T.C. Ellis aka Todd Crofton Ellis is a homeless guy that lives in my alley. Last Winter, when it got cold I gave him some dry socks. He has a college degree and is well-spoken but rather than put up with things he’d rather not put up with, he lives on the street. And puts up with that. He is also a writer, but due to the fact he lives in an alley behind some cans, he tends to lose many of the pages he writes. The cannabis does not help keep track of things either. Todd forages for food, clothes, reading materials, and the varied stuff of life in the trashcans of Venice, California. Among the interesting things he’s found in the trash are:

1) Jewels
2) Drugs
3) One of Julia Robert’s bank statments with a balance over $35,000,000.00. (Thirty five million).

Today when I saw Todd pass my gate, I gave him a beer for basic nourishment and looked over what he had in his shopping cart. I noticed a newly scavenged shrink-wrapped issue of VANITY FAIR.
“Hey, Todd—is that the Terry Hatcher issue?” I said.
“Uh—lemme see, yes, it is,” Todd said.
“I want to read that article, can I have it?”
“I haven’t read it yet,” said Todd.
“Todd, you’re a homeless guy that lives in an alley, why do you need to read the new VANITY FAIR?”
“Oh, I know all those celebrities, Philip Seymour Hoffman is a good friend of mine,” Todd said.
“Todd, I just gave you a beer,” I reminded him.
“O.K., take the magazine,” Todd said.
“I’ll give it back when I’m done.”
A deal was struck.
At least now I can say I know a guy who’s best friends with Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman.