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- Pet care: I love pets of all kinds (except snakes..sorry). The picture above is of one of my little guys, Zeus. We also have a terrier mix, Rocky, who keep me company when I am home, sitting under my desk while I work or walking with me to the coffee shop down the street.
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- Painting: I paint often. Mostly with acrylics. Here’s a mural I did a few years ago. I would love to paint a mural in a hostel or create an accent wall in a room. I also do typically household painting, rooms, wood work, etc.
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- Gardening: I have a small garden that I patter around with most of the year. Here in southern California, there’s always something in season. I love to garden, tinker with flowers, potted plants and baby little herbs and vegetables.
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- Small repairs: I have re-painted tables, desks and bed frames. I’ve re-upholstered furniture. Above I upholstered a small chair for my bedroom closet. I love this little chair, there is a storage space in the seat and a little tutu around the bottom.
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- Heavy cleaning: I enjoy a big cleaning job. An opportunity to clean out, re-paint, and re-organize. I’m not afraid of deep cleaning and I like to use natural cleaning products like peroxide, vinegar and baking soda. Most things can be cleaned with just these three items.
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- Driving: This is not necessarily a unique skill. But I am a very safe driver, with a clean record. I am comfortable in new surroundings.
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- Cooking: I am a pretty good cook and enjoy experimenting in the kitchen. Some of my specialties include Lasagna Rolls, Honey Mustard Chicken and Rice, Perfect Pancakes and Chicken Pesto Soup. I’ve held mini-cooking classes at home for friends who are kitchen shy. Cookbooks are an addiction for me, I’m always trying new recipes and techniques in the kitchen.
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- Baking: This is different – baking is a unique skill. I started baking when I was 5-years old. I’ve been baking chocolate chip cookies since I could stand on a chair to reach the counter. Since then, I’ve master bread baking, cheesecake and fudge brownies and several cookie varieties.
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- Sewing: Another skill mastered at a young age. My mother sewed, making clothes and household items and I learned to sew working with her. I’ve made dresses, coats, curtains, quilts, pillows, purses, aprons and whatever has come to mind.
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- Waiting/Serving: I spent several years waiting tables – a job that I greatly enjoyed. I like the social aspect of the job. It’s hard and fast paced work, but I liked the challenge. Recently in the hostel world, I find that my experience allows me to be efficient in my work and multi-task.
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- Bartending: This is a new found skill. Since my trip to Santa Cruz where I discovered that I enjoyed standing behind the bar. I’ve taken a bartending class and feel confident in my ability to handle a busy bar and create cocktails for guests.
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- Leadership skills: I have been managing a staff of 5-25 people for the past 15 years. I am comfortable leading and managing large groups of people. I can help organize and lead groups of people in accomplishing a task or lead tours for hostel groups.
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- Writing: I love to write, just as I love to read. I have written non-fiction, poetry – I am also proficient at writing business letters, website content, user’s manuals, guides, and instructions.
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- Computer Skills: I have worked in technology all my life, so I have many variations of skills in this area. Computer repair & maintenance; replacing a hard drive, adding memory, virus removal, disk clean-up, installing software and system back-up. Website work; website creation, updates to content, adding social media, creating online forms, online stores, or collecting payments online. Social Media; creating Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts. Setting up automated postings, linking media sites and profile enhancements.
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- Organization, planning, scheduling: I have excellent organization skills. I am quick to see patterns in things and create simple ways to make tasks repeatable and simple. I am an avid planner and scheduler. I enjoy creating calendars, schedules and list of items.
I am comfortable teaching a class in the following skills:
- Cooking or baking: Offering a class on bread baking, cookies, or easy travel snacks.
- Computer skills: Photo editing, social media scheduling, website creation and common computer programs, MS-Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Exploiting Google Mail.
- Painting: Acrylic painting would be a nice introductory class on creating something for a trip.
- English: Basic English for non-English speakers.
Vagabond Cindy 