We were waiting until noon yesterday for the General Assembly to begin its session. As the House of Delegates filled up, the clock reached 11:59 a.m. It was almost time…

Then something funny happened. The clock on the big board in the House struck 11:60. I have never seen anything like it in my life. One minute later, the clock turned to 12:01, putting to rest the question of whether we were in ante meridian or post meridian.

Quoth one member of the press corps: “It’s 11:60 in the afternoon. Do you know where your legislators are?”

It’s going to be a long session, but legislators are saying Wednesday that they’re still recovering from last fall’s special session.

There was laughing and merrymaking in the halls of the state house, but some described a marked difference in the traditional session opening.

After performing the opening ceremony in the Senate, President Thomas V. Mike Miller said January feels different without the traditional nine-month layover that follows most General Assembly sittings.

He called the opening “largely ceremonial, because so much heavy lifting was done during the special session.”

“I sense a sort of fatigue,” he said.

After the few days of pomp and circumstance, though, lawmakers are going to have a full plate of issues: energy regulation, home foreclosures, the death penalty, computer taxes, same sex marriage … you name it. And there could be up to $240 million in new budget cuts.

How long do you think the honeymoon will last? What do you think will be the first contentious issue?

Things can change quickly here in Annapolis, as anyone in computer services can tell you.

Here’s just one example: I came to the state house one day during last year’s special session. I was expecting to hear debate on a proposed expansion of the state sales tax to massages, health clubs and property management. But I left at night having written a story about how the target shifted to computer services, arcades and landscaping (the latter two were dropped).

There were lots of complaints about the window that members of the public had to give input during the special session. That underscores an important point: if you’re in business and you’re watching the legislature, the most valuable information is the timeliest information.

That’s why we at The Daily Record are launching our Eye on Annapolis blog. This post will kick off the most up-to-the-minute coverage we can offer. It will allow you to see what we’re working on, to catch some tidbits that don’t make it into stories, and to talk back to us about what is important to you. After all, we’re here to share information with our readers.

Also look out for other staff bloggers who will chip in to add depth and color to our coverage of Maryland’s capital.

Photo by Eric Stocklin/The Daily Record