I've been tagged

I've been tagged by the Chicken Lady at The Chicken Coup. I'm to tell you seven random things about me that you don't already know. That may be a bit of a challenge, as this will be my 346th post. That's a lot of chattering, so I'm not at all sure I can come up with seven things that I've never mentioned before.

1. I didn't figure out what I wanted to do when I grew up until I was 47 years old! I've tried lots of different things and had lots of different careers. Whenever I got a new job or tried something new I always loved it, and said I'd finally found what I wanted to do. Then after awhile I'd get bored and start looking for "greener pastures". I was sure something must be wrong with me. The longest I'd worked at a job was 3 years, and the last 2 1/2 years I knew it wasn't the right thing for me. I taught school - for three different periods in my life. I taught piano. I taught sewing. I worked retail. I even worked as first a secretary and then a data analyst for a plastics company! I ran my own crafts business. I did child care. It wasn't until 1994 when I started working for the credit union that I figured out what I wanted to do until I retired. It's still a challenge and I don't get bored - even after 13 years - but nevertheless I'm more than ready to retire.

2. I think I'm an introvert who was supposed to be an extrovert. I remember as a small child loving everyone and having lots of playmates and friends. I had a grand time in kindergarten. Then in the second month of my first grade year I became very ill and wasn't allowed to go back to school until the next fall. I had my sister for a playmate but no one else. I hated staying home and missed school dreadfully, but my parents followed the doctor's advice to the letter. I forgot how to socialize, I forgot how to make friends, and I learned to be very happy entertaining myself. When I finally went back to school I didn't know how to join in the play with other children, and felt very left out. It took different stints of working with a psychologist as an adult to come to terms with who I am. I'm very happy with my life, and love being home by myself reading or quilting, but sometimes I still look longingly at extroverted women and feel like I really should be like them.

3. I love to bake. I've taken prizes for both my cakes and my pies. My speciality is home made cinnamon rolls. Since I started working full time I rarely have time to bake, and I miss it.

4. I can figure out the square root of any number with just a pencil and paper - a useless skill that I'm sure hasn't been taught in schools for a LONG time.

5. I can't stand having nothing to do with my hands. If I must sit quietly for any length of time I start picking at and chewing on my fingers. Not my nails - my fingers! Hang nails, dry skin, you name it. Consequently I try to always have something in my hands. At work it's a pen and paper, elsewhere it's needlework if I'm not reading. If I'm forced to sit for an hour or two with nothing in my hands I end up with at least three or four fingers bleeding - ugh! A terrible habit!

6. I've never been tempted to try a cigarette - not ever - not even once. My dad smoked off and on, and I hated the way it smelled. And I never had friends who smoked until I was in my 30's.

7. I didn't drink - had no desire to - in college. I spent my 21st birthday at an ice cream parlor where I got a free birthday sundae - not at a bar. I hated the taste of alcohol until gradually I found a few things I liked in my 30's. My sister introduced us to wine in our late 30's, and for the past few years we've enjoyed wine with our dinner a couple times a week. Now we find ourselves having Long Island ice teas with our dinner at the bar at Applebee's at least once a week. We're friends with the bartender and several of the other "regulars" in that we enjoy chatting with them around the bar. Ten years ago if you'd told us we'd do that we wouldn't have believed you.

Not all that interesting now that I read these things, but at least they are things you didn't know. I'm so far behind on reading blogs that I've no idea who has already done this, so consider yourself tagged if you'd like.