Waste O' Money?

As I toiled over work today, where it seems to be more lackluster financial news - whether it's housing, inflation, banks, markets, oil - a big ol' party was going on outside. Maybe it was my mood - but don't we have better things to spend money on these days than a 15-block, high-security MLB All-Stars parade? I'm all for honoring athletes, but I found the pomp and circumstance, 15-block red carpet, scores of security personnel, blocked traffic and high-end production of the event kinda obnoxious.

Earwax

1) My doctor put me on a no-caffeine diet a few weeks back (can't even drink non-caffeinated drinks!) - and it's horrible. Think about it - I'm in the news. I work insano hours - and I can't get at least one java jolt during the day?

The worst part is - like most things - when you can't have it, you seem to become extremely conscious of everyone that CAN have it. I am either greeted by Thermos-mugged commuters on the subway, sitting next to the Dunkin Donuts coffee nuts at the morning editorial meeting, or constantly hearing "I'm doing a Starbucks run. Who wants what?" at all hours of the day. Why, just the other day, I thought I saw some preschoolers with sippy cups full of coffee!

And just when you thought it couldn't get worse... guess what's also off limits?? Chocolate. You can start crying for me now.

2) I think it's safe to say the SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) party last weekend was a success. We had coconut cups, a pinata, a margarita-machine, great company, and a pretty rad invite, if I do say so myself. Check it out!

3) I'm thinking about getting a dog, and I can't wag the Vizla breed out of my brain. I may make the jump soon.

4) Some of my former professors want me to speak to JMU journalism students next month at the school's annual alumni event. I'm envisioning a panel of sorts - in which young and vibrant, eager-to-break-into-the-biz students gauge me on how to form their resumes, how to land that first job, and how to become the next foreign correspondent. In all cases, I imagine quietly leaning into the microphone and whispering, "Get Out."

5) I get about 2,000 emails a day. Most of it is from PR-types and publicists, who want to TELL me who I should have on for a particular segment. It would be different if they craftily delivered a great release, engaging me - bringing me in to their story and guest's background - giving me everything that will fit in a 10-second attention span. Instead, I get crap like this:

"Hi,

I just want to remind you that Bob Moulton, president of the Americana Mortgage Group, a 20+-year financial, banking and real estate veteran and one of the most prolific residential mortgage brokers in the country, is available to discuss today’s pending home sales numbers. In light of the volatility and downturn in the housing markets as well as all of the speculation about the Fed, interest rates, the tightening of credit, the upheaval in the mortgage market and the looming specter of a potential recession, these numbers can offer some interesting insights about the immediate and long-term economic future.

Moulton’s Americana Mortgage Group serves the Northeast and Florida markets.

Bob Moulton would be happy to provide you with his thought-provoking commentary and insights about this report. Please let me know if you would like to speak with him."

You lost me at prolific. Seriously, draw me in - and *sell* it to me. And please, please, please - don't ever tag the email as a priority. One glimpse of that red exclamation point, and I delete!

Word of the Week

I hate my newsroom sometimes. A unique word or phrase will be used once, and then everyone starts using it - so by the end of the week - the word has saturated every conversation.

Last week it was "woeful." This week it's "jump the shark."

Next Newsroom

Hitting the Biz cycle.

Yep

The news business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs.

Brian Ross Continues to Freak Me Out

Umm.. this isn't good. I'm going to have to start rollerblading around town.

Exclusive: Terror Commander: U.S. Attack Will Dwarf London Bombings
July 13, 2007 4:37 PM
Brian Ross and Maddy Sauer Report:
As senior intelligence and law enforcement officials met again today in the White House Situation Room to deal with the "summer terror threat," a top terror commander said an attack was coming that would dwarf the failed bombings in London and Glasgow.
Taliban military commander Mansour Dadullah, in an interview to be broadcast on ABC News' "World News With Charles Gibson," said the London attacks were "not enough" and that bigger attacks were coming.
"You will, God willing, be witness to more attacks," he told a Pakistani journalist in an interview conducted just four days ago.
Just last month, Dadullah presided over what was termed a terror training camp graduation ceremony in Pakistan, supposedly dispatching attack teams to the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Germany.
In this new interview, Dadullah talked about the ease with which he and his men operate inside Pakistan.
"We have many friends," he said. "It is very easy for us to go in and out of the tribal areas. It is no problem."
Indeed, the rugged mountains of Pakistan have emerged as a safe haven for al Qaeda and the Taliban.
"They are the central front for al Qaeda," said Seth Jones, who studies the area for the RAND Corporation, a national security think-tank. "They are the area al Qaeda has based its international and regional operations. It is a very serious threat to the U.S. security," he said.
Pakistan continues to deny al Qaeda enjoys a safe haven in its territory.
"The problem is people don’t understand the local environment," the Pakistani ambassador to the United States, Mahmud Ali Durrani, told the Blotter on ABCNews.com.
"Pakistan is doing more than its share. We have done a lot, we have captured a lot, we've killed a lot, and we continue to do it not just for your sake, but more so for our own sake," he said.
In testimony before Congress this week, U.S. intelligence officials were straightforward in saying they believe Osama bin Laden is in Pakistan and freely operating there.
"It's not that we lack the ability to go into that space," said Tom Fingar of the office of the Director of National Intelligence.
"But we have chosen not to do so without the permission of the Pakistani government," Fingar told members of Congress who demanded to know why the U.S. did not take more decisive action against a known enemy.
U.S. officials say Pakistan consistently denies the U.S. military permission to go after known al Qaeda training camps.
The situation has grown even worse since February, officials say, when Vice President Dick Cheney traveled to Islamabad to demand Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf take action. 
"Their (al Qaeda's) situation is actually better today than it was even then," said the RAND Corporation's Jones.
"The U.S. has provided $5.6 billion in coalition support funds to Pakistan over the past five years, with zero accountability," said Congressman Patrick Murphy, D-Calif., at the hearing.
"Why is Pakistan still being paid these large sums of money, even after publicly declaring that it is significantly cutting back patrols in the most important border area?" he asked.

Live Earth - Observations

We had 4 correspondents covering Live Earth today - which means I was inundated with concert stuff.
Some observations:

- Bald Phil Collins looked amazing and buff. Kinda hot.

- I nearly have Shakira's abs. Sonja - more crunches!

- Note to televised coverage: Show me Bloc Party, show me Kasabian.

- Got the sense that Jon Bon Jovi was not wanting to be all chummy with Richie Sambora. On stage and in interviews, Jon wasn't really warming to Sambora's attempts at camaraderie. Livin' on a Prayer still ruled though. My neck hurts.

- John Mayer is officially in love with himself. Post that on his blog.

- Aerial shots over Giants stadium showing the thousands of CO2-emitting cars didn't bode well for the cause. Cynical I know...

- Foo Fighters ruled the day in London. In my opin, Taylor Hawkins is the best on drums in the music-making business.

- Bravo to the person who sealed the deal in Sydney to get Crowded House in the line-up. I raised a lighter.

- I WANT, I WANT, I WANT MORE, MORE, MORE Roger Waters! His performance proves that Pink Floyd is truly one of the best bands of all time. However, there is no substituting Gilmore; get back together!!! Brain Damage, Eclipse and Pig blimp were spot on. I rocked out in my living room. The absolute best.

Rotten Egg to Eggs Benedict!

Another great thing about NYC is that you're always being impacted - affected by the diversity and behavior of people around you. Your mood is often taken by circumstances. It can lead to good days plummeting to bad ones, or vice versa - as yesterday turned out.

1) Didn't get the White House job. Didn't really expect it, but the news took the wind out of my sails a bit. After all, I'm in it to win it.

2) Had a meeting with my boss, which was about a situation over the weekend - in which I had headed up our coverage of the Missing OH Mom. Rehashing decisions you made 'in the heat of breaking news battle' is never fun... or completely clear.

3) Headed to get a blowout before a big date - and when I walked into the salon, it felt like I was hit with the heat of a thousand infernos. Yep, massive electricity outage in Manhattan yesterday. And you betcha, my salon fell within the grid. I grinned and grilled through an hour of blowout hell... where the hairdresser is slamming 110-degree heat to my hair and scalp in a room that's at least 92-degrees. I sweltered through...

4) Couldn't find a cab on way to date. Massive electricity outage also means subway issues - so everyone is taking a cab. Everyone except me.

5) When I finally made it to Madison Square Park to meet date at 6pm, I was sweating up a storm under a cloud of humidity. My hair felt more like 5 wool caps than a fancy 'do. And I definitely had a frazzled look - having just made it on time within minutes. I looked HOT.

6) After exactly 28 minutes of chit-chat - date suggested walking me out of the park before he walked the other way. Yep - 28 minutes. It was our own version of speed-dating. Except it wasn't. Except it WAS. I was a broken woman.

7) Trying to find cab to meet Alex for a drink on the UES, I can't find one (because of the lingering electricity problems). Then, like a vision, a limo pulls up and the driver says "You need a ride sweetheart?" I'm now beaming - and this becomes the BEST day ever! I get in the limo - it's a black stretch - and I don't even care if the driver was featured on America's Most Wanted Sunday night. This was my ride, and I was going to enjoy it all: the leather seats, the radio, the Air Conditioning.

8) By the time I hit Luke's on 3rd and 79th - Alex is there, typing furiously away into her Blackberry. She has a slight panic attack that a guy she used to date is at the same restaurant but then realizes it's not him. Phew. Because I would have walked up to him and poured a martini in his face for hurting my friend.

9) Over dinner, find out that Alex had the worst day ever too - yet we are somehow grateful to have pushed through our lackluster days, to an end that offered good laughs, a couple glasses of wine, and the satisfaction that we made it through another one.

Messed Up In the Morning

You know you're stressed out on a punishing schedule when it's 5am and - as you get ready for work - you spray Downy 'Wrinkle Release' in your hair. You know you're really messed up when you realize it's not hair detangler, but keep spraying away.

This is Gonna Come off Heartless...

Yesterday - 2 big Alzheimer's stories in the news. One and the most controversial - a Florida nursing home facility wants to implant electronic monitoring chips in its Alzheimer's residents. The other story - that simple cognitive tests can determine whether a person will develop Alzeheimer's. Both pretty big news. So I call the Alzheimer's Association at 10am looking for an interview on one or both stories. At 1pm, I play email tag. At 3pm, I leave empty-handed. Yep, it appears the Alzheimer's Association actually forgot about me.

How Ya Feelin'?

I realize that a sick call really screws up a newsroom. I realize it throws some people into a tizzy trying to line up freelancers to replace. I also realize that I'm entitled to 10 sick days a year - and if I'm sick, don't make me feel guilty about taking one. After all, I'm abused enough by a sporadic schedule.
The only thing worse than the reaction to the sick call is when I come back to the newsroom and I'm met with a chorus of "How ya feelin?" and "Why were you sick?" If they really want to know, I can pull out a 5th grade "what happens to girls' bodies once-a-month" diagram. Really, don't ask... unless you really want to know.

The Deli Dance

So there's this deli across the street from where I work... and one of the deli workers and I have a dance...
We'll call this dance the Tango... and not just because of the spicy mustard. He and I have a love/hate thing going on - akin to the Tango - full of passion, one way or the other.

It all started several months ago on a cold morning - 3:45am. I was rolling into work - but wanted an egg-white omelet before I hit the newsroom. I walked into the deli, which is open 24 hours - and someone is always manning the sandwich bar. I asked for the omelet, and he said the grill wasn't fired up. I got the feeling that he was just lazy - because I had spied him making an egg sandwich on the grill for a ConEd worker as I was walking in. I called him out on this fact, and he wasn't happy. He, with every shred of reluctancy and heavy sighs - made my omelet and gave it to me. He was pissed.

Since that early morning - like back in January - he and I have had a thing. The thing is that I now have to sidle up to the counter, flash him a great mood (even though it's 3:30 in the morning and I've just rolled out of bed and still batting away cobwebs) for him to even acknowledge my order. He takes his time; I have to wait 10 minutes for him to validate me and my order - and then he fires up the grill and makes my omelet like a surgeon. This is our dance.

And at the end of the dance, I thank him silently. For back in a windowless newsroom with florescent lights beaming overhead - I eat the best egg-white omelet I've ever had - and curtsy his talent for feeding me ahead of a hectic and mind-numbing day. This is our dance, and I will always want to hit the ballroom floor... twists, turns, dips, and all.

Air Check

THINGS THE VIEWER NEVER, EVER SAYS
(So why are you so obsessed with them?)

By Steve Safran, Lost Remote

STILL PRODUCING to impress other producers? Well, knock it off. The arguments we get into - real, loud arguments - over stuff we think is important are just stupid.

We seem to think too many packages in a newscast presents a sign of weakness. We think viewers will stay put in the morning if we write a clever enough tease. We're certain a plug for a report at 5pm will make the 6am viewers take note.

Do you really believe this? Or have you done it so long that it's just "what you're supposed to do"?

As Lost Remote discusses ways to change the news, the following are things viewers never, ever say or think. Keep the list handy by your computer when you're fighting with your EP over "flow"... (*allison's favorites in bold)

- Why did they put that story in A5 instead of A4? I think it would have flowed better.

- Margaret! They're going to give me the details of that man wanted in the downtown robbery... get me a pen!

- The police want MY help in solving this crime? Cool!

- One person was slightly injured in that accident? Good thing they had a helicopter there.

- To hell with my 7:14 train! The news has a report on dangerous puddings then that I won't want to miss!

- That thing that happened half a world away? I hope this local newscast tells me if it could happen here.

- I'm glad this news station knocked on that neighbor's door next to where the shooting took place.

- Good thing they ran that VO of people putting on seatbelts during that seatbelt law story. I had no idea what seatbelts looked like.

- Wait -- they have locators of the house where a stabbing was yesterday that injured a 16 year-old male? Alright!

- Hmmm... they went: package, VO, package, SOT. Wouldn't it have been so much better if they had gone: package, VO, SOT package?

- They're leading with the same story at 5:30 as they did at 5? Booooooring!

- I'm only going to watch the helicopter station from now on.

- Surely the helicopter is the ultimate sign of the greatest news station.

- Oh, they're LIVE at the State House. Well, alright then. There was no way I was going to believe a pre-packaged story about the budget.

- Can they make the logo on the side of that helicopter a little bigger?

- No, I HADN'T recalled that Action News first told me about this story last week. Thanks for the reminder!

- I'm glad they referred to him as "the Pontiff" on the second reference and "John Paul the Second" on the third reference. I would have been bored if they just
said "The Pope."

- It's gonna snow/be hot/be very cold? I sure hope they'll tell me what to do with my pets and elderly. I have no idea.

- Wait! Wait! What happened to the anchor I'm used to watching! He's not there tonight! Is he dead? Oh - thank God... he's on assignment.

- TEAM Coverage? Now I'm watching!

- Remind me - can Halloween be dangerous for my kids?

- Remind me - should I wear sunscreen when I go out this summer?

- Remind me - are there benefits to drinking wine?

- Remind me - can I get an update on this crap tonight at 11 only on your station?

- I hope they'll take up more of the screen with data.

- Sadly, the station that I am watching presented this story to me 15 seconds after its competitor did. I know this, for I watch four televisions at once.

- It's important to me whether a station's lower third font is in all caps or uses lower case as well.

- You mean there were PREVIOUS stumbling blocks on the road to peace in the Middle East?

- When one person is injured in a car accident, I don't really care. But when one person is injured in a light plane crash, I want to know!

- Did you see the editing on that package? Oh, the L-cuts!

- I know it's going to be 70 degrees and sunny today. Please, for the love of God, tell me about the barometric pressure!

- This station really should mention its call letters more.

- This new logo really makes me want to watch their news now.

- I'm glad they clarified that it was 'ACTOR' Arnold Schwarzenegger. I had no idea who they were talking about.

- Those six second SOTs are too long. They should trim them to four.

- I'm not sure I cared much for that story count.

- Sure, I know they told me a lot of important news. But, darn it - they broke format!

- I wasn't able to change emotional gears fast enough between those two stories.

- The chopper pics were OK, but I really had hoped they would have ground pics by now.

- I really wish they had dissolved between those two VOs instead of a straight take.

- It really helped my understanding of that story that they asked a couple of random idiots on the street what THEY thought of it.

- 10 minutes into the show, they needed to establish the male anchor on cam before going to that VO. I had no idea who was talking.

- More puns in teases, dammit! More puns!

- That Doppler Radar 9000 sure beats the hell out of the competitor's Doppler Radar 3000. NOW the forecasts will be accurate.

- If only this graphics package used a slightly darker shade of blue as a complimentary color.

- Sure, that logo is big. But it could be bigger.

- They should use the word "local" a lot more in this newscast.

- I don't really care about the stories or accuracy. What I'm interested in is how well they brand their station.

- I knew the station would give me news that was live and local. But latebreaking too? Awright!

Brain Dump

NOBODY HOME
What's worse than working for 7-days in a row last week, with wall-to-wall VA Tech? That's right - double shifts this week - and they're overnighters.
STRESS UNCUT
Hosting Julie and Marc's big engagement party this weekend in DC, and the planning process and subsequent headaches have caused such a code red stress threat - that I've decided to totally elope (you know, if I'm ever The One).
DEBBIE DOWNER
If you see a couple madly in love, it means one of two things. 1) One of them is internally panicking the relationship is about to come crashing down. 2) The relationship is just about to come crashing down.
S1, PHONE HOME
I haven't talked with Sarah in a while - which means one thing: she's in cocoon mode after getting back together with her ex.
SONJA WRATH
Punishing work schedule means I haven't gotten a training session in with Sonja over the past 2 weeks. She's so going to kick my arse when I do see her.
ACRIMONIOUS ACRONYM
Good Morning America tries to be all smooth and stuff - using TSS as an abbreviation for its Times Square Studios. It also stands for Toxic Shock Syndrome - and I know some people who intentionally confuse the two.
HISTORY LESSON
Did a little history of Hells Kitchen the other day, and discovered that a quaint tea and coffee shop on 9th that I pass daily used to be a gay bar called "The Loading Zone".

Blacksburg Insanity

So Alex returned from her Walmart-wearing booking job for CNN in Blacksburg, and oh - the tales she told! So glad I wasn't down there.
STAND-OUT STORY:
After booking a guest for Paula Zahn show, a producer from Fox News (clad in Hokie gear) - began talking with the guest and leading him away from Alex and crew. Fox guy then shoved the guest in a car and the sedan peeled off... to Fox's remote base. I kid you not - people were kidnapping guests.

Blacksburg Troops

Sometimes I'm glad I'm not thrown into the midst of breaking news. I like being in a newsroom for the big stories, able to process stuff with a bit of perspective - and not be rushed to locate interviews, fiddle with travel, find newsmakers, and track down media handlers. Don't get me wrong, there's no better place to be for a journalist than on the scene of something truly big - but I know that I operate best from home base. For me, the field has too many changing variables.

Friend Alex is down in Blacksburg... booking for CNN, which I'm sure has a staff there the size of a college campus.

She called me the day of the shooting - about midday - saying she was heading down. She sounded a bit frazzled, as was I - called in early to work. I briefly tried to calm her stress level, before she hung up and was on a plane.

She called again today - I think just to get a brain break. She was on her cell phone, and told me she was walking to a dorm. This is what I can remember of our conversation:

Allison: "Hey, how are you holding up?"
Alex: "I'm okay - but we're kinda getting served down here on some exclusives."
Allison: "Yeah, I saw your show last night - good thing the vigil was going on at the same time."
Alex: "Yeah really. I look like a mess."
Allison: "Why?"
Alex: "They sent me down directly from CNN on Monday. I came down here without any clothes - without anything. I had to buy clothes, even underwear, at WalMart!!"
Allison: "Oh dear."
Alex: "Listen, I'm at the dorm - and I have to go and harass a student. I gotta go."

And like that - my friend continued on her dizzying, sleep-deprived journalistic journey. I don't know how long they'll keep her down there. I think most of our troops are coming back this weekend. Anyway, I find the image of her itching and miserable in shapeless WalMart clothes - romping around campus trying to book guests (and more importantly - preventing Anderson 360 and Larry King from stealing those guests) pretty hilarious. But I'm proud of her - as well as all the journalists down in Blacksburg - many of whom I bet are trying to keep themselves together around all that sadness.

Hair, Internal Freak Out, and Bathing

SOME STUFF:
1) Cut your hair Rapunzel, or the maintenance man will climb up it while your sleeping and take that snow shovel to your face.
2) I interface with a majority of men on a daily basis at work and today, I realize that we really do speak different languages when it comes to - well - anything. Case in point:
AB: Hey, what TV router number is the Times Square studio coming in on?
Man: I don't know - call TV-3.
AB: Shouldn't I call Newsone, as TV-3 is the White House pool - out of DC?
Man: Yes, call TV-3.
AB: But TV-3 is out of Washington - we need the Times Square studios - here in New York. We are here in New York.
Man: What's the status with David Muir at Kennedy airport?
AB: What?! (brain shift) I emailed him - haven't heard back but our edit bays are slammed - don't think we could take him in if he called to file now anyway.
Man: Okay - have we been in touch with JetBlue corporate? On the stranded passengers?
AB: Muir will likely have that in his Good Morning America package.
Man: Have we reached out to him to file?
AB: YES - I just told you I emailed him.
Man: Oh - look at the [inhouse] monitor, the stranded JetBlue passengers are at the Times Square studio - what TV router is that on?
AB: (Brain shift) I was trying to set that up - I asked you that earlier.
Man: Oh right - call Newsone for the router. And reach out to David Muir for him to file.
[[Internal AB: AHHHHHHH - SOMEONE SAVE ME!!! Please - anyone - walk into the newsroom, pick me up in a "crossing the threshold" kinda way, and cart me out of here! Am I speaking jibberish - or even jive? Am I fully alert? Is this coffee doing any good? Am I here? Where am I? Who am I? Who's on first?]]
3) Have the weekend off - which I'm fully excited about. Even more excited because DC Steve is coming into town for some fun NYC time. We are even going to try and check out the Russian/Turkish bath house - which from the look of the pictures and the menu of services on the website - mean men rejects from the 1989 movie "Gleaming the Cube" will beat us senseless with Platza Oak Leaves. www.russianturkishbaths.com
4) I'm also off on Monday and Tuesday - which means I've got some President's Day sales shopping to attend to.

Love, Weather, and Kinda Hilarious

NO LOVE FOR CUPID
Jeremy Piven guest of "The View" and subsequently in our building this morning. He seems to be everywhere these days - takin' his mom to whatever awards ceremony is happening, or people gushing over him on red carpet while he's wearing some "I'm trying to be different with the ascot" ensemble. I'm over him. And now that I'm thinking about it, I'm also over Eva Longoria.
BRRRR...
Temps took a nosedive overnight. Result is sub-freezing temps with wind tunnels howling between skyscrapers. My first official NYC winter, and I hate it. If there can be any good news it's that I'm officially rocking my Michael Kors down puffin, which I love.
CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP
BC-Moose Head Suit,0089
Student sues Penn State over moose head fall
UNIONTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- A Penn State student is suing the school, claiming she has suffered from headaches ever since a stuffed moose head fell on her in a classroom.
Amy Walters said she got hurt while taking a biology test at the university's Fayette campus in 2005. The lawsuit, filed Thursday, seeks unspecified damages.
A school spokeswoman had no comment.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Mix It Up

MIXOLOGY
Hitting up East Side Company bar tonight in Chinatown. This place is one of those spots with no sign, no address, no front window. Alex and I are up for the "Amazing Race" adventure of it all. It's also supposed to be one of those places that doesn't have 'bartenders' but rather 'mixologists.' Don't know about you - but when I think about 'mixologists' I think of mix tapes. Wish I was getting one of those tonight...
MIX TAPE
Anyway, speaking of mix tapes and CDs - we got one in the mail the other day - but it was for someone who doesn't live at our address. It was hilarious - because song selection was very metal to melody to metal without any real transition. Also came with letter from a guy pouring his heart out - albeit sloppily - to the addressee. And if you're freaking out that we unlawfully opened someone else's mail, we did. But only because addressee's last name was also last name of my roommate - so there.
JITTERY BOSSES
Heather and I agree - a great way to get noticed at work is to just wear nice suits for a couple of days... and if you're like her, opt to go out for lunch instead of staying in. That way, bosses think you're out on job interviews. She's gotten a couple of bonuses/promotion offers in recent months, so I'm betting she's worked the "suit theory" this year. I'm toying with the theory application myself, and will report back on its success/failure.
SONYA'S BACK
Uh oh. I got caught up in the holidays. I went out with friends. What can I say - I imbibed and I partook. And just like a jackal sneaking up on its prey by moonlight on a Namibian plain - my personal trainer Sonya readies her pounce and sets up our next appointment. I just hope she gives me more time before whatever that "body composition/measurement" idea was she talked about while clearly tripping on Robitussin.