Abby at i pick up pennies tagged me with this. Since I don’t usually talk about myself, this should be interesting.

1. I am an only child.
While that may mean I was spoiled with my family’s attention, it did not mean I was a “spoiled child.” I was expected to go to dinners and different events with my family, and I was expected to be gracious, respectful, and appropriate. I was more like a carry-on pocket child. My parents taught me good lessons from an early age, that I hope to pass on to a child of my own someday. (FrugalPup doesn’t listen too well.)

2. I’m slightly decrepit.
One of the reasons I adore ipickuppennies and have so much respect for Abby is I understand what it’s like to be falling apart at the seams. In fact, my driver’s license came with a complimentary handicapped parking placard. When I was younger I blew out both my knees attempting to run track. The technical term is patellofemoral disclocation, i.e., my kneecaps dislocate from my knees and it hurts crazy bad as I watch my knees swell up like grapefruits. So maybe a bit more than slightly.

Along with a couple hereditary conditions (thank you genetic lottery), sometimes life keeps me off my toes, but thankfully I inherited a healthy dose of stubbornness as well.

3. I was a “race track brat.”
My dad raced a vintage MGB at Sears Point Raceway (now Infineon) and Laguna Seca in the SCCA San Francisco region. Like any British car it spent more time going around the track on a tow truck then it did under its own power, but we all had more fun than should be allowed. My folks worked on the Course Marshall crew, banding tires and laying down kitty litter for oil spots when there was an accident. I was one of the youngest kids ever (many moons ago) to work on the Timing & Scoring crew. I even had the opportunity to volunteer at the Monterey Historics. I’d do it all again in a heartbeat. Talk about a frugal lesson from my parents. Can’t afford to go to the auto races? Volunteer. Only the enthusiastic, and those not easily offended, need apply.

4. I always wanted to be a writer.
When I was little a family friend gave me a pocket journal and I used to write poetry in it. In my cynical teen years when I started to give up on my dreams of being a writer, I pulled out the pages and shredded them. I never completely gave up, though. In college, I stumbled into the journalism lab and fell into a heavenly diversion of writing every day for a weekly newspaper. I wrote, took photos, laid out pages, designed graphics, and anything else I could learn to do. After several awards for writing and layout design, my tenure had run its course. It wasn’t until I found this blog that I really started to write again. I hope it will continue.

5. I prefer to be behind the camera instead of in front of it.
Maybe it’s from being an only child, and therefore the only subject of my mother’s lens, but I love photography and I hate having my picture taken. I have an older model Ricoh SLR (not digital) that I’ll be dusting off and using once we’re up in Oregon. I might even take up some freelance projects. It never hurts to work at something you enjoy.

6. My father passed away ten years ago this year.
My father passed away from lung cancer ten years ago this November. It’s very hard for me and there are times where I still want to call him or tell him things. I look like him now, so I see him everyday in the mirror. He passed away many years before I met my husband, but I “introduced” them by pulling out some videos so my husband could see the sort of man my dad was. He was a truly great man.

7. I’ve done a lot of different things.
I have had many different types of jobs in my life. I worked as a Park & Recreation assistant for summer programs, an administrative assistant for an architectural company, a temp for a payroll company and a dental insurance firm, a project engineer for a commercial construction company, a manager for an animal boarding, grooming, and daycare facility, and as a massage therapist. I’ve learned incredible things from every job, and from every co-worker, and am a more well-rounded person for all of it.

So now that the painful part is over, who should I tag?

I’m going to have to reserve the right to tag seven bloggers later, as it appears all of the people I follow have done this. This is like being the kid at the prom who doesn’t know who to ask. Oh well, I’ll fix this soon and update.

And thank you, Abby. This was a good experience.

Andi B.

Andi B.