PractiGal

TAG - I'm It!

I've been tagged by Anita at Fighting Inertia to do this meme that's going around. In the name of blogging fun, I shall comply!  Wonder what would happen if I didn't? Would the boss of all blogs blow a big horn in my face?

Watch out, you may be next!

The idea is to pick 5 of the following and then complete the sentences. Then pass this little meme on to 3 more of your blog friends!

But no tag backs!

If I could be a scientist…
If I could be a farmer…
If I could be a musician…
If I could be a doctor…
If I could be a painter…
If I could be a gardener…
If I could be a missionary…
If I could be a chef…
If I could be an architect…
If I could be a linguist…
If I could be a psychologist…
If I could be a librarian…
If I could be an athlete…
If I could be a lawyer…
If I could be an inn-keeper…
If I could be a professor…
If I could be a writer…
If I could be a llama-rider…
If I could be a bonnie pirate…
If I could be an astronaut…
If I could be a world famous blogger…
If I could be a justice on any one court in the world…
If I could be married to any current famous political figure…

And now for my 5 selections and riveting responses:

If I could be a musician, I'd be in heaven. I'd learn to play the guitar, piano, and fiddle. I'd sing like Alison Krauss too, and I'd be the first 39-year old American Idol.
If I could be a gardener, I'd have TONS of strawberry plants to satisfy my strawberry cravings.
If I could be an inn-keeper, I would hire a staff so that I'd have people to wait on me hand and foot in my lovely inn.
If I could be a chef, I'd have a 6-burner professional stove, and the best of every kind of cookware and gadgetry. I'd have my fresh supplies delivered daily. I'd have more work space than you can imagine, including a walk-in pantry and a very large butcher block island.
If I could be a librarian, I'd LOVE helping people with research, as I'm a sleuth at heart, but I'd probably be fired because sometimes I talk and laugh LOUDLY, and that would be very unlibrarianly of me.

Now I have to go tag some others. I'll go post my TAGS on their sites & come back with my list of taggees...

I'm back. I've tagged Tammy at A Mom and Her Blog, because she probably could use a little time out of that lovely Florida sunshine.

I've also tagged Elle at Ellemental, who can get a song stuck in your head in just a moment at her site! Plus, she's cool.

And Katie at Ramblings of a SAHM, because with 5 kids and adorable jean skirts to be made, she has SO much spare time on her hands.

Really, this isn't painful, and it's even kind of fun. Really!

Gotta Love Those Meetings

Every now and then, I attend large group meetings for work, which remind me that I work in Dilbert-land. If that comic strip hits home for you, you know what I mean. If not, here's a taste of a meeting in Dilbert-land. Here, you'll hear from the Big Cheese and the Thought Bubble inside my head.

I wanted to touch base with all of you to review our goals and make sure you're in the loop on the company's pulse.

Wow, pretty good turnout here.

As you can see, our strategic synergies with key customers are really coming to the forefront. We're providing the content and tools they and their constituents need to make this work.

Interesting use of that word. Hey, there's Anne over there. She had a second child recently. I wonder how she's doing with two. Boy, her hair looks nice. Nice highlighting job.

We're using our robust synergies to leverage core competencies

... maybe I'll get my hair highlighted again next time I go in. The grays are really showing now.

in such a way that we can provide strategic solutions for customers who are ramping up their projects,

Nice haircut on Bob. I wonder who cuts his hair? Hmm. No hair on Big Cheese; I wonder if he's completely bald or if he shaves what little he has. He looks good with no hair. I wonder how my husband would look if he shaved what he has.

and we believe this is a win-win for everyone.

I remember a hairdresser trying to talk him into that once.

We continue to grow the business, using our bandwidth to the fullest,

OK, I've got to duck out and get to my next meeting. I should have sat on an end. Damn. I hate having to climb over people, so conspicuously.

outsourcing where appropriate.

Any questions?

Actual audience member: "Will there be any changes to our vacation policy?"

In the meantime, I'll walk on tip toes

Before water aerobics class tonight, I sat on a bench beside the pool, along with a few other ladies. They were all ready to go -- suited up, noodles in hand, water shoes on feet...

"Do you ever worry about warts?" One of the women asks me. I'm sitting there with bare feet.

No, I guess not.

"My daughter has had a problem with warts, and she spends a lot of time here."

Oh, in the pool?

"No, here on deck. She's a lifeguard. You might want to try wearing something on your feet. She's been going to a podiatrist and having the warts surgically removed. Just when they think they've got them, they come back."

Ick!

I don't usually wear shoes in swimming pools, but now I have the desire to get myself some water shoes in a hurry. Or at least dig out a pair of flip flops to wear on deck next week!

Something Fishy

The milestones are just coming left and right around here these days; now it seems that we've entered the world of pet ownership. This afternoon, my husband took our son out to buy him a goldfish. Mind you, our son is only 1 year old, so I think it was really Daddy who wanted a fish.

Nonetheless, they returned from their outing triumphant -- and $20 lighter than when they left home. There's the 2.5 gallon tank (cute, actually), the colored stones, food, and the fish. There are 2 fish, and they cost 29 cents apiece. Now, I'm new to this whole concept of pet ownership, but this seems like quite a bit of overhead for 58 cents worth of goldfish. And these fish didn't come with any kind of warranty, so for all we know, they may be floating in the tank by tomorrow. The pet store lady told my husband that these are "feeder fish"... apparently they're usually purchased to feed other fish & animals. Hmm.

My hubby carefully prepared the tank for them. The water was filtered and brought to room temperature ever so carefully. He fed them, and eventually one fish noticed the food. Daddy is tending to his son's fish oh-so carefully.

We've decided not to name them just yet... we don't want to get all attached to them and then have them keel over tomorrow. Maybe if they're still living on Monday we'll name them.

Two names I like: Filet O'Fish  I'm guessing my choices may be vetoed.

In Honor Of Earth Day

I was out for an early morning walk with my son today. Word is that our spell of incredibly beautiful weather will be taking an intermission soon, so I'm taking advantage of each gorgeous day to walk and soak it in before the rain (& maybe snow!) soak us. This morning I found myself doing something very apropos for Earth Day; I honestly think this was a first for me!

As I wandered up, down, and around the streets of our neighborhood, I was scoping out the giant plastic toys in so many back yards. In particular, I was noticing the giant green turtle sandboxes and plastic houses that toddlers enjoy. No, I'm not planning a midnight heist, but I AM thinking about the garage sales that will be coming up soon. I'm wondering who will be surrendering their giant plastic things this year. I have a toddling 13-month old and a yard without any big plastic things in it. I saw the turtles at WalMart the other day - $28. For a plastic turtle. I don't think so! Today I realized that there are enough plastic turtles in this neighborhood to fill a large pond. I will be on a mission this summer, searching out good used plastic, turtles and otherwise, at low prices. I realized that today was kind of a scouting mission... looking at who has what, before the mad rush of actual sales! Yes, it eventually occurred to me that this is a very strange thing to do.

But then, it dawned on me that today is Earth Day. So really, I was celebrating the spirit of the day in the truest sense by thinking "reduce, reuse, recycle." Right?

And I'm admitting this lunacy to the blogosphere!

Zipped and Buttoned!

Have you ever pulled a pair of pants out of your closet only to try them on and think you'll never fit into them again?

I have.

Sigh.

But today, I tried on a pair of pants I last wore 2 years ago, and they actually fit!  And I can even breathe with them buttoned! I'm so excited. I last wore them before my pregnancy, and last summer after having my son, I thought I'd never be able to wear them again. Lo and behold, I'm down 8 pounds and am regaining a shape similar to my pre-pregancy one. Finally! So nice to get a little bit of encouragement from the clothes in my closet!! Granted, I have a way to go to reach my goal, but it's nice to taste this little nugget of success on the way!

Thank Your Fairy Blog Mother Day

A little late on this one, but hopefully better late than never! MommaK at Petroville declared yesterday (& today) "Thank Your Fairy Blog Mother Day." A Fairy Blog Mother is the person who inspired you to create a blog of your own.

So, thanks to Anita at Fighting Inertia for inspiring me to set up shop here in cyberspace! I had never been to a blog before visiting Anita's last fall. I've read hers from the start, kind of on a whim at first. I clicked a link to it from a group e-mail she had sent out, and I just got hooked. It was so fun to follow her daily tales! Even though she and I worked at the same company for years, we didn't actually "know" each other, but we got to know each other through her blog. I left a lot of comments there, and eventually she asked when I was going to get my own damn blog (no, not in those exact words; she was very polite!). So I finally dipped my toe into the blogging water. Anita sent her readers over my way early on - bless her!  Til then it was probably my hubby, Anita, and my college roomie reading this thing.

Anyway, thanks to Anita on this Thank Your Fairy Blog Mother Day. Anita, please accept this virtual spring floral arrangement as a small token of my gratitude!

Idol Final 7

I could post about what kept me awake in the middle of the night, and I may do that later. But for now, before I look at anything else online today, I'm posting my "Final 7" thoughts on Idol, along with my prediction for tonight's results show.

The theme: 70's dance music

Constantine picked a Bee Gees tune - Lights on Broadway. I thought his performance was OK but nothing special. I was so distracted by the fact that he was wearing eye makeup, and his hair looked dirty. Then I realized it was a very bad highlighting/streaking job. Why makeup? He looks great without it. For me, he lost his charm last night. I thought he looked like a vampire, and I don't remember the Bee Gees looking like vampires.

Carrie picked Donna Summer's MacArthur Park. I thought she knocked it out of the park... kicked butt, vocally. Simon was critical of her "styling": he thought she looked like Barbie meets the Stepford Wives. I don't get it; don't they have access to fashion consultants? Obviously people do their makeup and hair. She does look like a Barbie doll, but that's just her. I thought she totally nailed this song.

Scott sang Everlasting Love by ? Carlton. He did a nice job with it, too. I've been ready to say goodbye to him for a while, just because I don't see him winning in the end. I don't think tonight will be the night for that though, because he really sang this number well.

Anthony did Tavares' Don't Take Away The Music. Not a memorable performance for me. In fact, I can't even hum the song today, as I can with the others. Just kind of blah in my opinion. Something about Anthony is just too groovy. I don't see him as the Idol either.

Vonzell took on a very challenging number -- Chaka Khan's I'm Every Woman. That girl can sing! She really has Whitney Houston range, which is incredible. She doesn't always put the power behind her voice though, and last night I thought the backup singers overpowered her. Still, Vonzell kicks butt in my opinion.

Anwar did Earth Wind & Fire's September. Finally, someone did some EW&F! I think Anwar is cool, no matter what Caltechgirl at Not Exactly Rocket Science says. Incredible smile, and just a cool dude. I thought this was one of his better performances. It was good to see him do a "lively" tune this week.

Bo did Vehicle, by the Ides of March. Rock on, Bo! His family & friends wore "Go Bo" t-shirts. Bo totally kicked butt. No way he should be in the bottom 3 tonight. No way. If he is, you'll hear me yelling.

My prediction is that Anthony will go tonight. I just didn't think his performance was memorable. And he has to go at some point.

Can't wait to hear what y'all have to say!

PractiGal... OUT!!!

What ever happened to good ol' Spot?

Last evening I had the rare opportunity to go for a walk by myself. My son was in bed by 7; he had missed his afternoon nap, so he was more than ready for an early snooze. With my husband home, working around the yard, I took off by myself.

It was a gorgeous evening. I noticed things I don't usually notice when I'm pushing the stroller. Gorgeous spring flowers popping up everywhere, freshly raked lawns, deliciously crisp spring air. I was soaking it all in as I walked around the neighborhood, arms swinging freely, since it was just me, alone with my senses and thoughts.

It was just me 'til I heard:

GRIZZLY!!! GET OVER HERE! NOW! GRIZZLY!

I turned my head and saw a very large black dog charging at me. OK, bulls charge -- I suppose he was just bounding toward me. Not being an animal person, I instinctively moved faster, and veered off the sidewalk, toward the street.

The dog turned around and headed back toward his owner just as he came within paw-reach of me. My heart was racing. Yes, I am a wimp.

The owner shouted to me: "Are you OK??"

I said I was fine; hopefully no one saw my knees knocking together. He went on to say that the dog wouldn't bite, to which I responded,

"You never know with a name like Grizzly!"

Nothing like a good adrenalin rush to add to that spring fever high!

Observation

When I stopped to fill my car's gas tank this morning, I noticed this sign on the pump:

No 50 or 100 dollar bills will be accepted

Um, they might want to update that policy. It's so 1990s!