The Beach, 2009

Just a last look at one of the last mornings on the beach for 2009. Looking forward to 2010.

Happy New Year!

(Twitter Me)

-- TJ Sullivan is the author of the novel Boon.

TJ's Top 5 Xmas Movies

In reverse order of preference, I give you my top five Christmas movies, and wish you all a very happy holiday:

5. A Christmas Story (1983): Inspired storytelling by any measure, and probably the only Christmas script to ever contain the term "electric sex."

4. The Matador (2005): Often overlooked as a holiday movie, the second half of this tale does indeed occur during the holiday season. Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear and Hope Davis. (Kinnear delivers a line that writers have no doubt wanted to say to their friends at least a thousand times: "Please tell me you know you mixed two sports in a metaphor.")

3. The Ice Harvest (2005): Guns, tinsel, strippers, John Cusak and Oliver Platt. Nuff said.

2. Elf (2003): This movie could have stopped after the first few minutes and still have made this list. Will Ferrell sitting on Bob Newhart's lap! Funniest ... sight ... ever.

1. Bad Santa (2003): This movie is for those who've seen It's a Wonderful Life a few too many times, at least enough to root for George Bailey to hurry up and jump before Clarence the angel shows up to ruin the show. Seriously, if hearing Jingle Dogs gives you a nervous tick, or if just the thought of Bob Dylan's Christmas In the Heart prompts you to ponder violence against yourself or others, just put the kids to bed, then go wrest that fifth of Old Grand Dad from the cushions of the foldaway couch downstairs, and pop this bit of adult holiday bliss into the DVD player. Billy Bob Thorton, Tony Cox and Lauren Graham are truly hilarious, but the best bits are those with John Ritter and Bernie Mac. Sad to say that Ritter died not long after Bad Santa was made, and Mac passed away in 2008.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Go (1999) and Die Hard (1988), both of which are set in Los Angeles during the holiday season. Die Hard II (1990) is also set during the holiday season.

(Twitter Me)

-- TJ Sullivan is the author of the novel Boon.

Thank You, 'Editor and Publisher'

Editor & Publisher is closing.

I know this because it was reported by The New York Times.

So far, The New York Times is still in business. But Editor & Publisher isn't going to be for much longer, and, ridiculous and sappy as it seems to get emotional about a trade publication, well ... I am.

Like a lot of journalists, I wouldn't be where I am without Editor & Publisher. I'd still be a journalist, of course, but I definitely wouldn't have followed the same path, which means many of the important stories I fought to report might never have been reported. I might not have met the same friends. I might not have even met my wife.

No joke.

I'm in Los Angeles today because E&P sent me to Idaho ... and then New Mexico ... and then ...

I'll explain.

As I approached graduation in the late 80s, the classified section of E&P Magazine was the most valuable item in the newsroom. It was to me, and every other journalism grad hoping to land a job at a newspaper, the only link to our future, the only publication that listed what few jobs the industry had to offer.

Unlike most of my friends, I applied to all of them. Regardless of whether I met the qualifications, I wrote each and every newspaper that placed an ad.

In addition, I tapped the E&P Yearbook for the addresses of newspapers that didn't have jobs posted, but which were publications that I respected, and hoped to someday join.

I must have typed more than 60 letters on my Remington portable typewriter that spring, and maxed out my credit card on photo-copied clip sets, 9x10 envelopes, and first-class postage.

Thanks to E&P, I received five jobs offers, including one on the British Virgin Island of Tortola. The editor of that one apologized for not being able to pay my moving expenses, but, by way of consolation, she assured me that both rent and rum were very cheap. Needless to say, I didn't take that particular job.

But, the job I did take also resulted from an E&P classified. It was in Ketchum, Idaho, a weekly with an editor who let me crash in a spare room at his house for a few days until I found a place of my own.

Less than a year after that, still in Ketchum, I received a phone call at work from an editor in Santa Fe. He said he'd kept my letter of application for a job they'd advertised in E&P long before I took the job in Idaho. He'd tracked down my whereabouts by calling the references I'd listed. He said they'd already filled the investigative reporter slot, a post for which I clearly wasn't qualified, but they had an opening in sports and wanted me to fill it.

Sports? The closest I'd ever come to sports reporting was to take agate while working the late-night shift on the sports desk at the Lexington Herald-Leader. I wasn't a sports writer. I was an investigative reporter, or, well, I was going to be.

The editor didn't care about that. "You don't belong in Idaho," he said. "You belong here."

Two weeks later, I was again packing everything into my little, gray Chevette and driving hundreds of miles to live in a place I'd never been, all because of a job I'd found through E&P.

Like many of my colleagues, I continued to refer to E&P's classified section many times in those pre-Internet years, usually in response to some newsroom nonsense that had pissed me off. At one newspaper the editor eventually took to hiding the company copy of E&P, an apparent response to the many pay raises he was forced to offer to keep his best staffers on staff.

But E&P has always been far more than a collection of classified ads. As my experience in this industry increased, so did my appreciation for E&P's reporting, and its role as a watchdog of the industry. E&P has been the first place many journalists turn to report unethical behavior in their own newsrooms, situations that would probably never get dealt with were it not for the watchful eye of E&P.

Times change. Life goes on. There are now and will continue to be watchdogs to keep the journalism industry honest. But we owe a lot to E&P.

I don't know where I'd be without it.

-- TJ Sullivan is the author of the novel Boon.

---

Cross posted at LA Observed

---

Trackbacks:
Fitz & Jen
Romenesko
Los Angeles Times

'Boon' Available Online Now

My novel, "Boon," won't be released officially until early next year [Feb. 16, 2010], which, as I've been told by many a bookstore manager, means you can't make an over-the-counter purchase of it yet. However, both the paperback and hardcover editions are already available from several booksellers online, including Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.

"Boon" is also available as an eBook, including formats for Kindle, Microsoft Reader, and Adobe eReader.

Google Books offers a preview of the paperback edition, as well as links to more sellers.

Book signings will be held starting in February. Updates will be posted on my books page, at the official Boon Web site, and at Facebook.


(Twitter This)

— TJ Sullivan LA

LA Today: Rain and Rainbows

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Click to View Larger Version --

Rain in Los Angeles is national news ... but we actually saw just enough sun today for a couple killer rainbows.

Captured this one with the Google Phone (G1) camera.

(Twitter Me)

View more LA Today photographs at this link.


— TJ Sullivan in LA

Soup, Soup, Soup ...

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan --

I found a recording I did in 1997 of the poem "Soup," one of the pieces I often read at poetry readings in LA during the late 1990s -- places like The Midnight Special bookstore, which, sad to say, has long since closed. I uploaded the "Soup" audio to the Web site, along with the text of the poem.

(Twitter Me)


— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: Sunrise Shadows

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Click to View Larger Version --

Today's sunrise ... as seen on the wall of a sound stage at Fox.

(Twitter Me)

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— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: A Green One

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Click to View Larger Version --

Today's sunset ... as reflected.

(Twitter Me)

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— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: Westside Sunrise

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Shot with the Google Phone G1 --

(Twitter Me)

View more LA Today photos at this link.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: Beverly Hills Adjacent

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Shot with Google Phone G1 --

(Twitter Me)

View more LA Today photos at this link.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: The Breakfast Club

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Click to View Larger Version --

Sunrise today, Santa Monica Bay.

(Twitter Me)

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— TJ Sullivan in LA

The Sire of Wilshire Returns!

— Photo By TJ Sullivan —

Steve Jones, the self-proclaimed Sire of Wilshire (a nod to the physical address of his former home at Indie 103.1 FM), is back on the air!

The former host of Jonesy's Jukebox is now hosting a two-hour program every Sunday at BBC 6, according to both MusicWeek and the BBC 6 Web site.

His first show, to which you can listen online, aired Sunday, Nov. 1. The show's title is "A Month of Sundays with Steve Jones."

You'll recall that Indie 103.1 went off the air in January, when pretty much all we heard from Jones appeared in a press release from MSOPR, the public relations company that represented Jones' group, The Sex Pistols. See LA Observed, Variety, LA Weekly and OC Weekly for more background.

(Twitter Me)

— TJ Sullivan in LA

Same Old Story ...

— Photo by TJ Sullivan —

Sorry to say it, but we all knew this was coming.

As reported a few minutes ago over at LA Observed, the Los Angeles Times appears to be in layoff mode again.

Same story on the other coast, at The New York Times.

Have to wonder how these publications can hope to retain subscribers while letting go the talented folks who produce the content.

Wishing the staffs of both newsrooms all the best ...

(Twitter Me)

— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: Umbrella Watch 2009

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Click to View Larger Version --

Disclosure: I shot this photo in December 2004 ... which is just about the last time we saw any rain in Los Angeles. But, if what the forecasts, and the skies, are saying is true, we're in for a storm.

(Twitter Me)

View more LA Today photos at this link.


— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: Road Trip to SB Mission

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Click to View Larger Version --

(Twitter Me)

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— TJ Sullivan in LA

285+ Book-Related Links

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan --

As promised, I have completed my search for book-related blogs and Web sites. All 285 of the sites listed here have been confirmed as active, meaning they've all featured fresh content in the past 30 days, or so. Of course, this is by no means a complete list. If you've got a few book clubs, book blogs, and/or book-related Web sites to suggest, send them along and I'll gladly append the list.

Enjoy ...

1 More Chapter

(The) 3 R’s: Reading, ‘Riting, and Randomness

38th Ave. Diva Readers

About Last Night

(An) Adventure in Reading

Adventures in SciFi Publishing

Age 30+ ... A Lifetime of Books

Allison’s Attic

Alvah's Books

American Booksellers Association

American Library Association

Amitava Kumar

As usual, I need more bookshelves

At Home With Books

Avery, an anthology of new fiction

Bagels, Books and Schmooze

Bailey’s and Books

Barnes & Noble's Book Club

Beatrice

Bermudaonion's Weblog

Beth Fish Reads

Biblio File

Bibliophile By the Sea

Bibliofreak

Bibliolatry

Big A little a

(The) Big Read

Bloggin' 'bout Books

Blue Archipelago

Bluestalking Reader

(The) Bluestocking Society

Book Addiction

Book-a-rama

Book Awards Reading Challenge

Book a Week with Jen

(The) Book Bench

Book Blogger Appreciation Week

Book Blogs

Book Browse

Book Chatter and other stuff...

(The) Book Chick

Book Chick City

Book Club in a Box

Book Club Girl

Book Club Classics

Book Club Classics - Facebook Link

(The) Book Club Cookbook

Book Clubs Resource

Book Crazy

Book Divas

Book Dragon's Lair

Book Group Buzz

Book Group Expo

(The) Book Lady's Blog

Book, Line, and Sinker

Book Lust - Nancy Pearl

Book Movement

(The) Book Nest

Book Nut

Book Reviews by Bobbie

Book Room Reviews

(A) Book Sanctuary

(The) Book Show

Book Slut

Bookavore

BookBigot

BookDwarf

Bookfoolery and Babble

BookFox

Bookgasm

Booking A Room With A View

Booking Mama

Bookish Ruth

Booklorn

Bookopolis

Bookpuddle

Books on the Nightstand

Books-a-Million's Book Club

Books and Bars

Books and Cooks

Books and Other Thoughts

Books and Quilts

Books in Every Room

Books, Inq.

Books Lists Life

Books ‘N Border Collies

Books on the Brain

Booksellers Blog

Booksie's Blog

Booksquare

Bookstack

BookTryst

Bookworm with a View

(A) Bookworm's World

Booninja

Borders Book Club

(The) Boston Bibliophile

Brandywine Books

Breaking the Spine

Callapidder Days

Care's Online Book Club

Caribou’s Mom

Carolina Gal's Literary Cafe

Chick with Books

Chicklish

Cindy’s Love of Books

Color Online

(The) Complete Booker

Condalmo

Confessions of a Real Librarian

Conversational Reading

Critical Mass

DailyLit

Dannyreviews.com

Daughters of Catastrophe

Devourer of Books

Diary of an Eccentric

Diane Rehm's Reader's Review

Distraction no. 99

Don't Miss Books

DoveGrey Reader

Dreadlock Girl

E. Lockhart

Early Word

Eating My Words

Educating Petunia

(The) Elegant Variation

(An) Embarrassment of Riches

Emerging Writers Network

Eos Books - The Next Chapter

Escape to Books

Everyday I Write the Book

Ex Libris

Fizzy Thoughts

(A) Fondness For Reading

Fresh Ink Books

Fyrefly’s Book Blog

GalleyCat

(A) Garden Carried in the Pocket

(A) Girl Walks into a Bookstore

Girls With Books

good reads

Globe Books

Great Books and Fresh Coffee

Guardian Unlimited

(A) Guy's Moleskine Notebook

Harper Collins Reading Group Resources

Hamza's Chronicles

Here in the Bonny Glen

Hey Lady!  Whatcha Reading?

(A) High and Hidden Place

Historical / Present

Huffington Post Book Club

In the Pages

Independent Bookstore Photo Gallery

If you're just joining us

Insatiable Reader

Jacket Copy - Los Angeles Times

Jenn's Bookshelves

Jezebel [Posts tagged "books"]

J. Kaye’s Book Blog

Jonathan Maberry’s Big, Scary Blog

Joy’s Blog

Just Books

Kelly’s Pulitzer Project

Kimbooktu

Kittling: Books

Lesa Holstine

Librarily Blonde

Library Queue

life happens while books are waiting

(A) Life in Books

Lit Lovers

(The) Literate Housewife Review

Literary Rejections on Display

(The) Literary Saloon

Living a Quotable Life

London Review of Books Online

Long and the Short of It [Romance reviews]

Long and the Short of It [Erotic reviews]

Lost in Books

(a) lovely shore breeze. . . .

Maggie Reads

Mark Athitakis’ American Fiction Notes

Maud Newton

Maw Books Blog

Medieval Bookworm

(The) Mermaids Bookshelf

Michele – only one “L”

(The) Millions

Minds Alive on the Shelves

Missy's Book Nook

Moby Lives

Mostly Fiction

(The) Mumpsimus

Musings of a Bookish Kitty

my cozy book nook

My Friend Amy

My Tragic Right Hip

Naked Without Books!

Nathan Bransford

Necessary Acts of Devotion

New Pages

Not Enough Bookshelves

Notes from Camp Swampy

(The) Novel Bookworm

(A) Novel Challenge

Novel Journey

(A) Novel Menagerie

Novelists, Inc. Blog

Of Books and Bicycles

Omnivoracious

Omnivoracious' Amazon Blog

One Persons Journey

Oprah's Book Club

Out of this Eos

Pages Turned

Paper Cuts -- The New York Times

Passion for the Page

Patti's Pages

Peeking Between the Pages

Pop Culture Junkie

Pop Goes Fiction

Presenting Lenore

(The) Printed Page

(A) Progressive on the Prairie

Publishing Insider

(The) Pulitzer Project

(The) Reader’s Advisor

Reader's Circle

Reader's Corner:

(A) Reader's Respite

Reading and Writing Podcast

Reading At The Beach

Reading Local: Portland

Reading Group Choices

Reading Group Guides

(The) Reading Journey

Reading to Know

Reading With Monie

Ready When You Are

Rebecca Reads

Redlady's Reading Room

ricklibrarian

(The) Roaring 20’s

Rose City Reader

S. Krishna’s Books

Santa Monica Citywide Reads Blog

Savvy Verse and Wit

(A) Sea of Books

(The) Second Pass

Semicolon

Serendipitous Readings

Seven Impossible Things

She is Too Fond of Books

She Reads Books

She Reads and Reads

Shelf Life

Short Stack - Washington Post

Signatures

Slaves of Golconda

(The) Sleepy Reader

Slushpile.net

Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

Snapshot

SnarkSpot

So Many Books

So Many Precious Books, So Little Time

Soliloquy in Blue

Splash of Red

Stacy’s Books

Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic

Stephanie's Written Word

Stone SouP

(The) Story Prize

Suburb Sanity

Tanzanite's Shelf and Stuff

Three Guys One Book

Tiny Little Reading Room

Too Many To Count

Trashionista

Trish's Reading Nook

USA Today - Books

Vroman's Bookstore Blog

Whimpulsive

White Readers Meet Black Authors

Worducopia

Words to Mouth

Wordswimmer

(A) Work in Progress

Wowowow/Books

Writer Unboxed

(The) Written Nerd

(A) Year of Books

You've GOTTA read this!

(Twitter This)

I hope to see you at Facebook.


— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: Cactus Surrenders

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Click to View Larger Version --

(Twitter Me)

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— TJ Sullivan in LA

First Review of 'Boon'

The first review of my novel, "Boon," is in ...

Here's the blurb:

"In his first novel, 'Boon,' T.J. Sullivan imagines a world where the news is produced not by perfectly objective, detached automatons but instead by human beings with real vulnerabilities, obsessions, distractions and temptations. It’s a story of manipulation and opportunism, portraying a constant struggle between doing what’s required and doing what’s right. The strength of the narrative is Sullivan’s indefatigable use of detail, which lets the reader feel each character’s every hunger, every pain and every breath."

-- M.E. Sprengelmeyer, The Communicator

Coming Winter 2010. In the meantime, I hope to see you at Facebook.

(Twitter This)

— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: Santa Monica Pier, 100

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Click to View Larger Version --

For more info on the 100th birthday of Santa Monica Pier, click this link.

(Twitter Me)

View more LA Today photos at this link.


— TJ Sullivan in LA

Stop Potchkying and Write

Writer's Digest

While reading the September issue of Writer's Digest this past weekend, I ran across an unfortunate truth that bears repeating.

It was in a Q-and-A with author, blogger and Creative Commons proponent Cory Doctorow, who was asked what he tells writers seeking advice on getting their books published.

Doctorow responded by observing that many of the writers who ask that question haven't even finished writing their books. Not that it's wrong for writers to consider their ultimate goal, but, as Doctorow says, when questions like this turn into research tangents, they consume time that should be spent writing.

So true.

I see this all the time at writers conferences and workshops. The workshops are the worst. That's where I never fail to find an attendee or two who hasn't finished their book despite the fact that the workshop is intended for those with completed manuscripts. I mean, it's not like anyone checks. Though some of the best workshops screen applicants by requiring the prior submission of sample chapters, I've never heard of one that actually verifies the existence of a completed manuscript. In most every case it's an honor system, so all you absolutely have to have is a valid credit card.

Foolish as it might seem to some, it's easy to understand the appeal of jumping ahead like this. Writing is lonely work and belief can be hard to come by. For first-timers, mere participation in such an event might in itself seem a form of validation, something to share with all the naysayers because, of course, only real writers attend novel writer's workshops, right?

In the end, however, the result is often quite the opposite of what the writer expected.

Instead of going home energized and inspired, these folks can end up feeling overwhelmed and dejected. Not only do they have trouble relating to the experiences of those who have completed a book, or two, or three, but they also compare their unfinished work to the finished work of others and unfairly judge themselves unworthy.

You can't compare a novel in progress to a completed book no more than you can compare a half-mixed bowl of cake batter to a fully baked cake. You have to do the work. You have to finish the book ... then focus on how you're going to make it better ... then brainstorm about how to market it to agents and publishers ... and then you worry about how to negotiate a contract.

Doctorow describes the activity using the Yiddish word "potchking." Though I'm not sure about WD's spelling -- Wiktionary spells it potchkying -- the definition is the same either way. As Doctorow explains, if you're potchkying, you're "fiddling around."

"Once you are taking the time you should be spending writing and using it (for example) researching technical questions about negotiating the fine details of your contract with your publisher -- who as of yet doesn't exist because the book isn't written -- you are no longer writing. You are potchking."

Now, it should come as a surprise to no one to learn that, yes, I have been known to procrastinate. I may, at times, even be worthy of the title Captain Procrastination. But this isn't that. Not exactly anyway. Potchkying could arguably be defined as non-procrastination because the intent is to make forward progress on a project, even if the result is just as nonproductive.

So, stop potchkying and write!

Twitter Me

— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: Blood Red Sun

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Click to View Larger Version --

Today's view from the Westside of a blood red sun, courtesy of the Station Fire.

No pyrocumulus cloud today.

(Twitter Me)

View more LA Today photos at this link.


— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: Pyrocumulus Cloud

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Click to View Larger Version --

Today's view from the Westside of the Station Fire. That's the InterContinental Hotel in Century City (perhaps better known by its former incarnation as the Park Hyatt) in the foreground. Remember, this photo was taken in a location more than 40 miles from the fire that created that pyrocumulus cloud.

(Twitter Me)

View more LA Today photos at this link.


— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: Smoke Plume from West LA*

-- Photos By TJ Sullivan -- Click Images to View Larger Versions --

Today's view from the Westside of the Station Fire.

* UPDATE: Apparently this photograph is of what's called a pyrocumulus cloud, which is created by the intense heat from the fire.

(Twitter Me)

View more LA Today photos at this link.


— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: Station Fire from West LA

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Click to View Larger Version --

Today's view from the Westside of the Station Fire.

(Twitter Me)

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— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: Sunset On Santa Monica Blvd

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Click to View Larger Version --

Sunset today with the Mormon Temple in silhouette.

(Twitter Me)

View more LA Today photos at this link.


— TJ Sullivan in LA

Fan Page Up At Facebook

In preparation for the release of my novel, "Boon," I now have a fan page at Facebook.

Shameless self promotion? Yes. Of course. But, if I don't tell you about it here, you'll end up hearing about it on the street and we all know how things can get distorted and blown out of proportion that way.

I'll have much more info to share in the next couple months. We've got time. The novel is coming in Winter 2010, which is why I'm busy doing things like setting up Facebook pages and learning about planning book signings and readings, etc ...

In the meantime, I hope to see you at Facebook.

Here's a brief synopsis of "Boon":

Set in the suburbs of Los Angeles, "Boon" tells the story of a young newspaper reporter who becomes mired in the murky world of small-town politics when her journalistic pursuit of the facts becomes tangled with her personal pursuit of homeownership, a situation that ultimately forces her to make a choice between fulfilling her dreams and fighting for what she believes in. The quest for truth and square footage exacts a steep price in T.J. Sullivan’s witty, suspense-filled debut novel.

(Twitter This)

— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: Paramount Ranch

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Click to View Larger Version --

For more info on the historic Paramount Ranch movie set click this link.

(Twitter Me)

View more LA Today photos at this link.


— TJ Sullivan in LA

The Novel Cafe Expected To Close

— Photo by TJ Sullivan —

The Novel Cafe at 212 Pier Avenue in Santa Monica appears to be in its final days of operation.

After nearly 20 dimly lit years of providing writers with a musty, unpretentious, AC-free place to write for hours on end, that most rare and wonderful location is expected to go dark forever. The counter staff says it's likely to happen before the end of the month, though no official date of closure has been set.

A letter to patrons that was recently taped to the front window says the closure is the result of a landlord-tenant dispute:

"We are sorry to inform you that due to the landlord refusing to renew our lease, The Novel Café after almost two decades will no longer be at 212 Pier Street ..."

The note goes on to list the locations of several new branches of The Novel that have opened up in the past few years, but anyone who's ever been to the original knows that none of the others come close to capturing the character of the place on Pier.

Like a lot of writers, I've spent thousands of hours (no exaggeration) at The Novel during the past dozen years, or so. I've written the better part of two novels on those wooden chairs, and then some. In fact, I value and respect the place so much that I've gone out of my way to protect it. When people have asked where I like to write, I either offer them one of the less-favored locations, or straight out tell them that it's none of their business. For all the writing I've done there, I never wrote about The Novel. In fact, I cringed every time another tourist guide published nice things about it, knowing how these things go.

Places like The Novel on Pier Avenue are far too uncommon in a city full of writers, especially since Wall Street got into the coffee business.

This one was one the greatest. It will be missed a great deal.

(Twitter This)

— TJ Sullivan in LA

Twitter Down

Twitter crashed hard this morning, and, as of this post, it's "still down."

Facebook is having trouble too. So is LiveJournal.

The Washington Post's TechCrunch blog is having a little fun with it:

Since most of you spend your entire work day screwing around on Twitter (luckily I actually get paid to do this), you may be left wondering what to do now. No worries, we have a list.

* UPDATE 8:19 a.m. -- Twitter is back up, but so very slow. And, odd as it seems, the Twitter update box on my blog [see right column] seems to be preventing this page from loading. I may disable it in the interim.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

The Last (Or Latest) Newspaper Buyer

This time last year, my friend ME Sprengelmeyer was busy reporting on the presidential campaign for Denver's Rocky Mountain News, not to mention preparing for the Democratic National Convention, which was held in Denver in late August 2008.

But then the Rocky closed in February, and, like a lot of journalists who've found themselves in that situation in the past few years, ME knew right away that he was not going to find another job as a Washington correspondent for another newspaper.

So ... he purchased one.

Seriously. Someone actually bought a newspaper. My friend, ME Sprengelmeyer still believes in the power of print.

This week ME Sprengelmeyer became the proud owner of The Guadalupe County Communicator in his home state of New Mexico.

Having worked as a journalist myself in New Mexico for seven years, I was especially eager to talk to ME about this endeavor. He allowed me to record our recent conversation, and to post it online.

From a pay telephone on Route 66 in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, ME discussed the experience of being laid off, how one goes about purchasing a newspaper, and what he hopes to accomplish.

ME's first edition will be published later this week, so, as you might expect, his effort has captured the attention of many other writers. Today alone ME was featured at the blog of his former editor, John Temple, and he received a nice mention at Romenesko.

Best of luck, ME.

(Twitter Me)

UPDATE: More observations about ME's endeavor at Fitz & Jen.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: Nasturtiums

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan -- Click to View Larger Version --

Water beads on nasturtium leaves in the expansive gardens outside the Los Angeles headquarters of www.TJSullivanLA.com.

(Twitter Me)

View more LA Today photos at this link.


— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: More Getty Brush Fire Photos

-- Photos By TJ Sullivan -- Click Images to View Larger Versions --

(Twitter Me)

A couple more photos of the brush fire burning near The Getty.

View more LA Today photos at this link.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Today: Getty Fire Off the 405

-- Photo By TJ Sullivan --

A quick first shot of the smoke plume from the brush fire burning off the 405 near The Getty this afternoon. Will try to get more up soon.

(Twitter Me)

* UPDATE: More photos of the fire now online at this link

View more LA Today photos at this link.


— TJ Sullivan in LA