Does my blog deserve a standing ovation?

I love live theater, especially Broadway musicals. And lucky for me, my husband loves them too so we go to several shows a year.

But there's a troubling trend in live theater: The standing ovation. Once reserved for the best of the best, it now appears that it's an expected conclusion to every show.

The scene plays out the same way every time. As the actors take their curtain call, a few assorted people in the audience rise to their feet. Then a few more and a few more after that. Before long, you too are forced to stand due to the peer pressure. (That, or appear to be an ungrateful theater-goer.) We're lucky enough to usually have pretty good seats to most of these shows so the pressure for us is even stronger. If we're not on our feet, the actors know it.

Tonight my husband treated me to surprise tickets to Beauty and the Beast. Earlier this week, we attended a performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Both shows were enjoyable I had a wonderful time. But I just don't think they were standing ovation-worthy. Still, both shows resulted in standing ovations.

The same way that a teacher who gives every kid in the class an 'A' minimizes the accomplishment of those who really deserve it, audiences that insist on giving an automatic standing ovation take away from those performances that are truly extraordinary.

So I urge my fellow theater-goers (or concert-goers for that matter) to take a stand and stay seated unless you feel a performance truly warrants it. Let's make the standing ovation something special again instead of just a perfunctory response.

Read this book

I love to read. And while there are many books that I've enjoyed over the years, I think I've finally found the one that may very well claim the prize of my favorite book of all time.

The little tale (or perhaps more appropriately, large tail) in question is called Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog. In it, newspaper reporter John Grogan details the story of his newlywed days when he and his wife decided to get a dog as a test before having children.

While I'm only a few chapters into it, I already connect with the book on many levels. First, I'm still a newlywed myself, and second, Grogan and his wife are both reporters like my husband and I were when we first married. (Yes, I realize I'm no longer a reporter, but my wonderful husband still is... Although he prefers the term journalist.)

But more than anything else, I truly believe this book could very well be about Buddy, my 115 lb. Labrador Retriever who resides with my parents. Grogan's story of picking Marley from the litter mimics our selection of Buddy. And much like the Grogans, we didn't know quite what we were in for either.

So if you grew up with a dog, ever thought about getting a dog, or maybe passed by a dog on the street one day, this book is a must-read. It's already racing up the charts so don't get left behind.

Plus, unlike Oprah's book recommendations, I can pretty much guarantee this one's a true story.

By the way, once you're on a reading kick with dog books, I have a few more to recommend:

Amazing Gracie: A Dog's Tale by Dan Dye and Mark Beckloff
Timbuktu: A Novel by Paul Auster

I have a copy of each of these three books somewhere and I'll loan them out if anyone wants to borrow them. I just have to figure out what I did with them first.

A disaster of olympic proportions

Nagano. Atlanta. Athens. Lillehammer. Seoul.

Quick: What do each of each of these cities have in common? That's right... each one has been responsible for ruining my TV viewing pleasure for weeks at a time. And now get ready to add Turin to the list. Damn Olympics.

Episodes of The Office and other quality NBC programs will soon be replaced with video following a torch around the world. Once that's over we'll be treated to extensive coverage of obscure sports like skeleton. Somehow it doesn't seem like a fair trade-off.

By all accounts, NBC has quite a lineup planned. According to some reports, the network and its various entities will be broadcasting 24.5 hours of Olympic coverage every day. I'm not sure how much of this I can handle. The opening ceremony is still more than two weeks away and I'm already sick of the whole thing. The only saving grace is that it lasts just over two weeks whereas the last summer Olympics dragged on forever. Or maybe it just seemed that way.

This year should prove to be exceptionally annoying for those of us in the Baltimore area. For the second Olympics in a row, we have a local athlete who will be competing. We had swimmer Michael Phelps in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and this time around we have figure skater Kimmie Meissner. The local TV newscasters will be sure to inundate us with detailed, hard-hitting stories featuring Kimmie's favorite breakfast spot and where she buys her jeans.

I still haven't determined whether I like the fact that the summer and winter Olympics are staggered so that we get to go through this interruption every other year. It used to be that a whole year's worth of TV viewing would be ruined by the international gathering. At least it's a bit more spread out this way.

And finally, so I don't come across as a total cynic, the Olympics do give us one thing to look forward to. No, I don't mean the chance to see people who have spent their whole lives training for a world-wide competition. I'm talking about taking bets on how long it will be before Kimmie Meissner is picked up on drunk driving charges.

The clip show

There comes a point in time for every creative entity where the juices just aren't really flowing. When it happens on a TV show, you get a clip show. When it happens to a newspaper or magazine, you get a "best of" style recap.

We're now at the point in my blog where I'm out of ideas, or at least I've been out of ideas for a week. Rather than turn this into a weekly update of my diet progress (though I did lose another 1.6 lbs this week), I've decided to pick some of my favorite articles from my reporting days.

So sit back, enjoy, and see what the Recovering Journalist did in her former life. I promise to be back with new material soon enough.

Counsel vs. Cancer

A primary case of déjà vu

No love in these elevators

Blind seek changes to Light Rail machines, policies

State expected to wrap up Randallstown shooting case

There's now a little less of me to go around

I had my first weigh-in last night since getting started again on Weight Watchers. I’m pleased to report that I lost 2.2 lbs. during my first week back on the program. Before I weighed in I decided that I would be happy if I lost at least two pounds. In my mind, I was hoping that I really lost five or more, but I’m more realistic (pessimistic?) than that.

The past week hasn’t been too bad. I’ve still been able to dine out at all of my favorite spots and my menu choices have only changed slightly. (You didn't think I was actually going to try to cook, did you?) I have to make sure to leave off some of the good stuff, like cheese, but all in all I can deal with it. My pantry has become a sea of portion controlled baggies but hey, taking the thought out of it makes it easier.

The nicest part of all of this is that I actually feel better. And by feel better, I mean I’ve had a bit more energy and not so much of the aches and pains that I got used to. I haven’t had to pop a Tylenol all week!

Of course I’m not sure that all of this feeling better can be attributed to Weight Watchers. I finally started taking vitamins and I’ve also been sleeping better thanks to my new anti-snore spray. (As a side note, without my snoring, Rich is sleeping much better too.) I guess it really shouldn’t matter whether one or all of these factors have contributed to how I feel as long as I’m still feeling good.

I just hope that I can manage to keep the diet and the weight loss going. I have 30 lbs. to lose overall and I know I can’t plan to lose 2 lbs. every week. I made it to the gym twice this week and I need to at least keep that up if not go more often. But, being realistic, I'm going to make two times a week my goal.

In case any of you are trying to lose weight too, I will share a few tips I've picked up:
- Put your fork down after each bite and take a sip of water in between. You will fill up faster.
- Never eat chips or other snack items out of the bag it comes in. Divide up the each serving and put them in baggies so you can grab them on the run.
- When at a party where you're standing around where you have a plate of food, hold the plate in your dominant hand and eat with your non-dominant hand. You will likely eat slower this way.
- When you order food at a restaurant, ask for a doggie bag up front. When the meal comes, put anything beyond a normal serving size in the doggie bag so you won't be tempted to nibble on it.
- If you have food in the house that you're afraid you'll be tempted to gorge yourself on, don't just throw it away. Drench it in water or a foul-tasting substance so you won't be tempted to go into the trash after. You know what I mean, George Costanza.

Geez, I sure hope I'm this upbeat after my weigh-in next week.

Baltimore County Crime Tour, 2006 edition

Well, it's just a week into the new year and based on the recent spate of violence in Baltimore County, I'm thinking of beginning a guided crime tour. And gosh, lucky for me, none of the stops on the tour require me going very far from home.

As of last night, we can add a murder at the Valley Center shopping center in Owings Mills to the list. The day before brought us a murder at Security Square Mall (where I practically grew up) and a shooting at White Marsh Mall. And just before the new year, there was a double murder of two city police officers, just around the corner from my old middle school.

(Shockingly, Owings Mills Mall has emerged unscathed from this recent trend of shootings but the year is still young. Plus, in fairness, the getaway vehicle from the Security murder was found that night in the Owings Mills subway station lot, right next to the mall.)

We learned about last night's shooting before it hit the media. Our friend who lives a stone's throw from the TGIFriday's where the murder occurred called us and left a message saying she heard six gunshots. This morning she reported that a police helicopter circled above her neighborhood until roughly 1 a.m. We later learned via local news that the perpetrator was caught and the shooting resulted from a fight where the victim and shooter knew one another.

For some reason it's somewhat more comforting to know that if murders are going to happen, that at least the people know one another. The murder at Security Square Mall appears to be more random. At this point police believe it was most likely an attempted car-jacking. This crime, I might add, happened at 10:30 in the morning, right in the middle of broad daylight. Add to that the fact that the assailant remains at large and you have more than a few scared shoppers.

Of course the one positive thing to come from these shooting is an increased attention in the safety of shopping areas. The murder of St. Paul's administrator William Bassett at Towson Town Center this past year spurred the Baltimore County Council to pass legislation requiring video cameras at shopping malls. Unfortunately, the video cameras haven't deterred everyone, especially not the gun-wielding man at the Towson Hechts who was reportedly distraught over a parking space.

I wish I had something particularly poignant to say about this violence spree but I don't. It's difficult to see many attacks in just a few short days, especially so close to home.

All I can say is thank goodness for the Baltimore County State's Attorney's Office, which pursues the death penalty in all death penalty-eligible cases. Perhaps wannabe thugs should learn a lesson from Wesley Baker, the inmate executed last month for his role in a murder at Westview Mall. Unlike the city, Baltimore County gets convictions.

Don't blame the reporters

Let me start off by saying that I share in the condolences everyone is offering to the families of the 12 miners who died in the West Virginia mine accident. This is a sad story all around but I don't fault the journalists so much as I do the mine owners who withheld the correct information for so long.

My husband and I watched CNN as we were going to sleep last night. I starting dozing off and he woke me at around midnight to say that the families had been told that 12 of the 13 miners were found alive. I asked whether they were out of the mine yet and he said no. I told him then they shouldn't be celebrating yet.

Anderson Cooper was interviewing a family member who relayed the information he had been given. He was careful to say that CNN hadn't independently confirmed any of this information but could only report what they were being told. He was reporting what was happening at the time, which is what a journalist should do.

This morning I learned that only one miner was found alive. Already people are starting to blame the journalists on the scene for incorrectly reporting that the miners were alive. In reality, the journalists were actually reporting the truth -- specifically, what the family members were told soon after they learned it. Just because the mine operators provided the family members with incorrect information does not mean that journalists should not report that information to the public. That is part of the story.

In all of the coverage I saw, including the article in this morning's Baltimore Sun, the journalists were careful to say that the family members were told this information, not that the information was accurate.

I do not attempt to absolve journalists entirely. Those who feasted upon the anguish of the grieving families should be ashamed. The news organizations who jumped ahead and officially announced that the miners were alive, rather than stating that "Reports indicate..." should be similarly embarrassed.

But rather than chastise the reporters who stay up all night trying to bring you the most accurate story they can, let's look to the source of the mine explosion and the origin of the miscommunication. The best way to honor the memories of these 12 men is to ensure that this situation does not happen again.

Wedding wishes from afar

In just a few hours, two of our good friends will be tying the knot in Jamaica. It's a bittersweet time because while we're absolutely thrilled for them, we're also sad because we can't be there to share their special day.

I like to take some credit for introducing the happy couple. After all, I was the one who convinced her to join my softball team that year and as luck would have it, he also came aboard that season. I could see the sparks starting to fly early on and the proposal came three years later.

When we learned of the wedding plans, we tried to figure out a way to be there for the wedding but it wasn't meant to be. Instead, we'll celebrate their vows from 1800 miles away.

So raise a glass with me today at 10:30 (or perhaps a cup of coffee; it is an early wedding) and let's toast the wonderful couple. Here's to your dream wedding and the perfect life together.

And let's hope they have those wedding pictures and DVD back soon.

2006: A weight odyssey

We're on the cusp of a new year and in my world that can only mean one thing: diet season.

Now don't confuse this with Yom Kippur, the official start of the Jewish diet season. While that is also a celebration of a new year, it is the destined-to-fail diet. You start off the day so hopeful. "Look, I can fast. It's no big deal," you say, but by dinnertime you're stuffing your face again. By the next day it's back to McDonald's.

The new year as stipulated by the Gregorian calendar has historically been a more successful diet season for me. First, with the big food holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving, my birthday, and Chrismukkah) behind me, I'm already feeling like a fat pig. When your clothes don't fit, you're more motivated to stick with the program.

Societal pressures help too. Everyone on television is kind enough to remind you that it's time to get your fat ass to the gym, join that new health plan, try a new diet miracle, etc.

This year, I'm one step ahead of the game. I already have a gym membership. I also plan to return to Weight Watchers which can take credit for my 25-lb. weight loss in the beginning of 2001.

Of course I also face a few additional challenges this year as well. For instance, the secretary who sits just outside my office keeps a large M&M dispenser on her desk. The baked goods that my coworkers constantly bring into the office are going to be tough also.

But I can't make excuses this time. I've lost the weight before and I can do it again. I'm embracing my new mantra: Don't Feed Alisa. (This doesn't take effect until Jan. 3 so in the meantime, feed away!)

Beware the gift cards of December

Ah, tis the season for gift-giving and for a lot of us, that means gift card giving. Let's face it... they're easy and it's hard to go wrong. They seem to be the one thing that's good both to give and receive.

But to make sure your thoughtful gift doesn't turn into a lump of coal, you need to be a savvy consumer. At present, there aren't any laws in Maryland specifically aimed at gift cards and the retailers know this. Because of that, the gift cards you buy may have hidden fees and secret expiration dates. By the time great aunt Sadie goes to use her gift card at Victoria's Secret, there might not be enough left on the card for her ultrasmooth low-rise string bikini.

The General Assembly did, thankfully, address gift cards last year and passed some basic legislation on the matter. Still, that law doesn't take effect until July 2006, if at all. Retailers are expected to do some heavy lobbying this session to see to it that they don't have to abide by any rules at all.

Basically, the new law would make it so that the gift card cannot expire or charge fees in the first three years and requires certain disclosure should such conditions exist after that time.

Even in its current form, last session's legislation doesn't go far enough. For instance, the new law only applies to individual retailers and not mall gift cards. Similarly, gift card issued by banks or credit card companies are excluded from the new law.

One final thing to consider: You don't have much recourse if you buy a gift card or a gift certificate to a business that shuts down or files bankruptcy. If you charge the purchase you may be able to dispute the charge with your credit card company but otherwise, you're probably out of luck.

This information should not discourage you from buying gift cards because hell, we all love them. Instead, you just need to make sure you know what you're giving and getting. Happy shopping.