Daily Archives: November 7, 2008

All the news that’s fit to…

...well, as long as you can fit into a blue recycling bin in Los Angeles, it's fit to print.
I've been saving historical newspapers since I was a kid. Although I don't like to hold onto too many material things (I like to consider myself a minimalist), I like to hold onto photographs, the written word (ya know, mushy love notes passed in Chem class from the cute boy you hoped would ask you to the prom) and newspapers.
There's a little trunk in my parents basement so it's not too ostentatious.
The Challenger exploding, Princess Di passing, The World Trade Center Part one and two, the hundredth running of the Boston Marathon and well, a few more historic things we've seen in our lifetime.
President-Elect Obama might be one of the biggest.
I went to every 7-11, Vons, Pavilions, Ralph's, random newsstand and strange bodega I could find in LA. And, although, my dad said that he saved me the NY Times, I just needed to see it for myself.
I asked every one of my clients and no one had the paper or had them but then given them away to another collector.
I didn't know there were so many of us. I can't believe I didn't see even one.
My last client of the day had ALL of the newspapers - from the NY Post to the Times, LA and NY. Recycling had already been to their home the day before, so they tipped their blue bin and I dove in, in a blue state of euphoria and picked out every bit of Obama that I could.
It was a good day.