10 Things I'm Really Good At

1. Baking - Mom didn't have time to teach me to cook meals, but she was a great baker and did teach me the hows and whys and wherefores to baking. Of course, this made high school home economics class really boring. Who wants to make muffins when you spent the weekend making bread?

2. Reviewing resumes - I despise interviewing, but I am really good at weeding out the resumes of those who just won't fit the need. One of my former leads now has to do this for himself and he finally appreciates this talent.

3. Listening - I try not to give advice, but I am the one that people come to when they need to unload their worries. One of these days I need to put up a "The Doctor Is In" sign like Lucy.

4. Knitting - Yes, I can brag about this one. When I figured out those knits and purls, it all just fell into place. I really enjoy sharing this talent with others.

5. Snuggling - Young Man and Mr. Engineer both enjoy snuggling. It is something of a family talent.

6. Sarcasm - Teresa isn't the only one with the biting wit. I am learning to use it appropriately, but it can be soooo hard. Young Man is now developing this talent. Something tells me that I will be in for some of my own medicine soon.

7. Sewing - Beyond the basic skills involved in turning a pattern into a completed garment, my mother also shared the gift of how to create a design with minimal patterning and still end up with the desired end result. Thanks to her, I know how to start with just about any pattern to get the basic sizing and create my own fantasies in fabric.

8. Cooking - I don't always like to do it and am very glad that Mr. Engineer does, but I can put together some mean dishes in the kitchen. My sister and Mr. Engineer get the credit for teaching me to cook. Like any good chemist, I enjoy mixing and measuring (and sometimes just dumping) to get to a result. Okay, so I am a lousy chemist, but I'm a great cook.

9. Ignoring dust bunnies - My home is a dust bunny sanctuary. There are only so many hours in the day and I know that I will never look back on my life and wish that I had done more cleaning.

10. Finding answers - I am certainly not the smartest person at work (I work with some freaking geniuses), but I am often the one who comes up with results. I may not know something when asked, but I can find the answers or find the person who does know. A former coworker called me The Oracle. That's pushing it, but she had a point. Mr. Engineer has this talent as well. He used be known as The Answer Man. Finding answers is how I now know that lacrosse sticks are specifically mentioned on the TSA's list of sporting items that can be in checked baggage, but are not allowed as carry-on items. This is not surprising. I've seen the damage that a lacrosse stick can do to shins. Getting Young Man's long pole to New York this summer will be an adventure!