The Comings and Goings of Lil G

Hello fellow Nesties (or Bumpies??)! (For the uninitiated, thenestbaby.com is a local parenting board I belong to.) I rarely write about me on this blog, so this is a bit of a break. I’ve primarily used this to reach out to our far flung family. Not to mention, this makes one heck of a virtual baby book! 

Okay, on to the list. Here are six things about me:

1. I am a serious addict of haute couture. We used to get a HD channel on our satellite that showed nothing but fashion shows. Chanel, Dior, Prada. I ate it up. I was watching so much that it got to the point where even my husband was turning into a critic. Ha ha. I admire the artistic beauty and handiwork in each and every piece – especially the more outlandish it is. My favorite designers are John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, and of course, the crazy kraut, Karl Lagerfeld! I am that person that looks at every single ad in Vogue. I don’t necessarily aspire to own the stuff, I just love to see it. 

2. I used to be an actress. I think I was on a stage every year between the ages of 8 and 23. I stopped abruptly when I graduated from college and I miss it terribly. I can honestly say I never experienced stage fright. The most people I ever performed in front of was about 1500. I convinced myself that I’d never make it as a professional actress because I couldn’t take the pressure of rejection. Maybe I’ll give it a shot again one day.

3. I also used to work in professional cycling. During my career I: worked for a US Tier III pro road team, worked for USA Cycling, managed a bike shop, put on my own bike races, directed press conferences for the Tour de Georgia, wrote a local cycling newsletter, and developed a proprietary registration/payout race software for race promoters. I’ve met Lance Armstrong and I’m sorry to say he’s not that nice of a guy. Mario Cippolini, however, is an absolute dream and a consummate professional. 

4. I’m a geek for knowing how things work. I also love repairing things. I’m sure I’m a nightmare to most repairmen that come into my house because I hover around and ask lots of questions. Recently, I’ve learned about balancing the incoming electrical load into my house, I’ve replaced the bake element in my 1961 GE wall oven, I saw the guts of and learned about the conduits on the back of a plasma tv, and I learned about how the emissions test works on my car. I can change a tire and I’ve installed my own ceiling fans. I really hope I can instill this curiosity in my daughter. The true indicator of my geekitude is the metal detector I received as a Valentine’s gift from my hubby. I adore it.

5. I like really really fast cars. Really fast. Like, Top Gear fast. I’ve had the chance to drive a BMW Z3, a six-speed brand-spanking new Camaro, and an Audi TT at ridiculously high speeds and THAT, my friends, is dangerously addictive. Alas, I shall never have that Maserati I covet. I’m pretty sure the next auto purchase in my future is a station wagon… 

6. I also have a really nutty passion for jewelry. I worked for a man who owned a pawn shop when I was in college. He incidentally owned the jewelry store next door. He had tons and tons of estate jewelry and you would not believe some of the pieces he had in his vault. Ladies, once you try on an 8-carat pear-shaped blue diamond flanked by flawless white diamond baguettes mounted in platinum…you never want to look back. I’ve even sent off to the GIA to see what it takes to become certified to grade stones. I’ve been fascinated by rocks and gems since I was a child. 

Okay, I don’t know if I can tag six people to do this too, but I’ll give a shout-out to Donna&Ed and Rara855. If y’all have already done this, just disregard.