Five Things You Need to Know About Your Patch Editor

Hello! I'm Natalie Ragus, your new Local Editor. I just wanted to introduce myself, and as a way of doing so, have listed five quick things you should know about me.

1. I grew up in Glendale and attended St. Bede in La Canada and Immaculate Heart High School on the corner of Franklin and Western in Hollywood.

2. I'm a huge fan of horse racing! (Can I tell you how excited I am for the to come to Santa Anita?)

3. I'm a proud Trojan! I earned my master's degree in online journalism from USC in May. Fight on! But before I became a Trojan, I was a Bronco. The memories I have of my undergrad days at Cal Poly, Pomona will forever remain some of my fondest. Sometimes, I even miss the awful dining hall food my friends and I ate as the music video for the Sheryl Crow single "I Want to Soak Up the Sun" blasted on the overhead television screens.

4. I'm a complete and total bookworm. My favorite book is William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury. I'm also an Emily Dickinson devotee. She has an unique way of perfectly capturing the human experience with just a few simple, yet elegant, words.

Here is one of her best poems, "I Had No Time To Hate." Enjoy!

I had no time to hate, because                                                  

The grave would hinder me,                                                      

And life was not so ample I Could finish enmity.

Nor had I time to love, but since                                             

Some industry must be,                                                            

The little toil of love, I thought,                                                 

Was large enough for me.

5. I'm always up for a chat! Feel free to stop by on First. You can find me there most afternoons, working away. Text me at 626-298-3371.