Something New About Me

~ patwdoyle11

A few bloggers have recently shared a “things you might not now about me” post (Suzanne’s Picture Retirement, Jo’s And Anyways). I found it interesting to learn more about them and then wondered, “Do my readers want to know me better?”  Do you care who this person is who comes onto your feed on some (hopefully) regular basis?  🙂

So, inspired by Suzanne and Jo, here are 25+ things you might not know about me:

  • I’m an introvert, a recovering pessimist, and an over-thinker.  You probably figured out the third one from my blog, but people are often surprised by the first 2.
  • I’ve visited all 50 states and 5 (of 7) continents. I have been to 24 of the US National Parks and flown around the world (twice). I have stood on the equator, on the Great Wall of China, and in Red Square. I’ve seen the Big Five in Africa, hiked in the Grand Canyon, and rode a camel in Dubai.
  • I’ve zip-lined, been up in a hot air balloon, and snorkeled (despite not knowing how to swim at the time).
  • When I was younger, I played the piano, sang soprano in choir, spoke Spanish, and skied (snow and water).  I no longer have any of those skills.
  • I love painted toenails, but hardly ever have painted fingernails. I don’t dye my hair, but have a secret desire to get a blue streak put in it. I have no tattoos.
  • Despite working in the world of Beauty Care Research & Development for over 25 years, I have no regular skin care routine and rarely wear makeup (even pre-pandemic).
  • I love live theater and arts & crafts shows. I’m a huge buyer of unique earrings.
  • My favorite evening is a substantive conversation over a charcuterie board & wine.
  • I like to learn about new things and synthesize them to figure out the “so what”.  And that has become a huge component of this blog.

Are these new things to you? What’s one interesting thing I might not know about you?

Picture: This is me – done professionally. Hence, no hat & sunglasses.

Published by patwdoyle11

Life is a series of transitions and my blog captures my retirement transition journey.

24 thoughts on “Something New About Me”

    1. Thank you for your kind comment. It’s from a professional photo shoot (needed for my book cover), so I had hair & make-up done. It was a lot of fun to do a professional shoot… and the first time I ever had false eyelashes put on – which apparently is needed for making one look fresh!

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  2. Hi Pat, I love that you have visited all fifty states and five continents! I have seven states left to go, and have been to three continents. I have hoping to knock off the rest of those states in the next year or two- as soon as things get opened up and we can resume traveling again. A nice charcuterie and wine evening sounds pretty good right now too!

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    1. Michele, Travel was something more important when i was younger. I’ve found the last few trips (pre pandemic) more and more stressful. Crowds, long lines, less customer service. I do think we will travel abroad again, but I’m going to be very choice-ful on how and where. I did enjoy doing all the states. We did a lot of National Park visits for those – off season, too. And we have a few places we’d like to return to even.

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  3. Yes, Pat, I do love getting to know more about the woman behind the blog! Thank you for sharing this. I am impressed…and slightly jealous…of all the traveling you have done. One thing you might not know about me is that despite NOT being an adventurer, I have ziplined, rappeled down a waterfall, rode in a bobsled, parasailed, and snorkeled. And one more thing…I have three tattoos.

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    1. Christie, You reminded me I have also rappelled… off a cliff. Not something I would repeat. I’d try a bobsled, but not parasailing…while I did learn to swim, I am not a strong swimmer. I would never have guessed three tattoos! I know it’s something all my nieces have… makes me put you in their age range now.

      A lot of the global travel was work related – I guess I should have mentioned that. The Great Wall of China was a fast half-day trip we took right before our plane left, after a week of meetings (including dinner “meetings”). It was 4 hours in a car for 30 minutes on the Wall and a race back to the airport to not miss the flight! But I could say I stood on the Great Wall of China. 🙂

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      1. The bobsled, rappelling, and parasailing were all things I’m glad I tried, but don’t feel the need to do again. I got my first tattoo when I was in my 40s, probably a little unusual. I don’t regret them. I probably won’t get any more…though I would never say never. Bragging rights to standing on the Wall of China are definitely worth a four hour drive!

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  4. No fair — your lovely hair is covering your ears, so we don’t get to see those earrings. 🙂 You have travelled! My only real claim to fame in that department is that I’ve done four cross-country trips in the U.S., which I hold second to the two visits I made to England. I’d like to visit Ireland someday, but my wife is really not a traveler. So I’m not sure that’ll ever happen. – Marty

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    1. Marty, I laughed at the earring comment… but they match the necklace in this case. 🙂 With my usual hair in a pony-tail, earrings are much more visible. I’ve never done a cross-country trip and really would like to do one – Rt 66 is one on my “possible trip” list! Most of the international travel was work related – but it’s not something I miss that much. As I got older, the jet lag got worse. And conference rooms look the same in every country…. sometimes the food is better, sometimes worse! Since hubby is also not big on air travel, future trips will be carefully chosen. Ireland and Italy are on my wish list there.

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  5. YOU…are not always wearing a hat!. I loved seeing the ‘professional shot’ you too. I see someone less ‘hidden’ that way. I love your updates and welcome the conversations they start.

    Always delighted to see your posts in Life This Week Link up. Thanks for joining in. Looking forward to next week, when we may, should we choose, Share Our Snaps (photos!). Denyse.

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    1. Denyse, I’ve enjoyed taping into the Life This Week to see who’s linked up (I miss MLSTL!). It’s actually a sad thing to say but most of our pictures of me are with a hat & sunglasses on….it’s my normal attire!

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  6. All 50 states. I’m impressed! I’m missing, oh, I dunno, probably about a dozen. Well, now, actually, you’ve made me look them up. I’m missing eight: HI, AK, AR, OK, MT, ND, SD, MN. I’ve only been to two continents.

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    1. Tom, The 50 states was interesting to accomplish. I had to be outside of the airport (no flight layovers counted), but did NOT have to do anything specific in a state (my rules). Growing up in the northeast gave me a leg up – you can drive through 5 states in a day easily! Another friend had the goal of all 50 states before she turned 40, so we did a loop of AR,OK and KN together one long weekend…. there’s not much there to see! I got hubby to do Nebraska & North Dakota – nothing much in either to see. Same trip took us through South Dakota which has some great things – Mt Rushmore is really worth a visit, Custer State Park, too. Hawaii and Alaska are both must do states – long flights but great things to see and do in both. I’ve never driven cross-country however… that’s still on my “possibilities list”. Going a northern route would hit a lot of your missing states!

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  7. OH PAT…I am so glad to see another photo of you. I think the only other one I have seen is the one in the header of your blog. You are lovely in both. But this second photo allows me to feel like i know you a little better. As did reading this post. How fun that you collect and enjoy unique earrings. That you snorkeled when you didn’t swim!! Wow!! And what a world traveler you are. I hope you will get that blue streak in your hair for the move to Florida. What a great way to start the new chapter!!

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    1. Leslie, I’m really contemplating the blue streak for a summer activity! We shall see. Most of the world travel was related to work as hubby does not like to travel. So I guess it should have been listed as a thing of the past – like singing and skiing! I knew it was time to show my face more on the blog – getting the professional shot was part of publishing my book; I thought it was a good one to share with this post. 🙂

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  8. Hi Pat, you haven’t lived long enough to have accomplished that much travel. Very impressive! Snorkeling without knowing how to swim, not so much. Why? Singing is a gift I’d love to have. I tried out for the church choir once when I was a teen – they very politely asked me not to return. There will be lots of options for live theater once the pandemic has passed. After all, you do live on the ‘Culture coast.’

    I’ve been ‘going gray’ since my twenties and therefore have been coloring for a very long time. If I let it go, I’d be 100% gray. Sometimes I am tempted. Not likely to get streaks of any color, but I like them on other people.

    Thanks for the mention and for sharing your list. It is always fun to learn more about the folks whose blogs I read regularly.

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    1. Suzanne, I am looking forward to live theater again this fall. I didn’t know the term “Culture Coast” but I like it! It’s kinda funny how many folks are commenting on the streak of color…I might have to do it merely to post the picture! [Oh, lots of the travel was work related… I worked on a global brand’s product development for years.]

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  9. I knew you have traveled but not as extensively as you actually have. Wow!!!!! I’m jealous!!!! I also didn’t know you loved painted toenails. And I don’t totally go with the “introvert” thing except that I consider my self an extroverted introvert. I’m actually shy. Bet you didn’t know that about me. I love people but am always concerned they won’t like me, always afraid I’m not good enough. And yet, I was drum major for our band in high school, sang lead in many bands (pretty well but obviously not well enough to become famous LOL) and ran and owned my own practice. And one of my mottos is “give me a little wire and a plier and I can fix anything”.
    I love this blog!

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    1. Candyse, And why have we never done karaoke?! I would not have thought you were shy…but similar to me, I’m sure you built skills to counter the introvert/shyness innate element. I knew you ran and owned your practice… but love the “fix anything” quote!

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  10. We have much in common, not least the recovering pessimist and, of course, the desire for that streak in the hair. I’ve been considering it for years but have never so much as mentioned it to my hairdresser.

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    1. So what’s gonna get us over the hump of doing a streak in the hair? I’ve even bought the semi-permanent dye… not going for a major commitment obviously! Maybe this summer it will be a “new thing” for me to do. New place, new me?

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  11. Hi Pat – I always love learning a little bit more about the people whose blogs I follow. I love painted toenails too (but never do my fingernails) and I currently have a purple streak or two in my hair (and a tattoo or two too!) Interesting to see what you used to do and no longer do – funny how we lose skills along the way, but good that we gain replacement skills to take their place.

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