January 15, 1942

Dear Mother and Dad,

What's this? A letter or rather a Christmas card for me, at home, from L.A.! And from a girl too! I didn't know she cared. Will have to phone her and thank her. Thanks for sending it down to me. Guess I had better tell you who she is. The girl is Whity's cousin, a former Salt Laker. Every time I used to go over and see Jack she was usually there, so what else? I got friendly with her and one night Jack got one of his best girls and I got his cousin and we went to a show. Will have to put her name on next years or rather this years list.

Les, the former Salt Lake fellow that I think I told you about in one of my first letters, who moved down here about four years ago with his parents, is going in the Army next week. I just talked to him over the phone and he is going to come over about five thirty. He wants to talk to me about the Ski Patrol. He says if he can't get the type of job that he wants in the regular Army--an office job to keep up his office training--he is going to try to, later, transfer into the S.P. He says if he has to go rugged, he wants to do it up right.

Have got a confession to make, but a darn good excuse for having to make it. Last night I didn't go to work. Mon. I started riding to work with a fellow that gets his sleeping done in the evening just before going to work. Well, last night he didn't show up. At quarter to twelve--the time he should have picked me up--he didn't show. At twelve, the same, and so on until twelve forty five--the dead-line for getting into the plant. I was raving to think that he was so incorrigible not to phone. About the time my anger had reached its peak, I herd him honking out front. I went down stairs and outside, calming myself as I went, and told him he might as well go home and go to bed. He apologized and said his alarm didn't go off. He was so sympathetic I couldn't help but excuse him. We talked for about ten minutes and then I came back in and resumed reading a book that I recently bought on advertising. I phoned the plant and they excused me, so I guess no harm was done. And I don't think it will hurt my record--at least it shouldn't.

That tear at the top of the page if from the sight bars on my typewriter. About two out of every five letters that I write, that usually happens.

Well, that's about all the news for the week. am having a lot of fun and up against a tough lesson. It's taking me over my schedule. Hope to get it done this week-end. Write soon-as if I had to tell you. Love, Tom