Who is Jane?

Jane of All Trades is a name that I feminized from Jack of All Trades and it's one that I identify with strongly. I'm an avid learner and I get bored quite quickly, which means that before I have time to really master only one thing, I've moved on to other new lessons. Some people may look at this as a weakness but I prefer to consider myself as a Renaissance person. I do a lot of creative thinking, analytical thinking, crafting, outdoorsy activities, logic puzzles, and the contradictory list can go on and on. I'm really not satisfied with just one type of activity. Sometimes this allows me to view puzzles and problems from a unique perspective and come up with my own solution. Have you ever taken one of those right brain/left brain tests? You either get a positive number (higher than 1) which indicates you favor one side or you get a negative number (less than -1) which indicates the other side. I took this test in school and my result was 0. Of the middle range that you can get (-1, 0, 1), I still ended up in the middle. That sums my personality up fairly well.

I grew up in southwest Pennsylvania and I love the mountains. I couldn't live somewhere flat, it drives me nuts to see nothing. Being short (5 feet tall), I enjoy the heights of mountains. I finally feel like I get a good view! I have enjoyed art, writing, and languages most of my life and I hope to continue learning more on those fronts, particularly languages. I would love to be a published writer and spend much of my time learning new ways to express myself in unfamiliar languages. I'm not sure that I write often enough to get any better at it, however. I have studied Spanish and achieved fluency (although I haven't been able to practice in a number of years...) but I have also been lucky enough to take Russian, French, and Hebrew classes. I usually attempt to study new ones on my own, but being truthful with myself, I know I excel in a classroom setting. I've always loved school and I can't imagine never taking a class again. I just take breaks. :)

Traveling is another passion of mine. I didn't get to do much of it growing up and I want to spend the rest of my life making up for it. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being at home (have you seen my home restoration/renovation projects page?) but I also love the thrill of seeing new sites, experiencing new foods, and meeting new people. I wouldn't mind spending the summer and bits of fall and spring home in Pittsburgh and then traveling all winter.

Besides my hubby and family/friends, I care deeply for animals. Any animal, it doesn't matter. They deserve a lot more respect than they get. We try to foster cats when possible, but we have five boy cats of our own (again, look at my house. It's big enough). I never intended to have 5! But somehow we picked up an extra 2 on top of the three we had (that's what we get for getting attached to fosters). The stray cats around us know we are the house to visit for food, but it's likely that they'll get picked up and taken to the shelter if they get comfortable enough with us. I should just start my own TNR program. We usually keep a carrier and extra supplies in our car in case we need to stop for an injured animal (no, not just domestic types). We've stopped for a raccoon, opossum, birds, etc. Our household also includes 2 guinea pigs, 3 hermit crabs, 4 fish, and a frog. I'd enjoy having a bird but 1: I'd feel bad that it couldn't fly around and 2: because of the cats, it would have to be in a locked room (like the guinea pigs) where it wouldn't get to interact with us as much. Water turtles are also pretty cute but at the moment, I don't need another tank to clean.

This is the short version of an about me. Have questions? Just ask! :)