I dabble. I have always dabbled. I have always been endlessly curious. When I meet someone new I often pepper them with questions about who they are and what they do until I am satisfied. People are so interesting! What people do is so interesting! Finding out where people’s passions lie is so interesting! Sometimes I feel like Kristen Wig’s “Penolope” character from Saturday Night Live. You know the one who’s always saying, “Oh, I’ve done that…” (Though she’s all about one-upmanship, which I hope no one would ever accuse me of). In my life I have: babysat, waited tables, worked in retail sales, lifeguarded, given swim lessons, tended bar, earned a BA in English Lit and a Minor in Fine Arts (with concentrations in ceramics and photography), worked as an office temp, managed the office of a small architectural firm, modeled on television (my first and only time), was a bouncer and sold tickets at a comedy club, been a student, studied in London, traveled solo through Spain and Portugal, earned a Secondary Ed teaching credential from SFSU, taught middle school, worked in an administrative role in a high school, been a teaching assistant, had three sons, gotten married and (soon to be) divorced, worked at an all boys summer camp in Wisconsin, lived in San Francisco & Philadelphia, traveled throughout Malaysia and in parts of eastern and southern Africa. I have completed a triathlon (a mini-sprint, but I can still say I’m a triathlete!), started my own business (at which I was terrible because I felt guilty charging people for things that I enjoyed making), gone to massage school in California, been certified as a “Child Meditation Facilitator“, taught myself to play guitar (at age 40), occasionally sing with a band (which I do solely because it terrifies me), learned how to surf (at 42), taught myself how to change the side mirror of my car and installed ceiling fans from watching you tube videos, have taken classes in needle felting and wet felting, enjoyed cooking classes with friends, almost completed my Masters in Education; made my own home pressed apple cider, soy milk, tofu, mozzarella cheese, and sour cherry jam from the tree in the front of our house. I have made my own dye using walnuts from my yard and made things using duct tape and recycled wool sweaters. I have raised chickens, (am still raising) three delightful sons, and fostered many kittens. I have an unusual interest in eco building practices and materials, have a burning desire to build a cob oven in my back yard (the fact that I have no room for this is inconsequential), and started a work group with friends that we named Talkoot (partly because of the meaning of the word, and partly because of my Finnish heritage). I avidly pin on Pintrest and love crafting and making of all kinds. I’m obsessed with the website Instructables and am in awe of others creativity. I’m curious about exploring maker spaces, but have no idea what I would make. I just bought my kids one of these and love watching them explore and make and be excited by those explorations. This will be next. I really enjoy cooking and trying new recipes, and for many years I have had a burning desire to become a glass blower, see the northern lights, and own a dutchtub.
What makes you tick?
the professional dabbler 