First, choose a name

I hesitate to create a blog, because something about it seems arrogant and self-indulgent in a navel-gazing kind of way. (Did you know navel oranges are also nav-E-l? So you could navel-gaze at an orange. But if you naval-gaze you must be staring at something of or relating to the navy. I love Webster's) But here is the thing: I always pledge to pratice writing more, and then I just don't. So maybe a blog will force me to practice more. If someone reads it, that's nice, and if they don't then what does it matter? It is just practice.

Also, Blogspot won't let me leave comments unless I create an account, so I may as well go all the way and create a blog.

But then I started trying to find a cute pithy name that summed up my life.

I tried "Corporate Dropout" because I am one. But apparently that is in use by some guy in New Jersey who is about 28, so he couldn't have been corporate for very long before dropping out. Actually, he seems to be in grad school.

I tried "Recovering Perfectionist" because I am that too. Although my darling husband might argue that I'm nowhere near recovery. But even though I couldn't find that blog, Blogspot wouldn't let me have that name (presumably somebody used it but he or she hasn't found the perfect thing to say to launch a blog).

Naturally "Jenny's Blog" was already in use. In a fit of pique, I tried "Nameless Blog" and "I hate blogs." Somebody already took those too, and the one that took "I hate blogs" had been in a particularly bitter mood, with posts like "I know you won't read this." I moved on fast.

I looked at the Parachute blog, thinking about "What Color is Your Parachute." I thought about "MidlifeMom" but it just seemed somber and depressing, though I spend a lot of time dwelling on the fact that I'm older than a lot of moms. Then I started thinking about the phrases I say all day, like "Don't Put That In Your Mouth," which was available but I feared attracting an undesirable spam element due to the double entendre.

Which brought me to "Playdough Isn't Food." I tried "Playdoh Isn't Food" too, but Playdoh is a registered trademark and I didn't really want a note from the Playdoh lawyers. And I do sometimes make my own Playdough, which contains about a cup of salt and definitely isn't food. And it is something I say. A lot.