Advanced photo editing using the newest tools of Photoshop would be my course of choice.  The reason is that I have a love for photography, but don’t have the time to stay up-to-date on Photoshop features.

The event I would dominate in the Office Olympics would be Puzzling. My winning strategy is to start with the ends/edges and work inward.

I want to take Art of Invention 301: Applied Engineering, taught by Leonardo Da Vinci. He was so prolific in a variety of topics. It would be cool to see how he thought, and how to teach what he’s got locked away in his noggin.

I have a pair of green butterfly glasses we bought for a conference giveaway. Now and then, I will sneak them on when no one is looking and see how long it takes for someone to notice. It works great in Zoom meetings!

The Art of Time Travel: Historical Immersion in Virtual Reality

Traveling back in time without leaving the present —now that’s a course I’d love to enroll in! Imagining a blend of history, technology, and virtual reality to experience different eras firsthand would be an exhilarating educational adventure.

I would enroll in a course on financial literacy. This course would involve covering topics of credit card usage, understanding credit scores, loans, grants, and investments. In college, we were given thousands of dollars in student loans but never received proper guidance on how to manage loan money, or any money for that matter. A course on financial literacy would be extremely beneficial to help me learn how to become financially stable and manage money more smartly.

I could think of so many superpowers I would love to have on a daily basis. However, if I had to choose one superpower, I would love to have a photographic memory. Not only could this increase my general knowledge, but this could also be beneficial at work when reviewing contracts and documents. Having a photographic memory of previous documents can help in a team project when working on development for the new year.

My favorite Book Club pick is The Customer Service Revolution by Josh Dijulius III. We give this book to every new employee regardless of title or position and have used it as a book club with individual teams. It guides our expectations on how staff offer exceptional experiences for our customers.

If I could take any course, I would choose How to Grow Orchids. I love orchids and I work hard to keep them alive, but they always seem to die sooner than they should. I have yet to be successful in getting them to re-bloom!

I have a painted rock on my desk given to me by a dear high school friend who was going through breast cancer and has recovered. It represents the importance of friendships, strength and courage. Whenever I’m having a bad day, it gives me the kick I need to keep going.

I would love to take a course on non-verbal communication in TEAMS meetings (is this mind reading? Surely not).

My mainstay desk accessory is definitely a sweater or blanket. I am always finding ways to stay cozy during the work day!

Space-Time Mastery 101: Unraveling the Universe’s Secrets I’ve always been fascinated by the mysteries of the cosmos. Enrolling in a course that delves into space-time, black holes, and the fabric of the universe would be a dream come true. Understanding the fundamental principles of our existence and the wonders beyond our world would be an awe-inspiring journey.

Clairvoyance would be my superpower. We often must figure out mysteries and interpret our customers’ requests. It would be so helpful if we knew what others were thinking so we could get them on the right path instantly!

I would like to take a course on knitting. I am not crafty and am envious of people who are. I tried a pottery class, which was comical. I would like to learn how to do something creative like that . . . and

I have a little jar of Frazier fir pine needles on my desk. My grandfather kept them in little bowls around his house, so my grandparents’ home always had that pine-y smell. My cousin gave it to me to remind me of happy memories at their house.

Our unofficial office mascot? I mean, it’s Tiffany Teacher of course!

I’d love to take a course in plant science and botany. I have a lot of plants and strive to have a thriving green environment. In the future, I want to have a self-sufficient greenhouse and vegetable garden.

One quirky item that I have that brings me joy is a dumpling stress ball that I play with when I am stuck on a problem. I like fidget toys and food, so it was a great blend of the two.

How to build a time machine out of Tesla CyberTruck is the online course I would enroll in. I could go to the future and bring advanced technology back.

If the office had an unofficial mascot, it would be The Innovation Owl. It represents wisdom and adaptability, connecting with the team’s commitment to staying ahead in their industry. Owls are associated with intelligence, and this mascot could embody the team’s innovative and insightful approach to challenges.

I would take a course on how to do your own genealogical research. I have a personal interest in preceding generations – who they were and what they did.

One of my favorite things in my office space is a painting on my wall of a pelican that was painted by a friend. She knew I love (and collect) pelicans (being from Louisiana and living in Florida for ten years).

The History of American Cinema is a course I would like to take.  Why? I like going to the movies.

If the office hosted the “Work Olympics,” I would dominate the event of synchronized sitting. To use my decades of experience to sit my way to the gold!

I would take a gardening class. I love to cook and have depended on a local CSA basket of fresh fruits and veggies every week for many years. I also grow my herbs and have grown lettuces and cherry tomatoes in my AeroGardens since the pandemic. It’s important to me to eat fresh and local foods, to eat healthily, and to support farmers. I had the fortune to grow up around my grandfather and father who planted and tended to large gardens and witnessed my grandmother, mother, and stepmother cook with those fruits and vegetables. It taught me a real appreciation of how the Earth and nature provide for us, and that the saying “You are what you eat” is really true! I’d love to take a class to learn more about growing and cooking foods I had a hand cultivating!

If we had an office time capsule, I would place a copy of our company’s vision, mission, and values into the time capsule. It took great thought and consideration to document them on paper, but once we did, it was easy to recognize that our staff lives it every day. It is who we are as a company, and I’d want future staff and readers to know that we iCARE!

I always have a grinch or two in my workspace around the holiday season.

Not because I am grinchy (I love Christmas) but because a very dear friend who worked for CSI who has passed away gave me one every year at Christmas to remind me not to be grinchy when we were so busy during the holiday season. I have added a new Grinch to my collection every year since she passed away.

If I could take any course, it would be Football for Dummies!

I would dominate Wrestling if the office hosted the “Work Olympics,” . My winning strategy would be to use size and leverage against my opponent. My unofficial motto would be, “Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat!” 😊

If I could take any course, I’d enroll in a course called how to live a better life. My reason would be just to help me achieve more in life.

I would enroll in a ‘Masterclass in Time Management and Productivity’ because mastering these skills would empower me to achieve more in less time, allowing for a more balanced and fulfilling life.

I would take a foreign language course if I could take any course! Bonus points if it could be an immersion course! Another tool to help with communication.

For my desk decor, the items that bring me the most joy are probably my photos and magnets. I have sort of moved in and decorated. I have brought my family and friends with me! Each picture tells a story about where I have been in life and in my travels.

A baby chick should be our office mascot because it’s just cute and pleasant.

If I could have a superpower, it would be a higher IQ… that would include reading very quickly and having higher problem-solving skills.

Pizza making is the course I’d love to take, especially authentic Neapolitan or Sicilian-style pizza. I just love it so much and can eat Antico Pizza every day. It’s just too good! It’s the New Yorker in me. I was introduced to pizza wayy too young. Now I’ll forever be obsessed and picky about my pizza!

A sunflower is my favorite desk decor! Charlotte my director had a box of things in the office that she was giving away and in it was a sunflower clip-on mirror for your desk so I snagged it. I have a very bright and bubbly personality like a sunflower but also the sunflower petals fall from the mirror, so I guess that could represent that sometimes I can be unhinged but in a good way! I just love being goofy!

I would take a gardening class for the apathetic gardener who wants beautiful plants that thrive from being ignored and can repel chipmunks, squirrels, and deer if I could enroll in an online course on any topic, real or imaginary.

A girl can dream, right?

I would want to take a “cooking for terrible cooks” course if I could enroll in an online course on any topic, real or imaginary. I set off the fire alarm just from trying to boil water!

Our unofficial office mascot would have to be a butterfly, of course! I’m pretty certain all of us at CSI love butterflies as the beautiful and majestic creatures they are. But they also symbolize optimism and positive change – values that we emulate at CSI every day through the impact of our work on early childhood educators, children, and families.

Cooking and/or food science is a course topic that I would be interested in. It’s an area I’d like to improve on, and I would also enjoy the practical applications of what I learn!

If I could enroll in an online course, it would be how to become an entrepreneur. I feel like I do not have much time in a day to do much or do other things that I am passionate about. I feel like an entrepreneur has a different type of mindset. They are go-getters and juggle multiple things at a time. I admire that.

My superpower would be to slow down the time, especially when I am very busy at work, I look at the clock and it is already time to leave, and I say to myself where did the time go?  It’s already the end of the day. If I could slow down time, I would not feel rushed or that I have a deadline to get it done. I would have all the time in the world to do what I must do; I think my coworkers would appreciate that in their day too.

I would take a course on lucid dreaming. I would pick this topic because it would be interesting to be able to have direct control over my dreams to see where my mind will take things. Either that or a course on how to recall dreams after awakening. Sometimes a lot of interesting ideas come in dreams and you lose them right after you wake up.  Sure, logic would odds are show how weird those ideas were, but sometimes you can still take something from that.

If I could, I would take the superpower of being able to make clones of myself, but not only that, but I can absorb the clones back into me and retain the memories of what the clones experienced.  That way I can just send a clone off to a meeting while one of me is working on a different project or train myself on more than one subject at once then merge back together.

I’d love to take a course on identifying birds, mushrooms, or common plants. Every bit I learn about the natural world makes it that much more rewarding to get out there and look around.

I have a smooth worry stone on my desk that I hold while thinking through data requests (and sometimes during online meetings, too!). It catches the light beautifully and fits just right in my hand. It was a gift from a coworker a few years ago – I’ve carried it with me through multiple moves.

My online course choice would be something that involves learning to craft a well written best seller (fiction of course).

Desk Decor Dazzle: Describe one quirky item on your desk that reflects your personality or brings you joy. How did it become a part of your workspace?
That would be my little statuette of a “man” but. It’s a ladybug in male form. He’s wearing a bow tie.

Time Capsule: If you were to contribute one item to an office time capsule that represents the current work culture, what would it be, and what message would you attach to it for future generations of Care Solutions employees? I would put a laptop inside and include the message that “possibilities are unlimited” as long as you have a great working resource to fall back on.

Travel Ideas –  Off the Beaten Path is a course I would enjoy taking.  I love to find little-known great travel spots!

Our Unofficial Mascot should be a bulldog because Care Solutions is a team of winners just like UGA Bulldogs. 😊

If we had a book club, I would want to read One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard.   Great tips on managing hectic lives by increasing their productivity, job satisfaction, and personal prosperity.

If I could take any course, I’d choose Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. These technologies are driving innovation across industries, and mastering them would enable me to create intelligent systems, automate tasks, and contribute to shaping the future of technology.

If I could have any superpower, it would be telekinesis. The ability to move and manipulate objects with my mind opens up a world of possibilities, from solving everyday tasks effortlessly to influencing the environment around me. It’s a superpower that combines practicality with a touch of marvel.

I would enroll in a class on how to be Beyonce. Because …. Beyonce!

Hello Kitty should be our office mascot! She’s so cute and nice and bubbly. Like everyone who works here.

I would study another foreign language. Learning a new language opens ways to view our world from someone else’s perspective and always makes me feel as though the neurons in my brain are firing faster.

On my desk sits a much-loved (translation: much the worse for wear) toad carved of Cryptomeria wood that was a birthday gift from my third-grade crush. Boy and crush are long gone, but the toad, a traditional Japanese symbol of good luck, remains, wooden warts and all. What’s special is the way the natural wood grain forms the warts. My home office also boasts a real 6’ potted hibiscus tree.