Quick Stops

Spit-Take Alert:

I wish someone had warned me first about this.
_____

On the other hand, I'm glad I've had plenty of warning about this:

The National Weather Service has issued an unusually dire blizzard watch, calling a storm expected to arrive Tuesday afternoon over much of northern Illinois and Northwest Indiana "dangerous, multifaceted and potentially life-threatening."

All told, forecasters expect at least a foot of snow over much of the watch area. White-out conditions are expected at times Tuesday night, with snowfall rates of at least 2 to 3 inches per hour possible with northeast winds of 25 to 40 mph and even stronger gusts.

Localized totals in excess of 18 inches are possible, especially near the lake.

Conditions are expected to deteriorate from north to south across the region Tuesday afternoon with travel becoming "virtually impossible" at times Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning, according to the weather service. Plows will be unable to keep up with the downfall.

(And, yes -- I changed that appointment.)
_____

Ear Worm of the Day:


_____

One More Thing:
Paraguay! That's a first!

PSA

A little tip I read about today that I thought I'd share:

If your car has had any work done, you should check to make sure the hood is properly closed [before you drive it out of the shop or off the lot].

Yikes!

$20,000 Question

Why in the world did WGN Radio rejigger the weekend schedule to take the Sunday night slot away from Nick Digilio and give it to Milt Rosenberg if Milt is only going to do it live one week out of four? Seriously -- the first couple of weeks they replayed past shows, and tonight, instead of Milt, Andrea Darlas will be filling that slot. (No offense meant to Ms. Darlas.)

Rather than serving up retreads and substitutes to its loyal listenership, WGN should bounce the "WGN Weekend" slot, move Legally Speaking and the Sunday Night Radio Special to an hour earlier, then give Nick back a two hour slot.

Why?

First, Nick has a huge following who are used to tuning in to listen to and converse with him. Nick was the first at WGN to embrace Facebook, then Twitter, and turn his show into a true interactive experience. A large number of his listeners have formed friendships through and because of his skillful use of social media, Brew & View events, Snuggie Pub crawls and other themed events.

Second, I can't remember one single time that Nick served up a rerun. That would be an insult to his listeners and he just wouldn't do it. Guest hosts, yes. Retreads, NO.

Third, Nick has been the station's go-to guy every single time there's been a hole in the line up, whether fueled by weather, illness or vacations, often working double and triple shifts with little sleep, and not once has he ever complained about it. In fact, he's been enthusiastic about anything and everything the station has asked him to do. It's a huge slap in his face, and the collective faces of the people who tune in just for him.

Finally, while I enjoy Dr. Rosenberg's programs during the week, I resent having the entertainer who is very committed to his fan base and whom I enjoy so much on Sunday nights being bounced for someone who clearly has no such loyalty. If he was committed to us, he'd have his ass in the chair with a new guest every Sunday night.

I just sent a very unhappy email to the management at WGN. If you miss Nick, I suggest you do the same.

The Road Ahead

Glah! The National Weather Service says:

COMBINED SNOW TOTALS FROM THE MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY MAY EXCEED A FOOT AND A HALF ACROSS MUCH OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND FAR NORTHWEST INDIANA. SNOWFALL RATES UP TO 3 INCHES PER HOUR WILL BE PROBABLE AT THE HEIGHT OF THE STORM TUESDAY NIGHT.

THE STORM SYSTEM WILL BE AFFECTING A LARGE PORTION OF THE SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES...MIDWEST AND OHIO VALLEY REGIONS. ANYONE WITH TRAVEL PLANS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...INCLUDING THOSE TRAVELING THROUGH CHICAGO OHARE AND MIDWAY AIRPORTS...SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR LATER FORECASTS REGARDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS WINTER STORM.

Batten down the hatches, kids! (As for me, I'm headed to the oral surgeon on Tuesday afternoon. Say a little prayer for me, will you?)

Sunday Schedule

Now here's a first -- "Unknown" and "Misc." in the same day!

_____

Giggle of the Day:

_____

This is not one of the things I wondered about when I hit thirty:

I find myself at the age of 31 wondering what proper nipple etiquette is.

(Mental eye-roll.)

I ask you, ladies -- planted question or the genuine article?

_____

Future Darwin Award winners?

Kristopher Carlson, 20, of Ingelside and Frank Dumelle, 19, of Round Lake were reportedly making explosives when one of their home-made bombs exploded, police said.

“We don’t think that the men were with any type of terrorist network or radical group. They were just some kids experimenting,” said a spokesman from the sheriff’s department.

You betcha!

_____

Here's another love story with a unique twist:

Some men are lucky like this. They discover what they love and they never leave.

How lucky those young men are who had Scott Lang for a coach!
_____

I see the TSA is once again proving it has our its own best interest at heart.

_____

Bad hair day, maybe?

_____

Listening to the NHL Allstars game. Home boy Clay Aiken did a fine job on our National Anthem, but the Canadian Tenors singing "O Canada" were simply awesome.

_____

The Irish promote the virtues of Whiskey in the Jar:

The Scots, apparently are going in a different direction:

(That's "Dram in a Can" to my fellow Yanks.)

_____

From another one of my site meters, the search phrases that brought people here today:

cute pictures 2

funny images 2

funny pictures 2

funny pictures of dogs with captions 2

blogspot leslie 1

funny animal sayings 1

funny cats with words 1

funny pudding pictures 1

funny snow mobile trail pictures 1

hot passion

Yep, that's me -- a little bit cute, a lot funny and a surprising drop of... *ahem*.

Sunday Sermon

Amen!

Saturday Ramblings

That's about right.

_____

This is a three-hankie love story:

Nine days later, Sabrina's grandparents knew the end was near. They called Matt. He held her hand through the night. Sabrina died in her sleep, with the boy who loved her with all his heart by her side.

Before her body was taken away, Matt kissed her gently on the head.

"Thank you for saving me," he told her.

If that doesn't get you, you have no heart.

_____

Sometimes Chicagoans have a funny definition of what makes up a "nice" neighborhood:

“It’s a quiet corner most of the time, other than the regular drug and gang activity,” said a worker at a nearby shop.

Sheesh.

_____

Text message blows up suicide bomber by accident

Karma -- it's a beautiful thing.

_____

It's bad enough I can play Mahjong on my laptop and waste hours at a time. I am NOT putting it on my Kindle, even if it is half price for a limited time...

_____

I swiped this from Amy Alkon, who freely swiped it from a regular commenter. I went to Spokeo, and by golly there was some very outdated information that I really would rather hadn't been out there. (And, thanks to Amy's timely posting, it's gone now.)

Go look yourself up. If you find yourself, click on the link, copy the URL, and then follow the steps outlined in Amy's post if you don't want your personal info out there on the interwebs for all to find.

_____

Belly Laugh of the Day:

I'll never hear the phrase, "I know what I'm doing" again without bursting into laughter without anyone within earshot having a clue why.

(A big ol' smooch to Matt G for that one!)

_____