Awright, back to work
It was a little weird to walk back into the newsroom of the Very Large Metropolitan Newspaper today, 13 days after embarking on my longest stretch of time off since 1994. I apparently was among the very few who decided to come back today. Trying to shake off the post-vacation fatigue was even more difficult in a half-empty newsroom. Five cups of coffee only provided a headache to go along with my malaise. So much for the refreshing effect of a vacation.

A man named Chip Moody died today. I had never heard of him until about a month ago, when we were alerted his passing was imminent. Mr. Moody was a television news anchor, the only person to have anchored the news at all three major stations in our market. Each station was No. 1 during the time he worked there. I've been known to poke fun at television journalists (sorry, RER) and have been known to question all the money raked in by big-market "on-air talent." I never saw Mr. Moody on the air -- his last broadcast was in April 1999, five months before we moved to Texas -- but I stand today in awe of what he brought to his viewers. Our newspaper's Web site offers viewers a place for comments; most of the time, only wackos post, and much of what they post is gibberish. In response to the Chip Moody story, there were hundreds of comments, all of them thoughtful and well-written, paying tribute to this person who came into their living rooms twice a day for nearly 30 years. I have deep respect for anybody who has a deep respect for journalism, and from what I can tell, Chip Moody had a deep respect for journalism -- and the ability to connect with people in a way most of us can only dream of. Mr. Moody was 54 and had battled Hodgkins disease for nearly 15 years.

Here's hoping he has some great stories to tell in the next place.