well, maybe stop for a beer.

On that note, tell them when this winds down, we’ll have lots to celebrate - the end of a fantastic year and the beginning of new challenges and prospects. Not to mention a few lifelong memories we’ve already created.

Miss being there and I miss the energy that you guys put into that room.

Truth is, I would rather be there than the Virgin Islands.

See everyone soon.

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