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Other Interests

A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist.   -Louis Nizer

Visual and Utility art:

Back in the day, I was an art minor.  I love art for art's sake, but am also a big fan of utility art, particularly when it means creating something out of someone else's trash (i.e. chairs found by the dumpster), because. . .RECYCLE!!  :)

**Nerd Alert: I've collected stamps since 5th grade.  Some of these photos are gifts made for friends/family using stamps (and sometimes trinkets) that represent aspects about them personally (i.e. $.05 Shakespeare for theatre friends, States/countries they've lived in, etc).

Animal love:

You may regret asking me about pets.  Former pets include dogs, cats, anoles, a veiled chameleon, a White's Australian Tree Frog, a guinea pig, and a beta fish. . . not all of those were by choice.  My beloved Phebe pictured below, died at the end of July.  She was 18.5 years old.  It was her and I for those first 16 years and as much as she loved me, it took her some time to warm up to anyone else (if she allowed it at all).  She had me under her cat-thumb and I miss her.

My cat, Phebe sitting on a table next to an image of FDR on the TV

Phebe's fav pic with FDR.

An photo from Instagram taken of me as a Volunteer at a Dog Shelter holding a wiggly dog.

A friend sent me this screenshot (in scrubs) after seeing it pop up on the PAWS Instagram site.  I am a weekly Level 3 volunteer at PAWS Medical Center and usually work with Dogs. This is me volunteering in "TLC", which means hanging out with sick dogs & cats stuck in isolation.  That little wiggle-worm is a dog, if you can't tell.  One of my favorite aspects of volunteering with PAWS (besides lots of dog time) is the variety of opportunities like Intake-rescue missions (driving to other states to pick up dogs & cats who would otherwise be euthanized or living in poor conditions), working with lower-income communities in Chicago, and Dog Training classes, which I do about twice a month.  This year, PAWS gifted me with a Volunteer of the Year award for 2022, which was both a surprise and true honor to receive.  

Other hobbies and interests:
ASL; I stopped acting for about 5 years in my 30's and thought about becoming an American Sign Language interpreter.  Along the way, I discovered I loved the culture and the language, but wasn't in love with interpreting as a profession.  I met some wonderful people and try to practice and attend various Deaf events when possible.

 

Attending live theatre and music, watching films, reading, travelling, biking, exercise, kayaking, hiking-- anything outdoors.

Needless Knowledge:
I can roll my tongue upside-down. 

I love whistling and have attempted concertos with said whistle. 

Hopefully, a hoarding intervention isn't needed. . .yet, but I collect random things like pennies, did someone mention stamps (?), postcards, and quotes like this one:

Anyone can be passionate, but it takes real lovers to be silly. -Rose Franken, author and playwright (28 Dec 1895-1988)

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