Happy Mother’s Day

May 9th, 2008 by Kay Luna

This is one of those forwarded e-mails we all get (and usually just delete), but this one is very sweet … and very appropriate for Mother’s Day weekend.

I see myself in a lot of the verses — particularly the one that says when you hear someone say “Mom” in a crowd, you automatically look.  I still think I hear my Z calling my name sometimes.

And my own Mom tells me she still wants to reach out and pick up the little girls she sees sometimes with curly brown hair, thinking for a second they are me … until she realizes I’m a 33-year-old woman, not a 3-year-old girl anymore.

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Jumpin’ jive

May 9th, 2008 by Kay Luna

My dance lessons are held in a studio lined with floor-to-ceiling mirrors, and let me tell you, I sometimes want to close my eyes.

When I think about dancing a ballroom dance, I imagine myself floating across the dance floor, looking very coordinated and natural and like I’m having fun.

That’s not what I look like yet. I’m so focused on the steps, which I just started learning yesterday, that I can’t smile or coordinate the rest of my body just yet.

Posted in Q-C Dancing With The Stars | No Comments »

Together again

May 9th, 2008 by Kay Luna

Remember that song from back in the day, called “Reunited?” I had to look it up online — the duo Peaches and Herb sang it.

Reunited and it feels so good
Reunited ’cause we understood
There’s one perfect fit
And, sugar, this one is it
We both are so excited 
‘Cause we’re reunited, hey, hey

I woke up thinking about that song today … I know, bizarre, huh?! haha! Well, little Miss Babycakes is home from Gma’s, so that inspired me.

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So long, Jar Jar

May 8th, 2008 by David Heitz

So Jason “Jar Jar Binks” Castro got sent home last night. No real surprise there. The only thing I’m wondering now is, could Syesha spoil the David-David matchup that we all thought would be so inevitable?

 She’s on a hot streak. Can she pull it off?

Posted in Idol Chatter | 6 Comments »

My `dogs’ are barkin’

May 8th, 2008 by Kay Luna

Oooh, boy, regular high-heeled shoes just aren’t right for ballroom dancing. Ask me how I know this … Well, let’s just say my co-workers can now see I have a small rip in my nylons right at the toe.

I abandoned my shoes the minute I walked back to my desk after my dance lesson today. Bow-wowza, are my “dogs” a-barkin’!

Now, I really can’t wait for my flashy professional dancing shoes (ordered online yesterday) to arrive early next week. Maybe they’ll keep me from slipping around on the dance floor so much … and alleviate some of my foot-ache.

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Where is the baby?

May 8th, 2008 by Kay Luna

Last night, my Mom and I scrambled around to leave work in time (barely!), so we could get to Galesburg for a celebration to honor my cousin’s nursing school completion.

Instead of making Babycakes endure it all, I dropped her off instead to spend the night with Gma and Gpa. This is only the second time she’s ever spent the night there, and only the third time I’ve ever been without her overnight (at least, that I can remember).

It was fun — for a little while — to be able to eat my meal without worrying about feeding her, too. And when I drove home, I didn’t have to worry about what she was doing in the backseat.

Posted in The Workin' Mom | 1 Comment »

Hard-headed woman

May 8th, 2008 by Kay Luna

I’m a hard-headed woman.

So, I think it’s quite fitting that the Elvis song about just such a woman will be what I dance to in the “Ballroom with the Quad-City Celebrities” event on June 22.

I’m going to be doing a fast-moving jive dance, and will start learning the steps at my dance lesson today. Can’t wait! I’ll keep you posted.

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Sophia is on YouTube

May 7th, 2008 by Stephanie De Pasquale

I gave our online editor video of Sophia playing with a bouncing Tigger last Christmas to put online. I never saw it go up and figured the file was too big.

But I googled myself today and found out where the video was posted…YouTube.

The video has had 44 views, which isn’t a whole lot for a YouTube video, but I was surprised that many people had tuned in to watch my dog shake a toy around the living room.

Although anyone who has seen their dog dip into their instincts and shake a toy around like they had actual prey in their mouth would laugh at Sophia go nuts for the bouncing Tigger.

Posted in To The Dogs | 1 Comment »

A week apart

May 7th, 2008 by Deb Brasier

Every time I see a car fly by with a drooling dog hanging out the window, ears flapping in the wind, I have the same reaction: Cats are simply too dignified to behave like that.
Then, I have another reaction: I wish cats were better travelers.
Last week, the felines stayed home and I went to Florida.
I missed them.
I found myself listening for the light thud that Al E. Cat and Sally make when they leap onto the bed in the middle of the night.
I thought of how much they would have relished sitting on the lanai and watching the little gecko-type creepy crawlers scamper up and down the screens.
And at the beach, I imagined that they would have loved the miles and miles of fine white sand. (Actually, they would have been terrified by the crashing waves, but hey — this is my fantasy.)
Honestly, though, cats are not good travelers. That turns out to be a good deal for all of us because of Jami, the pet sitter. She comes to the house once a day, fills their food and water dishes, scoops the litter pans, gives them treats, brings in the mail and newspaper and — this is my favorite part — leaves me little notes about how and what the “kids” were doing.
And how do the felines do when I’m away? Quite well, thank you. Except for Jami’s visit, they have the house to themselves, to lounge on the beds and couches, to perch on kitchen counters and the dining room table, and to take lengthy, uninterrupted naps broken up only to check out the food dishes.
I got home late Monday night, and as I dragged my suitcase through the door (are dirty clothes really heavier than clean ones?), Al and Sally came trotting around the corner. The disappointment on their pusses was evident when they saw me.
No more good times with Jami.
Not even the great new smells on my Crocs were enough to satisfy them.
If they could, I think they’d be booking another trip for me right now.

Posted in Cat Tales | 3 Comments »

Hospital jargon sounds like it’s rated PG-13

May 7th, 2008 by Deirdre Cox Baker

You’re SOB! Not a rock! But at least you lgfd!

Text messages? Nope, it’s jargon from the world of hospitals, according to a story on today’s Chicago Tribune Web site. Medical educators are trying to teach students not to use the verbal shorthand, worrying that it promotes a negative message that’s unnecessary, and particularly unhelpful in a hospital environment.

SOB, by the way, is “shortness of breath” rather than the perjorative term that’s more widely known. A “rock” is a patient who’s condition does not change, and “lgfd” is kind of positive as it’s short for “looks good from the door.”

Posted in HealthBeat | No Comments »