Squirrel is my name, multi-tasking is my game.

At first I resented the nickname my husband had bestowed on me.  I wanted something sweet and cute.  Instead, I received a name that invoked images of people sitting around a table eating "Smokey Mountain Fried Squirrel" or, even worse, an image of a fuzzy rat with a fluffy tail.  Now don't get me wrong.  I think squirrels can be cute, but they act like they are on crack sometimes.  They run around constantly, scampering to and fro, up and down trees, in and out of the path of cars.  They look as if they are out of control and crazy.

Then it dawned on me.  I do act like a squirrel.  It begins when I arrive home from work.  That mad dash all around the house as if winter was here and I still had nuts to gather. Within a few minutes of my arrival, dinner is on the stove, homework is being done and a load of clothes is washing.  Dinner continues to cook, the dishwasher is unloaded and reloaded while hints and helps to homework float through the air like the sounds of squirrel's chattering.  I realized that the nickname Squirrel is a compliment and an acknowledgment of my role as caretaker in our home.

As this realization was scampering through my brain, it began to dig up an acorn of a thought that had been buried deep in the yard of my brain.  Didn't I hear somewhere that multitasking makes you stupid?  Yes, a quick look at Google confirmed it.  Sue Shellenbarger reported in the Wall Street Journal (2/27/2003), scientific studies have shown multitasking can make you less efficient and forgetful, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1046286576946413103.html.

Well, there you have it.  Squirrel is my name; multitasking is my game.  Now where did I hide those chocolate covered peanuts?

No squirrels were harmed (or eaten) in the making of this blog.

By the way, for those of you who enjoy a tasty squirrel on occasion you can find the recipe to "Smokey Mountain Fried Squirrel" on Astray.com. http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Smokey%20mountain%20fried%20squirrel