Longtime L.A. Times vet Stephanie Simon is one of the many reporters leaving the paper for greener pastures. A national correspondent based out of Denver, Simon got her start 16 years ago as an intern in Moscow.

Our first encounter with Stephanie came about 11 years ago. We knew she was a great reporter, but other than that, she seemed pretty normal ... but then we'd overhear other reporters speaking in awe about her: "She's fluent in Russian! She cooks all her lunches the night before! She wakes up at 5 a.m., goes to the gym and studies Japanese all before getting to work! Every day."

We never did work up the nerve to ask her if rumors of superhero-dom were true. But we have caught up with her to ask why she decided to leave and what she'll be doing when she goes.

Here are her answers. (None of which were in Japanese.)

I'll be covering news and features for the WSJ, reporting to the Dallas bureau. The coverage area includes Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, Colorado, Wyoming and Kansas. As you have probably read, the WSJ is expanding beyond its trademark economic and political journalism, so this is a great opportunity to cover a broad range of stories.

I've had an amazing run at the LAT, starting as an intern in the Moscow bureau nearly 16 years ago, and I'll miss the place a lot, especially the reporters and editors who have taught me so much. But it felt like the right time for me to make this move. The WSJ job will offer a whole new set of challenges.... I'm really looking forward to it.

I'll continue to be based in Denver.

This is definitely L.A.'s loss. Good luck, Stephanie!