da Kine Rising Tide

Wired, Again Hallelujah! I now no longer need to rely upon my cellphone to do email. I'm now hooked up to Internet access (and cable TV) at home. My class in New York City two weeks ago reminded me that if you want to be a good writer, you gotta write all the time. When I was a newbie journalist, one of my teachers, Lou Cannon of The Washington Post, told me that you CAN learn to be a better writer (he was disputing an assertion that writers are born, not made). How? Practice, practice, practice. Here's what film critic Roger Ebert has said about writing (from the May issue of the Southwest Airlines magazine "Spirit"): "Writing is just one way that I have survived thyroid cancer, four major surgeries and many complications. I love the process of writing itself. It affirms me and keeps me connected to people." Amen.

It's a perfect summer day on this Tuesday afternoon here in Newport Beach. Even though it's nearly mid-June, Balboa Peninsula is not yet invaded by the usual swarm of tourists who occupy nearly every square centimeter of beach, especially over the weekends. I also notice that there are still many "For Rent" signs. It seems the economic crisis has indeed arrived in Newport Beach. During a normal summer, the summer rentals -- houses along the boardwalk -- command upwards of $1,000 to $3,000 A WEEK, depending upon whether the space is furnished, contains multiple bathrooms, includes a parking space. I will remain a frequent visitor to Newport Beach, but I've decided to forsake the beach life and am in the process of moving to Costa Mesa, which is next door to Newport Beach, but inland, not on the coast. Costa Mesa possesses a unique geography, however, that permits a refreshing coastal breeze to sweep over the town at all times. This is very important to me since I ...

From the Other Coast Hi, guys, Sorry I have been remiss in adding to this blog. I hope to be a much more frequent contributor especially because I am in New York City this week, learning about multimedia technology to enhance my blog. The course is called "Backpack Journalism in a Digital Age," presented by the World Journalism Institute at King's College, a Christian school headquarted in the Empire State Building. Very cool class, classmates and instructors. More later.

Some blog trivia: On average, a blog is created every minute. The average readership for a blog is 1. A blogger commented in the latest issue of the Society of Environmental Journalists' quarterly journal that a blog is like a hungry puppy. You need to feed it at least twice a day, and then it gets hungrier -- and needs to be fed even more often. This reminds me of a phrase well-known to those who labor for wire services (a wire service is a news service that operates 24/7, such as The Associated Press, or Bloomberg, or Reuters, or Agence France Presse, or Deutsche Presse Agentur): A newsperson's job at a wire service is "feeding the beast. "

On Monday evening, as Surfergrl was about to make dinner, she turned on the kitchen light and saw ... GASP!!! the biggest cockroach she's seen since leaving Hawaii to go to college. This roach was THREE INCHES LONG! (Am now going to abandon the third-person ...) I have since found out from longtime beach residents that roaches and ants are as much a part of life at the beach as the sand and the ocean. A big roach is OK, I'm told. You just tolerate its presence, and it will eventually scuttle away, back where it came from. One should be alarmed should one spot a bunch of baby roaches. Then you probably need to get out the insecticide. At least the ants in my apartment are the small black ones. I crush them and leave their carcasses where they lie, hoping that the bodies will send out signals that their brethren should stay away from this dangerous zone. +++ At 5 p.m. local time this Saturday, Aug. 16, CNN will carry a live broadcast of the Rev. Rick Warren's forum in Lake Fo...

It's supposed to be a hot day today, so the grayness laying over the coast should dissipate by the afternoon. I hope.

I've found out that Sen. Barack Obama will be back in Orange County on Aug. 16. He and his Republican presidential rival, Sen. John McCain, have accepted an invitation from the Rev. Rick Warren to speak at Warren's church in Lake Forest. Warren told The New York Times that he will NOT ask them any "gotcha" questions. Maybe Surfergrl will get a chance at an autograph from Obama. Rolling Stone magazine's latest issue features a wonderful cover photo of Obama.