Seven Random Things...

Awhile back I was tagged by Patty from L&B Accessories. If you haven’t checked out her Etsy shop, you should. She makes gorgeous wallets, handbags and accessories, and I love her style. She’s been doing some new styles with black that I love. And I can attest to the quality of her work. I own one of her beautiful deluxe wallets, and every stitch is in place. Perfect.

Anyway, back to the tagging. I can’t pass this along, because I honestly don’t know seven people who blog, but I thought it might be fun to divulge seven random things about myself that you would never know…

Number 1: I speak Japanese. Yep, that’s right, Japanese. How did this come about? Back in high school I was planning on majoring in Spanish, when I heard of a course being offered through St. Paul’s School Advanced Studies Program in Concord, NH. It is an intensive six-week course offered to students from New Hampshire in the summer. I was accepted into the Japanese program on the wise advice of my Father who said (back in the 80's) that the demand for Japanese speakers would be greater than those who spoke Spanish. So, I took the course, headed to Georgetown University, majored in Japanese, and spent a year in Japan teaching English to junior high school students. Now THAT was an adventure. I am in need of some major brushing up on my skills though, so I need to go spend a month over there or more…wish I had the time.

Number 2: I love jazz music. Not the watered down stuff you hear on the radio, but hard driving, crazy loud, live jazz. After I got back from Japan I worked at Blues Alley in Washington, D.C. that saw the likes of McCoy Tyner, Joe Henderson, Al Dimeola, Pat Metheny, Branford Marsalis, Dizzy Gillespie, Stanley Turrentine, etc., etc., etc. come through and play. I worked in the office during the day, and hung out at the club for the first set, sometimes both sets in the evening. I must have 50 or more promo headshots of the artists autographed to me. Sweet.

Number 3: I adore sweet food. Seriously, if I could start at dessert and work my way back through dinner that would be fine by me. I have a serious ice cream habit, and my favorite of all time is Starbucks mud pie, a concoction of the most delicious coffee ice cream in the world with a healthy dose of oreo cookies mixed in. Absolutely divine.

Number 4: I am a flight attendant by day. I work for Northwest, soon to be Delta, and I have been at it since the early 90’s. My job keeps my wanderlust at bay, and allows me time to my independent self, which is just what I crave.

Number 5: I have project finish-itis. It may not seem it, but there is something about finishing a project that I find deeply satisfying and maddeningly difficult to do. I have about four dresses cut and ready to sew, but do you think I could grab those to work on instead of moving on to the next pattern? Oh no, not me. I wish I knew why I did this, but no one has ever provided me an answer. Must ponder…

Number 6: I love to travel. This may seem obvious given number 4, but many of my fellow flight attendants would rather just stay at home. Don’t get me wrong, I love coming home, but I love going away just as much. My ideal trip involves me telling my husband where I think we should go, and him doing all the planning. I take care of the flights; he takes care of the rest. I can’t stand doing all the nitty-gritty details planning. Odd really for someone like me who loves the details when it comes to my projects.

One of my favorite trips ever was to Iceland. We did this amazing trek from hut to hut through the interior, and every day held a new and fascinating landscape. It was like nothing else I have ever experienced, and far exceeded my expectations, which is saying a lot.

Number 7: I love gardening and flowers, and while I can’t keep a houseplant alive, save for the Phalenopsis orchid that is growing right next to my kitchen sink, I delight in growing woodland plants and native species outside my living room window. We have trillium, bunchberry, lady slippers, jack-in-the-pulpits, and princess pine growing behind our house, and although I can’t stand the biting insects in the spring, I thrill at seeing those wildflowers in their natural state. My daughter, who just turned 4, is learning all about her native New England wildflowers, and I couldn’t be prouder. My friends joke that she could survive in the woods for weeks if she had to. A gross exaggeration for sure, but she definitely knows where all the wild berry brambles are.

So that’s it, now you know me a little better. Feel free to leave your own list in the comments section; I’d love to know more about you.