Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Expanding the Tag List

I guess I kind of "cheesed out" on my inaugural posting, tagging mostly people who had already been tagged. The problem seemed to be that most of the people I know DON'T blog (yet). Brian and I had a little fellowship last week, and talked about how I'd "borrowed" his list, and there had to be a different way to think about that.

So I started thinking about people I'd tag IF they had a blog. Maybe this will encourage them to start one, because evidently I think they're interesting enough to do that!!
  • Elaine can tell us what life's like now that she & Toto are in Kansas.
  • Jonathan always has an interesting perspective that I'd like to hear more about.
  • Jeanne maintains an amazing balance between her work and family life, with 2 active little boys growing by leaps & bounds, and a deep-seated interest in web accessibility.
  • Joy and I have so much in common, and I think she should start sharing her viewpoints and life with others!
  • Micki - for those of you who know her, I don't need to say anything else!!

So there you have it. If you're here because you're listed above, read more about being tagged on Anne Adrian's or John Dorner's blogs. Then start writing, and I'll update this post with your blog addresses!!

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Tag - I'm "it"

Anne Adrian "tagged" me and served as the impetus for actually STARTING this blog. I set it up some time ago with good intentions and all, but then had a couple of roadblocks--first, I decided I really didn't have that much interesting to say, and then, I got busier with my "work" blog, The Virtual Enrollment Party.

But excuses are like noses, as they say, and so with Anne's nudge in my pocket, here I am. If you want to read more about tagging, John Dorner has a good post from when he was tagged. I hope this post will be an introduction to who I am, and let you decide if you really want to "read all about it"!!

Anne's comment to me when tagging me was "I know you're not shy, tell us more!" That started me thinking that there's often an immense gulf between who WE think we are, and who OTHERS think we are... sort of like there's no truth, only perception. Anne, my co-workers, my kids, my friends - probably have very different definitions of "me". Maybe I even have different definitions of myself, based on the day, the weather, and speeding tickets!

Maybe there will be more about that in a later post, but for now, here's the tag list: (notice how many conditionals you're seeing in this blog... it's a theme)

What was I doing ten years ago?
I had just barely started this job at Iowa State University, after having taught high school kids all about geometry, trig, stats & computers for 10 years at our local school. I was lucky enough to have taught my 3 older kids during that time. They will have a different adjective than "lucky" to describe having their mom for a teacher. I had absolutely no idea what was in store for me as my first state fair lurked around the corner. That was a good thing.

Five snacks I enjoy It's hard to narrow down those billions to the top five...
  • Chocolate. Any kind except the gritty grainy stuff.
  • Ice cream. Normally pink, but lately I've become addicted to Toffee Caramel Crunch.
  • Hint of Lime Tostitos
  • Cheese. Especially brie.
  • My friend Judy's black & white bars. Or her white chocolate chip cookies. Or her Special K bars. Okay, I just like eating at Judy's house.

Five things on my to-do list for today
  • Nag the remaining ONE county to get their livestock database in.
  • Kill dozens of trees printing mailing labels, entry cards, stalling lists, etc...
  • Create the state fair "species" databases.
  • Buy backing for Sophie's quilt.
  • Stop on my way home to confirm that Sophie's still as adorable as she was two days ago...

Five things I would do if I were a billionaire:
  • Make sure that my obit contains lots of references to how I expanded educational opportunities for young people, by funding the facilities, programs, and scholarships.
  • Take care of my family (including my new granddaughter)without depriving them of the pride that comes from supporting yourself and raising your family through your own hard work, hopefully in a career that you love. For 2 or 3 of them, that would involve buying more cattle.
  • Travel. Far and wide, early and often. Learn as many languages in my travels as I could.
  • Own lake homes. On lakes in both hemispheres, so that I always had a place to go where the weather is warm and the days are long. Maybe a mountain home up in Wyoming or Montana as well.
  • Hire a gardener. And a cleaning lady. And a cook. And possibly a "personal assistant" to make phone calls, keep a schedule, write checks, and all the other stuff I don't like to do.

Five jobs I've had:
  • Gas station attendant (back in the good old days when somebody ELSE pumped your gas for you... for 25 cents a gallon, by the way!
  • Waitress. Coffee was also a quarter.
  • USDA County Office program assistant
  • High school math & computer teacher
  • Whatever it is that I am now -- Program Coordinator is kind of an "undefined" job title... but I still like to think I'm a teacher.

Five bad habits:
  • Speeding. Some folks fuss more about that than others.
  • Worrying. Usually unnecessarily and nearly always unproductively. And incessantly.
  • "Multi-tasking" while I'm on the phone with support calls, which leads the caller to believe that I'm at least mildly retarded.
  • Forgetting (once again) that not only am I not in control, but also that there truly is no such thing as "control".
  • Occasionally overlooking the TONS of "good stuff" for the MILLIGRAMS of "bad stuff".

Places I've lived:
  • Iowa
  • Long Beach, California (when I was little)
  • More Iowa
  • Really, pretty much only Iowa

Five random things:
  • Although I'm rusty, I can actually use an arc welder, thanks to a stepfather with a unique list of "things all girls need to know how to do". With a refresher course, I could probably also still swap out the transmission on a 64 Ford.
  • In one of my previous lives, I showed Quarter Horses (and maybe an App or 2, but don't tell).
  • I wish I had a "talent" - like singing, painting, glass-blowing, anything artistic or creative. I don't think "math" is a talent!
  • I'm not sorry we don't have pigs any more. I WOULD miss the cattle, though. And I still miss having a St. Bernard, especially Buddy.
  • The LAST county just came in, and I gotta go. There's trees to be killed.
  • (5.5) There will NEVER be another post as long as this one. I promise.

People I'd like to get to know better (you're tagged!--most of you for the second time, since Brian beat me to it, and he was going to be on the top of my list... no worm for me because I wasn't the early bird)