Hidden Talents of C&T Publishing's Staff
Posted by Deirdre Quirk on Sep 17th 2018
Today we're pulling back the curtain at C&T Publishing and letting you in on a secret. Well, a lot of secrets actually: our hidden talents! From unexpected crafty and culinary ventures and to unsuspected physical and mental abilities, there's quite the range. Read on, and get to know the people who create your favorite books and products a little better.
Liz: My husband and I create sculptures using reclaimed wood and rusty metal. I design and he assembles. It's so fun to mix and match from our collection of old "stuff" to make new creations.
Sue: I make a mean smoked tomato jam.
Roxane: Not really a secret, but I can row. I was on a university rowing team and still miss the fun!
Dawn: A few years ago, my third grader wanted to be in her school's talent show. As her "talent," she wanted to learn how to make balloon animals and tell (what I considered to be) cheesy jokes. She was the star of the show with her ability to make balloon giraffes, swords, helmets, a dog, and a large flower. As an extra bonus, I had to help "teach" her how to make them from YouTube videos. Now I too am a rock star when it comes to cheesy jokes (just ask my coworkers) and latex creations.
Kerry: I am amazing at the game cornhole!
Zinnia: My husband and I have been inventing creative word and drawing games for decades! I have no idea how many we've made over the years, but I can say that there are dozens that we regularly play with family and friends.
Todd: One unknown talent is my ability to predict presidential elections.
Linda: As a youngster, I was going to be an inventor. As I grew older, this penchant became an all-encompassing passion for fixing stuff. I am a sometime plumber, electrician, fence builder, car repair-woman, Mac-computer-and-connectivity troubleshooter, and general DIYer. That's not to say all repairs have gone swimmingly. I once blew up my 65 VW Bug after heading over the grapevine (a mountainous southern California highway pass) without oil in the engine. But I have learned from my mistakes!
Alice: When it comes to reading music, I'm a pretty decent sight-reader—that is, being able to sing the correct notes when I see a piece of music for the first time—and I can hold my own on a part, even if I'm the only one singing it. I've been in a lot of groups over the years, including an eight-member a cappella group that did eight-part harmony. Great fun! (We even recorded a CD!)
Tim: I just finished my fourth year coaching youth sports: softball and basketball. I'm not sure that it is a hidden talent, but it takes a lot of patience. Can one be talented at being patient? LOL.
Amy: For years, I cooked mac and cheese and hot dogs for my boys, and now they think that is all I know how to cook. So whenever they come home to visit, they do all the cooking . . . so my hidden talent is that I really know how to bake and cook quite well, but my kids think I can't, and I'm going to keep it that way, because I get to sit and visit with them, enjoying a glass of wine while they are in the kitchen doing all the cooking.
Lynn: Not exactly a hidden talent, but I usually know when a family member or friend is pregnant before they tell me. My ESP has not been wrong yet!
April: I can roll my tongue three times.
Deirdre: I have a pretty amazing memory, especially for numbers and words. And because I was a theater major in college, I can still recite a dozen or so monologues that I learned. "But I do think it is their husbands' fault if wives do fail . . ." (Othello, William Shakespeare).
Debbie: I knit on the back of our motorcycle. I usually knit in the car, so on a longer trip decided to give it a try without telling my husband. He couldn't figure out why cars were speeding by, then slowing down to pace us, pointing and staring and sometimes waving.
Gailen: I mix a mean cocktail. It's not that hidden . . . I mix drinks for other people as well as for myself. ;) We've been on a bourbon and rye kick recently. An elderflower old-fashioned (sometimes known as elderfashion) was on the menu last night.
Amber: I used to be a belly dancer, I am an expert at the zills (finger cymbals). I was taught by the same person who taught my mother how to belly dance when she was younger.
Jennifer: I make kinetic tree sculptures out of copper-covered welding wire, colored jewelry wire, and buttons. I use anything from baskets to rocks to driftwood for the tree bases. I don’t actually weld the welding wire for the sculptures; I just shape the wire with my hands and a pair of pliers until I get the shape I want. Then I use the jewelry wire to hold everything together and add the button leaves, which I chain together so that they sway back and forth when acted upon.
Jen: I can walk on stilts, and though I haven't tried it for years now, I could ride a unicycle. If only I could master juggling, I could join the circus!
Sarah: I love to bake and find it a great way to relieve stress. I have made some pretty awesome desserts . . . nothing too complex, but my husband and son do have favorites they request. Winter is my prime baking season.
