Quadsville

Kay Luna starts us off with her adventure learning to ski at Snowstar. Health reporter Deirdre Baker took a Zumba class for the first time. And Night City Editor Brian Wellner and his toddler son attended a drum circle at the RME.

The idea of spending a day doing things I've never done before has appealed to me ever since I first saw "Breakfast at Tiffany's."

In the meantime, you can get a preview of Kay's story by watching this video. Yes, Kay really is somewhere inside that red snowsuit. Look for the stories in the print and online editions of the Times beginning Jan. 1.

Your thoughts, Quadsvillagers? Burris is actually taking questions. And Blago says "he doesn't want to hog the limelight." OK....

Please, write in below with your keen analysis.

If you are still deciding what to do to ring in the new year, here are a few ideas from entertainment writer Stephanie DePasquale. You can find all the New Year's Eve happenings on our online calendar.

You can also enter your "Out with the Old" photos in our weekly photo contest. Submissions are accepted until 9 a.m. on New Year's Day, so make sure you upload and enter before you crash out the night before. :-) Then, go vote for your favorite when you wake up.

We've got some birthdays coming up. Yours truly will turn 30 in exactly a month. But that's nothin' compared to Abe Lincoln, who turns 200 on Feb. 12. Even though he's not around to blow out any candles, the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission is asking people to send homemade 200th birthday cards to Honest Abe. Find out more here.

Jock Aplin won the Steve's Pick award (Kevin is on vacation) and qcswfp won Quadsvillagers' Choice. Check out their photos and submit your own for our last contest of 2008: "Out with the old."

I'd like your feedback on the photo contest process to determine if and how we do them in 2009. Is the contest engine we are currently using too complicated? Too many hoops to jump through? Or do you like it? What would you change?

Stephanie DePasquale would like to have a contest for a new group icon for the Quadsville Pet Owners group, so we can test out a different method on that. Leave me your suggestions below.

Have a fun and safe weekend!

What are your plans for today? Hitting the after-Christmas sales? Going to work? Hanging around in your pajamas? 

If you are online today, vote for your favorite "peaceful" photo and tell us what you're up to. Mashable.com has a few more online entertainment ideas if you are getting stir crazy. We'll have the results of the photo contest at 3 p.m.

Track Santa. Norad is at it again. Good fun for the kids (young and old).

A "peaceful" photo contest. Entries can be submitted until 9 a.m. on the 25th. Then the voting starts.

Hot holiday lights. Check out these amazing displays as you drive through town.

Santa visits the Quad-City Times. Rumor has it, this Santa came from the South Pole, but he was popular with most of the kids. Many newsroom staffers also took the opportunity to pose with the guy in the red suit.

Quadsvillagers' photos. Some nice recent additions including Christmas Eve cardinals and cats in wigs. (?)

Several Quadsvillagers are reminiscing in their blogs about holiday and winter memories. Penelope remembers the beautiful tree her family always had growing up. MortimerBlubb recounts his adventures in the winter of 1978-'79. And QCTimes film critic Linda Cook wonders what everyone's favorite holiday films are.

At least we're not in D.C. Our floods this year were bad enough. I can't imagine being stuck in one at 20 degrees.

There are four entries so far in the "Peace" photo contest. You've got until 9 a.m. on the 25th to get your entries in.

Stay safe and warm out there!

So I'm wondering if all of your loved ones have made it safely to their holiday destinations. Or maybe you were planning on making a journey. Are your plans on? Are you improvising? Have you ever spent a holiday stranded at an airport or hotel? What did you do to make the best of it?

I'm supposed to be down in the Monmouth area on Christmas Eve, but with this weather forecast, I'm not sure that's going to happen. Six to 10 inches of blowing snow? Oy.

A few other things to check out today:

This interactive map of holiday light displays is pretty neat. You can snap a photo of your display and add it to the map, too.

Some Quadsvillagers have managed to snap a few photos in the subzero temps of our ice-coated existence. Check out this one, this one and that one, too. I have to admit, the sparkly trees and crystal fencelines looked beautiful on my drive up Hwy 67 this morning. Post your own or enter them in the...

weekly photo contest, which is also open for your entries under the "Peace" theme. Got several great submissions over the weekend. Thanks!

Penelope won Kevin's Pick with her photo of her daughter and granddaughter next to her tree. "Mother and daughter snuggle close for a happy Christmastime photo. It just made me smile. Great picture for the living room," wrote photo editor Kevin Schmidt.

Beaglelady's photo, "Rusty's first Christmas," won Quadsvillagers' Choice with the most votes.

You can enter next week's contest from 5 p.m. Friday to 9 a.m. Christmas Day. The theme is "Peace."

Marketplace Ribbon Cutting

Quadsville welcomes Nelson & Brenner Family Dentistry to the Marketplace this week. Stop by their profile and say hi.

Best thing to do would be to check road conditions before you head out for any holiday travel this weekend: Iowa or Illinois. Don't forget most of our cities are enforcing snow route parking until streets are cleared. Move those cars and let the plows through. You don't want to get a ticket.

You've got till 3 p.m. Friday to vote in the holiday sweater photo contest. Next week's theme is "Peace." That's a pretty abstract theme, so I'm hoping for some creative entries. Submission period starts at 5 p.m. Friday.

Have a good (snow) day!

We talked about too many things to list here, but the one thing sticking in my head this morning is Sikpuppy's advice on getting a stubborn layer of ice off your car windshield in the morning. Might come in handy in about 24 hours. He says to keep a spray bottle full of the wiper fluid that comes with the antifreeze in it. Then, about 10 minutes before you're ready to leave, go out and spray down your windshield. When you come back out, it will be easy to scrape that ice right off.

Cruiser also came through with a classic blog post on ice storm preparation that has some more good tips. As I was reading it last night, I realized my household should really have another decent flashlight and some batteries. But I did charge my cell phone fully last night, and that can guide my way in a pinch.

Hopefully the weather on the way won't be as bad as we're being told. But in any case, you can click here for all the closings and cancellations throughout the day and evening.

While you are indoors today, take a minute to vote on the top arts story of 2008. Entertainment Editor David Burke has narrowed the list down to 10. Vote for your favorite and we'll announce the winner and final list in the Dec. 28 Arts & Travel section (and online, of course).

Next Quadsville meet-up will be on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 5:30-7 p.m. at the Blue Cat Brew Pub in Rock Island. In the meantime, happy holidays! Stay warm and safe.

Join us tonight at Jersey Grille for our Quadsville monthly meet-up! I'll be there from 5:30-7 p.m. It's at 5255 Jersey Ridge Road, Davenport. Friends who have been there say it's owned by the same folks who own Rookie's and Pat McGuire's and the menu is a combination of the two. Looking forward to it!

How about Tom Vilsack being tapped for Secretary of Agriculture? The former Iowa governor either didn't think he was being considered or was just trying to throw reporters off the trail a few weeks ago when he said he would not get the job. The way it's shaping up, the Midwest, and particularly our bi-state area, will be pretty well represented in the Obama administration.

We are down to the last 24 hours for photo submission in this week's holiday sweater contest. Looks like some adorable children and pooches will be battling it out for votes starting at 9 a.m. Thursday. Check it out and submit your holiday sweater photo.

Trying to keep everybody in the loop on what roads are passable and what roads people should avoid. If you've been out recently, please comment below with the conditions you've observed. Don't forget to join this group first so you can post.

I am also collecting reports from Twitterland. If you are on twitter send an @reply to @quadsville to let me know what you're experiencing and I will pass it along. Also, even if you don't have a Twitter account, you can go to www.twitter.com/quadsville to read my updates.

Also, check our closings listing for schools, businesses and activities. You can report any cancellations for tonight there as well. And don't forget to sign up for school cancellation text messages in case we have a snow day tomorrow.

Drive safe, everyone!

Of course, banks want a year or so to implement the changes, but the Fed could give them a shorter deadline - 180 days or so. Do you think these reforms will help you out? Do they go far enough? What's the most ridiculous interest rate you're paying?

Fire and ice

Be careful out there, dear Quadsvillagers. The snow storm has descended upon us and many evening activities are cancelled. Check the list here. Once you are safely home and warm, make sure you keep an eye on candles, space heaters and Christmas lights. There have been two fire-related deaths in the last two days. At the very least, check your smoke detector batteries and make sure the alarm is working.

Meet-up Wednesday

As long as we're all dug out of the snow, we'll have our monthly Quadsville meet-up Wednesday, 5:30-7 p.m. at Jersey Grille in Davenport. Come out and say hi. I've heard from a handful of folks who plan to attend.

Does your sweater light up?

 Hot Rod

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is still clinging to office. Meanwhile, we've still got a Senate seat up for sale --er, grabs. Who do you want to see take Barack Obama’s place in the Senate? Should Illinois hold a special election or let Blagojevich or his successor appoint the replacement? And who do you want to see on the ballot for Illinois governor in 2010? My poor state needs some good options.

It could be a news event, like Blagojevich's arrest, the floods or the election. Or it could be something that happened in your own life.

I'd also like to know what five things you are most looking forward to in 2009, personally, professionally, politically, philosophically, you name it.

The Roman god Janus, for whom our month of January is named, had two faces: One to see the future and one to see the past. So I thought, as we approach year's end, rather than only looking back, we should also consider what is to come. And not New Year's resolution-style. How many of those actually come to pass, anyway? :-)

I will compile your lists and share some of them here and in the pages of the Quad-City Times after the New Year's confetti has been cleared.

But if that's all you do in the coming evenings, you are going to miss some very worthy art and entertainment in Quadsville.

For starters, "Angels in America, Part II: Perestroika" is playing at The Green Room Theatre in Rock Island through Sunday. Thursday night is "pay what you can" night. Otherwise, tickets are bargain priced at $15 for what Times Entertainment Editor David Burke calls a "monumental" performance.

On Friday night, comic Brian Regan is coming to the Capitol Theatre in Davenport. You may have caught his hour-long stand-up special on Comedy Central, “The Epitome of Hyperbole." Now is your chance to see him live. Tickets are $35.

The bargain of the weekend is Swedish band Love is All, playing Saturday evening at RIBCO for a mere $5. Crystal Stilts opens the 5 p.m. show. Love is All is in town to record a session with Daytrotter.com, so look for those downloadable tracks a few weeks from now.

There are easily 100 other things happening this weekend that I don't have the finger-stamina to type about. You can find them on the Go&Do calendar inside your Quad-City Times tomorrow, or just check the listings online here.

One last thing that you MUST DO NOW: Enter your Jingle Bells photos in our weekly photo contest. The prize is a swanky QCT mug to hold your tasty hot beverages on those cold winter days. And if you've got plenty, 'tis the season for regifting. Submissions are accepted until 9 a.m. Thursday. Then the voting begins!

Today's news merits a reviewing of this video of John C. Anderson of Silvis singing "Something's Stinkin' in the Land of Lincoln." It's a catchy tune, and even more fitting now that there is an official federal criminal complaint against Blagojevich.

Everybody now...

Well, chilly day. Snowy/sleety day. I hope that doesn't discount it from being a good day for you.

I wanted to point out a great post by Julie Abdel-Fattah in the Interfaith group explaining the Muslim festival of Eid ul-Adha which begins today. Very informative and it got me thinking again about the tradition of giving that comes with many holidays in winter. Take a look.

I also wanted to pass on this information from Holly Sparkman at Rock Island-Milan School District:

Jay won Kevin's Pick for his photo "Feast."

Teenager won the Quadsvillagers' Choice for "Turkey Crossing."

You can enter your photos for next week now! The theme is Jingle Bells, which you can interpret as loosely as you like. And start thinking about the week after that: Holiday Sweaters. Top prizes will go to the most atrocious, garish sweater in the bunch.

Have fun with this and spread the word!

1. I finished paying the last round of bills for 2008 last night. Car insurance, life insurance and some medical bills left me with less cash in reserve than I'd hoped and I haven't even started to think about...

2. Christmas shopping. Seriously. I'm baking some tasty treats and making the ancestral eggnog. That's enough to please everyone on my list, right?

3. Taxes. I have not been stellar at keeping all my financial records organized this year, so tax time (which is going to start any week now) comes with a lot of sorting and figuring and tracking things down. Every year, I have intentions of getting this done before April (and being more organized next year). Maybe this year?

I'll bet there are a few of you also thinking about money today. I find it easy to cut back on wants and even squeeze the budget on my needs. I also try to set aside some funds to donate to my favorite causes throughout the year. But I'm definitely not saving as much as I should.

My biggest challenge, however, is tracking my personal finances. I used to be obsessive about it. I compiled monthly, categorized reports just like I would for a business. I think I slacked off when I started using my debit card more than my checkbook, because it added an extra step: Recording my debit purchases in my check register. I mean, when you're writing a check, the pen's already out, so it's no big deal. But when I use the debit, which is much faster in the check-out lane, I just stuff the receipt in my wallet and tell myself I'll jot it down when I get home or over the weekend. (Right...)

Don't get me wrong. I know where most of my money is going and I'm living within my means. But I want to get back to being really on top of my finances and finding ways to get the most out of my paycheck.

One of my Tweeps (that's a person you follow on Twitter) recommended Mint.com. It's free, Web-based financial software that promises you won't have to do a lot of data input after the initial set-up. Looks promising.

I've used various accounting software, like Quicken, in work settings. But I don't really want to shell out the dough to buy a personal edition. The free money software on my computer is more of a hassle than a help. Of course, there are those self-created spreadsheets that I used to do in Excel or (gasp) by hand.

What works for you? How do you track all your dollars and cents? What tricks have you learned for saving more? How about keeping organized for tax time (without the benefit of an accountant)?

Here are some more people thinking about money today:

Ben Bernanke

Iowa state lawmakers

U.S. automakers

Bandag employees in Muscatine

Even better, you can get school closing alerts sent directly to your cell phone via text by signing up here. If class is canceled, you don't even have to get out of bed to turn on the computer or wait for the TV scroll. Just place your cell phone on the night stand and we'll let you know if school's on. This is also handy if school gets canceled during the day. No more having to track down the closing listing, it will come to you.

If you are staying indoors as the snow falls, take some time to enter a photo in our weekly photo contest. The theme this week is "Giving Thanks." Entries will be accepted until 9 a.m. Thursday and then the voting begins.

Stay safe and warm out there!

I remember when I was a kid looking forward to these annual specials, and not just around Christmas. There was "Mickey's Valentine" in February, with scenes from classic Disney cartoons set to contemporary songs like, "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart" by Elton John or "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" by Wham! The Garfield Halloween special where he and Odie dress up as pirates was one of my favorites, along with - of course - "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown."

But there are iconic moments of childhood associated with the annual showings of the claymation "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" or "Frosty the Snowman." It wasn't until college that I realized how bizarre this take on "Rudolph" is. And I still haven't figured out why Karen wears a skirt to build a snowman. My mother never let me out of the house without snowpants, coat, boots, hat, mittens and a scarf wrapped around half my face. I now associate snow forts with the smell of yarn.

My absolute favorite Christmas special was "A Muppet Family Christmas." This combines "The Muppet Show" and "Sesame Street" Muppets, along with the Fraggles. I still giggle when I think of the part when the Swedish Chef spies Big Bird as he's making Christmas dinner preparations ("Oje! Da beeg gobbler gobbler!" *spatulas fly up in air*).

Even though we don't watch much television at my house, I probably will be flipping on the tube to catch a few of these. There's something about watching them as they air on television in a dark living room lit only by the Christmas tree or candles that just doesn't compare to popping them in any old time on a DVD.  

Do you have any holiday TV-viewing rituals? A movie you always watch as a family? A favorite holiday special from your childhood? Reminisce below. And don't forget: "Watch out for the icy patch!"