Well, I guess I have long been thick about math, beginning with algebra. Of course when I was to learn that, I was depressed, daydreaming my way through class, and not doing homework, so there may have been an opportunity I missed. As long as I can have a formula and some idea of what to plug in, I can follow the receipe enough to muddle through with a good answer to the problem. In our old SATs for college, I scored unusually high for me on the math because I am good at approximating and picking an answer from a multiple choices, but I would never be much of an engineer. Maybe my bridges would approximately stand up, for awhile. I am not bad at carpentry but don't enjoy it, and make use of all kinds of rigs to be sure the cuts are accurate. I always have a fear of a repair making things worse.

I tend not to be mechanically inclined, but if I have a blow-up visual diagram showing what the parts look like, then I can often do the replacement and reassembly job if it is simple. The last large job was reassembly of a 1938 Ford transmission after taking it apart and cleaning it of the gunk on it. Then I did the seat upholstry with pleats and that seemed easy. Go figure.

On the other hand, I have great spatial awareness. I can use a topo map, I can orienteer like a champ, and nearly always know where I am with respect to a given point, night or day. Most of the time I even know my up from my downs! One other person and I were in a basement two floors below the main floor when a night time tornado took down lines and an electrical substation. It was pitch black, and all auditory clues went silent with the loss of power. After sorta letting myself be aware, it was like I could sense walls and open spaces and we navigated the halls and to the central stairwell without stumbling around or making wrong turns. Once at the stair, the rest was easy, up to the first basement level, and from there we had some weak light from a skylight 6 floors up at the opposite end of the upper basement floor. It was interesting to "feel" where walls and open areas were, but I was sure of directions too, despite the blackness.

In the 80's I could fool with computer programs, but became just a user (or luser) when Windoze came along. Soon I even had to work at remembering how to upgrade a computer, but can still muddle through. Takes me longer than other folks.

I am a good cook, modifying receipes to suit my own taste and have them come out good. I can eat something at a resturant that I like the taste of, and piddle around with spices and come out with something darn close.

And I am verbal, and emotional, especially since I have given myself permission to be. I have always been empathic, at times to my detriment. And I hate confrontation.

I love to read, with my imagination providing mental visual reconstruction from particularly well written characters. I really can't draw people; I have astigmatism and though I am not aware it is happening, if I draw a face, it slants off to the right ever so slightly. On the other hand, as an archaeologist I could draw maps with landmarks, and artifacts to publication quality, without the slant. Strange mix of abilities some of which are considered gender specific, eh?

CaroL