Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Before we sleep we go out again into the night. We walk up the beach under the stars. 
And when we are tired of walking, we lie flat on the sand under a bowl of stars. 
We feel stretched, expanded to take in their compass. 
They pour into us until we are filled with stars, up to the brim.

This is what one thirsts for, I realize, after the smallness of the day, of work, of details, of intimacy–even of communication, one thirsts for the magnitude and universality of a night full of stars, pouring into one like a fresh tide.


It's good to feel small sometimes. 
This was an excerpt from Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh 


Thanks to 27polkadots.

Ex Saint gets the Brighton Bug

During my time at the Journalist Works I am frequently on the look out for potential news stories.
As an aspirant sports journalist I would love to make press about my beloved Brighton and Hove Albion.

I recently interviewed a certain Andrew Sutton. You may not have heard of him, but trust me this man deserves respect from any Seagulls follower. Andrew was a Southampton fan (Scummer!) before being hooked by the "Albion Atmosphere" and is even buying a season ticket at the Amex next year!
Here is my story, which I hope The Argus will publish!

     Brighton vs Southampton has always been a fierce rivalry. It’s almost up there with the enmity of Crystal Palace. However, for one Albion fan the upcoming Saints fixture will have more significance than ever before.


Andrew Sutton, 23, from Thornhill Rise in Portslade will be cheering the stripes on at the Withdean,
only a few weeks after “being converted” from their South Coast rivals.


“I was a Southampton fan when I was growing up because of my granddad but I didn’t realise I had a fantastic team on my doorstep. Now I plan to work as a programme seller at the new Amex to fund my season ticket for next season.”


Andrew has travelled to most of Albion’s away matches this season, getting the coach to all corners of the country and has heralded the atmosphere created by the Brighton fans on board for getting him hooked. 
He said: “I used to only go watch Brighton when a spare ticket was floating around.


“I play darts with the son of a man called Jon who runs a bus company called BHA Blues Away. I used to always travel up with them every now and then but the atmosphere just got my hooked.


“We always have a laugh and it’s thanks to people like Jon. He encourages a good sing-song and well friendly banter."


One of his proudest football moments was when he was a small child he got to see Matt Le Tissier from only three yards away at Southampton's old ground, The Dell. But his all time favourite memory came at an Albion game: “I was actually at the last game at the Goldstone Ground, it was chaos.


“Someone tore up the centre circle, others clapped the goal nets, people were taking seats and a steward came up to me and said, ‘You guys are doing a cheap demolition job for us.’ It was fantastic.”


Andrew believes the move to the Amex stadium and promotion will entice more football fans to join the Albion cause. He said: “Getting promoted this season will make travelling to games on the bus ten times more fun.


“If we can hold on to our current players especially the likes of Calderon and Glenn Murray things will only get better. I will always have a soft spot for Southampton but nowhere near the same magnitude now that I’m an Albion fan.”

The longest words in the English language

This link be mad, yo. But pretty funny.
Now repeat after me, " Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis"

(I wonder how she merked her hand)

"A degree in English is of no use..."

A Jayjay I can only wish to emulate

This week my journalist colleagues and I had a lecture by John Jenkins on the best way to earn money when writing feature pieces.


Everyone was left feeling inspired. One of my class mates even said afterwards that she was "in awe" of the former editor, reporter, millionaire (to name but a few of his previous titles.)

"The difference between an amateur writer and a professional is marketing."


A great quote to perfectly sum up what he was trying to say. You may not have the best writing talent in the world but if you are persistent, determined and know how to sell yourself- then you will go far.


His mantra will be recited as a quiet murmur from the mouths of future journalists, squinting at a flickering monitor on deadline day- and I, whenever I write a piece in the future, will do well to remember the journalist's ABC: Accuracy, Brevity and Clarity.

He has the appearance of a kindly grandfather (maybe helped by being a West Ham fan like mine) but the air of importance emanates from his sweater-vest.

Mr Jenkins (a personal reason why I like him) is also a short story writer, confessing that he once had six bank accounts that were under the names of his various pseudonyms so he could dodge the tax man.

The four main points that will stick with me, should I decide to try my hand at freelancing, are to ask the following questions:

• How many words would you like me to write?
• When is the deadline?
• Which form would you like it in?
• How much dolla will you be paying me?

It pays to be a mercenary, quite literally. 

He is very well read and has a passion for intros, which he collects. The  three best intro styles to use in news writing, when enticing a reader are: The man who, the superlative and the eternal truth.

According to Mr.Jenkins I should be spending 75% of my time concentrating on the intro and final par of anything I write. If that is taken as read then I will be going to bed very late tonight, I keep getting distracted by the Cricket World Cup highlights.

"Do not choose what you write with a splatter gun, imagine you are a sniper."

When selling a piece of work you should try and sell it at least three times. Perhaps one of the most inspiring anecdotes Mr Jenkins told the class was about a rookie hack who managed to fund his way around America through being flexible, subtly changing the angle of a story he wrote so that he could sell it on to various publications... meaning more wonga!

Images are important too, never accept anything less than 300dpi.

In a lesson where I have learnt so much, it is hard to produce a report detailing all the points he covered. He came across as a stern yet forgiving character, always willing to give you the chance you deserve (but maybe for a price of course!)

Finally, from one Jayjay to another, I would like to share his thoughts with regards to getting ahead in journalism:

"A degree in English is of no use. In today's age it would be great to get a degree in low-cunning and a Masters in  duplicity."


John Jenkins, the man who is proud to have bought Bobby Moore his first brown ale, I thank you.



*Also, a big thank you to Emma Nicklin for subbing this for me. She is sure to be a fantastic journalist herself.
(Safe, mate)

Ashley Cole and Amsterdam

I have just returned from Amsterdam. I saw a hell of a lot, but can't believe I missed this back home.

According to some, this is 100% what happened:

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Amsterdam with the boys (L-R) Matapuss, Fish, Elwood, O'mac...and Jayjay