I'm an ex-journalist, self-published novelist and avowed technopeasant reluctantly dipping a scuffed boot toe into the blogosphere. Looking at the wreckage of the newsroom where I currently work brings to mind the line from The Shawshank Redemption -- get busy livin' or get busy dyin'. High time I got busy with the former because newspapers are real busy dyin' right now. When I'm not casting a gloomy eye on my profession, I like to hunt, work on my '68 Chevy C-20 -- a fabulously impractical city vehicle dubbed The Green Hornet -- listen to bluegrass, blues and Texas music of all stripes, cuss about the declining fortunes of the Tennessee Vols and consider the virtues of barbecue in its many incarnations. A wreck and a ripped up knee convinced me to give up my Harley a year or so back and I'm still pissed about that.