My life so far has been pretty interesting. I grew up in the fifties and sixties before racial integration and woman's liberation. If I had been born a few years earlier, the expectation would have been to get married out of high school, have some kids, and be a stay at home mom. Thankfully, that wasn't the case by the time I became an adult.
I grew up in Iowa at a time when you left the house in the morning, maybe stopped by at lunch to grab a sandwich, then went back outside to play until dark. There was no stranger danger and the worst that happened was skinning a knee on the concrete while playing kickball in the street. I grew up with black and white television (and only 3 channels), AM radio, party lines, one car and bathroom per household, having to wear dresses to school, and having milk delivered to your door in glass bottles.
I've published a book, and had some newspaper articles printed. Granted, the book is a quiz book, which doesn't have the cachet of a novel. And the subject of the articles was UFO's so my dad didn't have to write them. But they are accomplishments I am pretty proud of.
I've been a carhop, folded clothes at K-Mart, did brazing at a General Electric assembly plant, and was one of the first three women hired to work as a nuclear equipment operator at the Cordova Nuclear Power Station. I spent several years co-driving a semi-truck, traveling to every one of the 48 contiguous states, while seeing very few of the notable landmarks.
I've clerked at a grain elevator in Illinois and at a small water company in Arizona. I did Customer Service at the City of Scottsdale Utility Billing department. I stumbled into my career in technology by first automating some of the processes at the City when they switched from dumb terminals to PCs. I started working in Quality Assurance for a software company and learned how to program. I've done software development for several different companies.
In 2016, I left a database/QA job I was getting frustrated with for a database/programmer position with a small consulting firm that searches for health insurance over-payments. Less than 20 employees. All very nice. All very smart. The owner is laid back and deadlines are reasonable. Even better, I work from home. The dogs love that.
In my non-work life, I read a lot. Recently, I was on a kick of reading themed mysteries where I learned about book selling, home remodeling, or anthropology while the mystery is solved.
Currently I've been binge-re-reading all of the Nero Wolfe mysteries. Despite some of them being written in the 40's and 50's, they are still entertaining and relevant. Although I can see spots where having a cell phone handy would have saved the characters some trouble. :-) Another author picked up the series when Rex Stout died so there are almost 60 in the series.
I watch television shows of the sci-fi and drama genres. Not a big fan of reality shows but I love the Great British Baking Show, partly because the competitors help each other. Subscribed to BritBox so I could watch British mysteries, like Midsomer Murders, Father Brown mysteries, and Death in Paradise. My choice in movies is the same, adventure over substance, comedy over tear-jerkers.
I love music, but find that except when I am working on glass, I generally do not turn on my music. I prefer to hear the birds chirping in the backyard, the wind chimes pinging, and the semi-silence. When I do listen to music, my first choice is generally country. I am a big fan of Brad Paisley, The Band Perry, Sean Mullins, Taylor Swift, but also Adele and Charlie Puth.
I am a smitten dog owner with 2 spoiled dogs. My Belgian mix, Angel, has really bad arthritis due to surgeries on both knees. She is on a bunch of pain medications and gets laser therapy treatments. She was having good success with acupuncture, but the acupuncture vet quit for medical reasons. I worry about her being in pain, but she seems happy. Although she has learned that if she whines enough I will give her extra treats.
The Great Dane, Bogie, is 8 now and slowing down a bit. But we still walk at least a mile in the mornings. And another mile if the afternoon weather is good and we have no appointments. He's starting to pick up Angel's trick of talking to get a treat. He also has a bit of arthritis now.
Between the two of them I dispense medication 5 times a day and treats many, many times. Good thing they are big dogs or they would get fat(ter). They are good company.
I am a backyard bird watcher. I used to put out blocks and feeders of bird seed, but the pigeons got out of hand. One afternoon I counted 40 sitting in the yard. So now I keep 3 hummingbird feeders filled for hummingbirds and flickers. Three shallow bird baths attract other birds to my suburban refuge. I do miss having the variety of birds that visited the feeders, but am happy with the visitors I do get.
I am a mostly inactive stained glass artist and prefer to create my own patterns. I love to take a realistic picture and try to reproduce it in glass or turn it into something more fantastical. The play of the light on the glass, the textures, and the huge variety of colors appeals to me. A glass project will look different depending on the kind and amount of light reflecting on or behind it.
My friend and I have been going to one of the paint and wine bars for almost 3 years. We've done 90 paintings during that time. I've learned that artistry is something you get if you practice. I'm very happy with most of my paintings. I've even done a couple paintings at home on my own. My biggest issue is deciding what to paint.
And given a choice between working on glass, painting, or housework, I almost always choose to read a book.
The past cannot be changed, unless and until time travel is invented. Likes, dislikes, jobs, and hobbies are subject to change at whim or circumstance.