When you're at the counter and you hear that beep...

Sometimes at the office we'll start discussing how awesome TV used be when we were kids. Lately we've focused a lot on Supermarket Sweep... because it was one of the best shows ever.

Proof:

Always go for the meats and cheeses first.

Anyway, my co-worker Brett recently took a trip to Las Vegas. Prior to his trip, we did some in-depth research on Supermarket Sweep host David Ruprecht and found out he is currently hosting The Price is Right live show at Bally's. In jest, we decided Brett needed to track him down and shake his hand.

Then this picture happened:

Brett actually randomly met David Ruprecht in a bar at Bally's.

How envious are you on a scale of 1-10? It's like a 9.2 isn't it?

A big change for our family

This is me and Jake's baby boy, Sarge.

Yup, that's drool.

He's approximately 80 lb of muscle and love. Jake inherited Sarge after his cousin (Sarge's original owner) passed away a few years ago, and when I moved in I became his mommy.

I happily admit that he would probably kill any stranger who comes into our house unassisted. He was trained to do that. It makes me feel safe. But he loves his parents, and we love him back.

Recently he hasn't been feeling well. A few weeks ago the vet diagnosed him with a UTI and tested his blood sugar for diabetes. It was 214. Normal for a dog is about 130, but diabetic is over 300. She had us wait a week, watch his symptoms and come back for another blood sugar test on Tuesday morning.

This time his blood sugar had jumped to 355 and he'd lost about 7 lb. in a little over a week. She officially diagnosed him with diabetes.

So Jake and I got a 90-minute rundown on how much our lives are going to change. We'll give Sarge insulin shots twice a day approximately 12 hours apart. This is done by pinching his neck skin and injecting a tiny needle at a 45-degree angle. He took our practice injections like a champ.

We also have to purchase insulin and syringes. One syringe lasts two injections. He gets nine units of insulin with each injection, and each vial has 100 units. He actually has a prescription under his name at Walgreens. Can't wait to hear the pharmacist say "prescription for Sarge ready at the desk."

His diet is changing, too. Low-carb, high-fiber chow from now on. We're going to donate our leftover sensitive skin chow to Animal Haven. We'll keep a supply of Karo syrup in case his blood sugar gets too low, in which case we have to rub it on his gums. Symptoms are lethargy, glassy eyes, decreased responsiveness and seizures.

The schedule is the trickiest part. Jake works nights. I work a regular shift. It's going to require a lot of communication and sacrifice from us both.

But, we're going to take on the challenge and the costs, because Sarge is one third of our family. Without him, we aren't whole.

Lawrence Journal-World Blog

My team member at the Lawrence Journal-World and I have launched a new blog on LJWorld.com. Ben and I will be posting about our projects at the World Company and within the community, localizing national trends and discussing social media and news coverage with the Journal-World. Check it out.

We'll also be posting pictures, video and slides from our presentations. Below is an embed of the slides we presented to the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce members on 11/10/09. This luncheon was geared at presenting the basics of social media and its uses for business. The day after that, we did a Twitter workshop for the Lawrence community at the Lawrence Arts Center. That was a lot of fun, because we had a pretty diverse crowd and introduced Twitter to some local businesses like the Strawberry Hill Christmas Tree Farm.

Look for more educational pieces n' stuff on both my blog and the Journal-World blog.

Shawnee Chamber of Commerce

View more presentations from Whitney Mathews.

SMCKC November Breakfast

Simon Kuo took some really nice photos from this month's Social Media Club of Kansas City breakfast. Thank you, Simon!

Also, Kurt Kloeblen from KCTV5 put together a nice segment on our recent executive board elections. Watch it.

Learn to Tweet!

Part of our social media efforts at the Lawrence Journal-World include educating the community on how to use (and the uses for) social media.

Wednesday (tomorrow) Ben, Kristen and I are hosting a FREE workshop at the Lawrence Arts Center on Twitter. Short notice, I know. But if you're curious about WTF this Twitter thing is, make sure to attend. Here's the basic info:

Join the World Company and members of the Lawrence Twitter community on Wednesday Nov. 11 at the Lawrence Arts Center for a free beginner’s class on the basics of Twitter. Learn what Twitter is and how to use it with hands-on assistance in setting up an account and making your first “tweets.” See how easy it is to make new friends and become a part of a vibrant and growing local Twitter community.

Register below for your choice of one of two sessions beginning at 8:00 a.m. and 10 a.m.

Each session includes a short presentation introducing you to the basics of Twitter and how people are connecting here in Lawrence, followed by small group break outs with an experienced Twitter guide who will help you to set up an account and get you started following people and finding the news and information that interests you.

Take advantage of this free opportunity to discover how Twitter can help you connect with your local community in a whole new way.

You can sign up on the LJWorld.com page.