Woodwing whirlwind takes over newsroom

Have you missed me? Well, I've missed you, but I haven't missed many meals in the past three weeks since I wrote my last Gut Check.

I haven't given up, though, I've just been really busy here at work with other things.

Our news and production departments recently went through a computer upgrade (some would still call it a downgrade, I think!) and we have had to learn a lot.

In the newsroom, our computers were at least 10 years old, and the reporters had to wait and wait and wait for e-mails and couldn't even use the Internet from their stations to help them with their reporting.

Needless to say, the reporters are pretty happy with new equipment, but we have had some issues with their new e-mail programs, though they are much faster.

The real stars of the newsroom have been Mary Cook and Carol Spray, our page designers, who are technically in the production department but work more closely with us.

While the reporters have had to learn how to use a new word processing software and a new workflow management system, Mary and Carol have had to learn a new page layout program, and that is much more difficult.

They have been using QuarkXpress for years, and now they are using Adobe InDesign. It's been a big change for them and they have done awesome! We're all really proud of them.

I've been so busy because I've had to learn the word processing program (InCopy), the page layout program (InDesign) and the workflow management software (Woodwing's Smart Connection Enterprise).

Woodwing sent two installer/trainers down here to work with us, and I had to work very closely with them to set up the workflow management software the way we need it to work for us. One of the benefits of this new program is that it is very customizable. The down side of that in the beginning is that it requires a lot of thought as to how to customize it.

I have had to learn that program at the administration level, and the learning curve has been mountainous, but I feel like the trainers did a good job and that I've now got a pretty good handle on things. But not after it entirely consumed me for two weeks.

We got this software and new equipment to set this newspaper up for the future, so that we would have all the right equipment to help us gather and report the news to inform, educate and entertain you, our readers, for the next decade.

I want to personally apologize to each of you for the few days we were running late last week because of this changeover, and thank you for your patience.

I also want to point out that our mailroom and circulation departments did a great job through this transition, and our carriers got the papers to you as quickly as they could. It wasn't their fault we were late!

Anyway, we've got the worst behind us now and are getting the paper off the newsroom floor on time this week, so things are largely back to normal.

I didn't stay completely idle on my health improvement program during the transition, however.

I made several aerobics classes, and even brought one of our Woodwing trainers with us once.

I got some good runs in, too, and joined The Fit Club.

In December, I wrote a column about how I was going to wait until I got down to 200 pounds before I quit smoking. My co-worker and exercise pal Sadie Fowler said at the time that I might as well go ahead and quit smoking, because I would never get down to 200 pounds.

Ouch!

She meant that I would never get down to 200 pounds at the level that I was working, and I've come to learn that she's right.

I have plateaued at a weight that fluctuates between 225 and 228. To get below this level I'm going to have to do more work.

(Pause here while I call my new trainer to set up an appointment for next week.)

Well, Shelby is out of the gym today, so I have to wait until Monday to get my initial training appointment, but Tiffany's plan for me is to work on upper body with Shelby Tuesday and Thursday mornings early before work, and to work on legs with Tiffany on Saturday.

I will still do Hip Hop Aerobics on Mondays and Fridays after work, and I'll have Wednesdays and Sundays to rest or run.

Thanks for your patience!

-- John Philleo is editor of the Times-Gazette. He can be reached at 684-1200 Ext. 218, or by e-mail at editor@t-g.com. This column is scheduled to run every Friday.