What Do You Do?

[Wenmin]

I teach middle school mathematics and am a part owner of a company that produces crab/shrimp boil. Love to cook, garden, read and travel. Used to volunteer with my local Relay for Life (we raised money for cancer research) team. Did some volunteer work with Katrina victims at my local university's church that catered to people and their pets. Proud momma of 2 rescue cats. Love animals.

[adab8ca]

This is fun! I am an Operations Manager for a Biotech company. No human kids, 2 orange cats, married almost 20 years (how did THAT happen). We live in Southern Ontario, Canada...my biggest hobby is photography which has been on hold since I thought I was dying and am just struggling to get better, day by day...

[Jungle]

I am a Domestic Goddess, wife and mother to 3 girls. Before I was at home full time I was an elementary school teacher. I'm sure one day I'll return to teaching but until then I am loving being home with my girlies and helping my husband with all sorts of things for his business as a logging contractor.

[yorkieluv]

I am a mom to two beautiful daughters both adopted internationally. I live in the south and love animals (5 dogs). I am a CRNA-certified registered nurse anesthetist (anesthesia). I love to read, spend time with my childeren and husband, and go to the beach.

[GFinDC]

I fart, belch and scratch my rear at inappropriate moments. I am a male so what do you expect?

I also am a network project manager and work at home coordinating contractors doing network installations for the military. That's a bunch of fun so I do art on the side to keep from going wacko. I mostly make abstract encaustics right now. By my count that is 3 artists so far so the ESL teachers better watch out! By the way my 2nd wife was an ESL teacher so they are a force to be reckoned with.

I gotz one gray furry thing called Muffin the cat-head, or meow-head as the day may be. Muffin is now gluten-free also, but she doesn't like her gluten-free treats so far. I think she is in withdrawal.

[kareng]

That's a bunch of fun so I do art on the side to keep from going wacko. I mostly make abstract encaustics right now. By my count that is 3 artists so far so the ESL teachers better watch out!

I like to pretend I'm an artist when I do my little projects. Does that count as half a point?

[ravenwoodglass]

I like to pretend I'm an artist when I do my little projects. Does that count as half a point?

It counts as a full one. Your not pretending if your doing creative projects you are an artist. Art isn't found just in gallerys and musuems.

[GFinDC]

I think everyone is at least a closet artist. It seems to me that all kids like to draw when they are young. Even if it is stick figures they like to do it. Then at some point most of the kids get turned off on drawing for whatever reason. So they become repressed artists. So my figuring is that there are lots more artists in reality than ESL teachers if we count all the repressed artists out there. Course some of them let their creativity out in other ways besides drawing. Like music, acting, singing, engineering, medicine, homemaking, librarying, sports, bus driving, mathematicians, scientists, writing or something else. There's lots of ways to let creativity out in to the world really. And they are all important.

[Lisa]

I was a art major in college. But I liked any kind of art better than I liked to write term papers...so I borrowed one....OOOPS!!!

One offspring got the talent gene. She is mostly self taught and proficient in oils, pastels and photography. She prefers her own company, rather than that of others. Other offspring got the social gene. She was talented enough to schedule one sleep over for Saturday night, the moment the Friday night sleep over left, with no down time in between.

[Mango04]

now. By my count that is 3 artists so far so the ESL teachers better watch out! By the way my 2nd wife was an ESL teacher so they are a force to be reckoned with.

So my figuring is that there are lots more artists in reality than ESL teachers if we count all the repressed artists out there.

That would have been my original guess but who knows. Any other ESL teachers out there in the celiac world care to come forward?

[snifter]

Well before I had my baby I worked full time as a graphic designer. I had to quit because of all my medical problems I just couldn't handle it. ( damn celiac!!) Now I'm a stay at home mom to my wonderful baby, full time domestic goddess, and trying to launch my freelance carrer from home! Very difficult with severe fatigue and baby!! But that's ok I'm loving every minute being with her!!

[jess-gf]

Right now I work part-time doing audio edits and other related stuff for a webconferencing company that caters to big Pharma I used to work there full time, but there was another round of layoffs and they gutted my department. Shock of shocks they've been having trouble meeting client deadlines since then.. but I digress!

I like that I can work part-time from home now. Since being diagnosed I spend a lot of time cooking and planning and researching and it's definitely easier at meal time being at home with a kitchen. But I do feel a bit lost, like I'm not contributing enough to society (or making enough $$). I have been looking around for another job but haven't had much luck yet. It would be really cool to work for Celiac awareness somehow, but I haven't seen anything out there like that.

[aeraen]

What a better way to use the last of my 10 required posts than to introduce myself. Can't wait to get the secret handshake!

I am a bit awed by the talent, education and careers here. My job is simple, but gives me the best of all worlds. I'm a sales rep for an airline, and get to work at home (and not poke my nose out the door for days at a time during our bitterly cold winters) and travel when I want to (and I want to a lot!)

I'm owned by 2 cats, 2 children (girl in college, boy is a senior in HS) and one wonderful husband. I love beading jewelry, writing, geneology (researched husband's family back to the 13th century), and travel. I once combined my two hobbies by taking my family to England to see the ruins of his family's ancestral castle.

Sorry, not a ESL teacher, nor an artist. Even my jewelry making is more like paint by numbers than any real creativity.

[IrishHeart]

:lol: I am cracking up at gluten-free/DC guy..farting and belching...seriously, who in THIS CROWD DOESN't DO those!! LOL LOL

What I see here is a bunch of great people who have a lot in COMMON actually....!!

All creative and passionate pursuits....art--in its various forms, photography, cooking, reading, volunteering, raising children, teaching, our PETS, traveling.

This is a cool thread!!!

[IrishHeart]

aerean raises a good point...Do we have a secret handshake??

[etta694]

First of all, I WANT US TO HAVE A SECRET HANDSHAKE!!!

(and the cone of silence too.. )

I loved reading through this.. I hope it keeps going!

I am a home schooling mom with a teenage son. BUT.. before that.. I was (I'll start at the beginning -)

Photo plant color corrector (they use to have those)

Darkroom technician for a professional photographer

Framer and Poster Salesperson

Teacher Aide for Hearing Impaired

Teacher Aide for Mentally and Physically Challenged students

Notetaker for Hearing Impaired Adult Basic Education students

Technical Institute bookstore computer inventory clerk

Hairdresser

Wait.. am I looking a bit unfocused? I always loved something new, never was fired, always had a job lined up before I moved to something else.. I loved the adventure. Those were the days before I had my son and.... the evil gluten monster bit me.

We have (now) a chinchilla and a budgie. We used up 2 hamsters and 2 gerbils and a fish.

I am a farmer's daughter. I love the country.

My theory is that people who love pets are have gluten problems. The thing now is to find the correlation between certain animals and whether it is gluten intolerant or Celiac or Celiac with soy intolerance or dairy allergy or....

[etta694]

Oh, ya (brag, brag..) I also was a hot air balloon pilot. Just had to put that in there.

[wheeleezdryver]

Just now came across this thread!

(haven't read through the whole thread yet, but looks like I have things in common w/ a few of you)

as a teenager, I was a newspaper deliverer, and during school ran track/ cross country, and was in orchestra (played the viola). During the summers I got job working as a groundskeeper at either a local park or cemetary.

Spent five years in college trying to figure out 'what I wanted to do'--- I never did figure that out. I worked in the campus computer lab-- realized computers were not one of my talents!

When I had to leave school so we could move to Idaho, my DH & I had been married 1 1/2 years.

After moving to SE Idaho, I worked @ a thrift store as a cashier, & then as a clothing sorter. Given the right working conditions, I would do that again in a heartbeat. This job was a temp job, though- they are just a steeping stone for people who want/ need full time employment, and they often pay for training in whatever job the employee may want/ need (along w/ the training you get working for them!)-- With my husband having disabilities, they paid for my CNA training, in the hopes that that would allow me to be paid for taking care of my husband-- later we found out that most states don't allow spouses to be paid for caring for a chronically ill/disabled spouse. But I was able to use my CNA certification to work as a home health aide or at group homes for the developmentally disabled for about 5 years.

I had to quit a couple years ago, though. With caring for my husband and working, we weren't getting ahead, and my own health was beginning to suffer.

[Everything on 'my list' that you see in my signature, excluding my thyroid problems, has cropped up since I quit working]

So, now, I am an unpaid caregiver/ mini- chef/ taxi driver/ reader/ on-call gopher and sometimes nurse (and a few more things... I just can't think of them off the top of my head) for my husband , and I also drive 6 days a week for a friend who also is visually impaired (usually only an hour or two a day).

I am also involved with a few disability/ caregiver related support groups.

I also enjoy crocheting. I like to buy yarn from thrift stores (cheaper for me that way, plus it's a good way of supporting a variety of good charities, plus it's kinda fun figuring out what to do with all sort of colors of yarn). I usually make baby blankets to give away to friends, but sometimes I will make other things. Right now I'm working on a few things to donate to our NFB (National Federation of the Blind) State convention in a couple weeks to be given out as door prizes.

[Juliebove]

I don't do much any more. I used to work in retail. Became ill when my daughter was not quite a year old. End result, I'm now disabled. I do write some. Not as much as I did before I had my daughter. I used to write a lot. Mainly poetry.

[catsmeow]

I have to post simply because I'm the third ESL teacher here so far. Is there some sort of connection between gluten and ESL that I'm unaware of?

I think there may be a connection to cats as well. Have you noticed all the cat lovers on this forum? There are so may cat avatars!!

P.S. I'm an Air Force Veteran, and now a stay at home mom. Before being diagnosed, I was sick in bed all the time, thus making me a stay in bed mom! I'm glad that has changed.

[psawyer]

Cat lover? That would be me. Jacquie and I are owned in a time-share arrangement by five cats. Three of them live in our house, and tolerate our presence as long as we feed and otherwise spoil them.

There is a pet food and supply store in North Toronto where we are allowed to do business at the direction of the two cats who own that place. People who shop there think that we own the franchise, but we know the truth.

So, if you are still with it, we own and operate a franchised pet supply business. There is a link in my profile and the postal code there is M5M 1S6.

[mushroom]

Cats? CATS??? I haven't noticed any cats around here. Well unless you count the 16lb behemoth who rules this house. And who is having a fit of pique because we are now feeding the neighbours' cat, since they couldn't find her after the earthquake when they moved to Oz, and who has always inhabited our yard anyway. Cats?? Not that you would notice

[catsmeow]

I cannot stop laughing!!!! Even you guys who do not have cat avatars are cat lovers!

Yes, count me in. My cats rule the roost too. They are loyalty and know it!

My husband is in the background laughing and saying that Cat's cause celiacs and wheat allergies.....he's joking of course. I say wheat allergies and celiacs cause a deeper love for cats!!!

[catsmeow]

Cat lover? That would be me. Jacquie and I are owned in a time-share arrangement by five cats. Three of them live in our house, and tolerate our presence as long as we feed and otherwise spoil them.

There is a pet food and supply store in North Toronto where we are allowed to do business at the direction of the two cats who own that place. People who shop there think that we own the franchise, but we know the truth.

So, if you are still with it, we own and operate a franchised pet supply business. There is a link in my profile and the postal code there is M5M 1S6.

I checked out your link, awesome!!! Thanks for sharing.

[Roda]

We have a cat too. She first started coming around when my husband got a pellet gun and was shooting squirrels. She would go get them after he shot them and would eat them up... she was not getting fed, was hungry and so skinny. Sorry guys if there are squirrel lovers on here, but we do have a population problem with them. Anyway, she then befriended my oldest son and has never left. When we brought our adopted german shephard home she was none to happy. She stood her ground with a look, and hiss, that said "this is my house and I'm boss." The dog still gives her a wide birth. She has made up to him, as she will lay with him and groom him. She still occasionally will swat him and make him yelp just to let him know she is still in charge. Oh, now she his well fed and taken care of and has no intrest in squirrels anymore at least not to eat.