Twitter me this

Journalists left and right are falling all over themselves trying to convince the public that Twitter is the best thing ever.

And they're so very wrong.

Reporters regard Twitter as the savior for the news business when, in fact, it's really no more than a narcissist's dream.

For the uninitiated, I should probably provide a quick primer before going any further. Twitter is a web-based platform that allows users to post 140-character updates, or "tweets," that others can follow on their computers, cell phones, or other mobile devices.

Unfortunately this Twitter mania is catching on. Politicians love it because it's a new toy that gives the impression that they're of the people instead of the elitists that they really are.

Just a few weeks back when President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress, a handful of our elected officials used the opportunity to do their own play-by-play via Twitter. Yes, instead of hanging on every word as the leader of the free world discussed the biggest economic crisis of our times, these politicians instead opted to text. Nice. I'm so glad to see our austere representatives are on the same level as a group of tweens at a Jonas Brothers concert.

Now I'm not saying that Twitter doesn't have its uses. I'm just saying that even with all of the amazing people I have in my life, not a single one of them is interesting enough to warrant a forum to keep me posted on their every move and thought throughout the day.

I think Twitter could be a very positive tool if used sparingly. For instance I think it would be helpful to keep people in the loop for important life events, especially when it's not practical to make a bunch of phone calls.

Example: "So-and-so is out of surgery and doctors are hopeful." Good use of Twitter.

"So-and-so's water broke and we're on our way to the hospital." Good use of Twitter.

"I am opening the ketchup bottle." Bad Twitter person!

Now some may accuse me of being a hypocrite because while I refuse to Twitter, I do update my status on Facebook. There is, however, one big difference between the two sites. Facebook is about more than just a status update; Twitter is only a status update.

Regrettably, it looks like Twitter is here to stay. I'll just keep my fingers crossed that it soon goes the way of the typewriter, telegraph, and cave paintings.

The secret of the Irish

This St. Patrick's Day I think everybody should just come clean and admit what we all already know: Nobody actually likes Irish food.

Americans go through this elaborate ruse every March. "Oh look, it's corned beef and cabbage," we say. "Yummy, I'll have the shepherd's pie." Just shut up. We all know you'd rather have pizza or a burger. And there's nowhere near enough Guinness or Bailey's in the world to make bangers and mash even look edible.

Please understand that I don't mean any harm to the wonderful country of Ireland. I love everything else about that country and enjoyed every second I spent there. The people are so friendly and the atmosphere is so relaxed. (Clearly I didn't spend any time in Northern Ireland.) It's just that the cuisine leaves a lot to be desired.

I only got to spend a few days in Ireland when I went in 2001 but I did my best to sample the local flavor. On our first night in Dublin we went to a traditional Irish pub and I ordered something called chicken boxty which the waiter said was common Irish dish. It was okay but certainly nothing special. It's sad but my best meal in all of Ireland came from Supermacs, an Irish version of McDonalds.

To be fair, I understand that St. Patrick's Day is more about the drinking than the eating. Still, it would still be nice to have something worth washing down with all that green beer.

This St. Paddy's Day I plan to stick to normal cuisine. My ridiculously gaudy shamrock socks will have to show my Irish pride for me.

Catch me if you can (and trust me, you can)

I've been doing something lately that I never thought I would do. I've been running. And when I say running, I mean without being chased.

Since the beginning of February I've been doing a program called Couch to 5K. As the name implies, it's designed to get you off the couch and ready to run a 5K. I just completely four weeks of the nine-week program and I'm hoping to run the Bloomin' 5k on May 17.

I haven't told many people about my training, mainly because I was afraid I would quit before I got too far. I'm not the most athletic person and moreover, I've never been a runner, even back in my field hockey days. But, for some reason, I felt this was something I should do. Maybe it had something to do with turning 30.

I'm actually pretty proud of myself for sticking with it. I'm a big fan of being able to check things off a list and this lets me do just that. There's only been one workout I couldn't finish -- the first one of week four -- and I went back and did it a few days later. It was a nice sense of accomplishment.

Unfortunately I haven't seen the same progress on the scale. I started back with Weight Watchers at the beginning of January and while I was able to lose about five pounds that month, I've only lost a pound a half since I started running. It's frustrating because I know I'm doing everything right. I just wish the scale would recognize that.

Still, I know I'm healthier and building my endurance. My legs are definitely stronger. I'll never be a fast runner -- an elephant could lap me -- but I'm okay with that. I don't mind if I don't finish a winner; I just want to finish.

Over the weekend I took Buddy and Snoopy for a walk around my parents' neighborhood. The loop is about a mile and a third around and I was practically dragging the dogs behind me by the time I reached the halfway point. It was nice not being the one dragged for once.