You have a point on practice -- my ability to come up with stuff on zero notice is mostly limited to the professional context (I'm the uncrowned queen of the three-line legal opinion-cum-media line in response to Crisis X), basically because I've been doing it for a long time. Been only writing fiction for two ... ;-)

That said, I might have turned to the "home town challenge" tonight if my house wasn't in the throes of a Lord of the Rings Marathon (four adults and seven teenagers!!). Giant worms sound real good, actually...