Sometimes life is too serious and we need to laugh at ourselves. I saw this topic on A Lady Goes West yesterday and it made me laugh… and think about what I’m an expert in. After all, we all have skills. Some of them we learned, some of them we come by naturally. Some of them are “party tricks”, some are actually useful. Many of them are entertaining.
[Tweet “Let’s have some fun! What are you an expert at doing? I’m an expert at finding hilly races! #runchat #uselessskills”]
So here’s what I’m an expert in:
- Loading the dishwasher. I can fit more dishes (in a way that they all get cleaned) than you’d believe. Related: I can also fit more stuff in a suitcase than should work according to the laws of physics, I can pack a car trunk like you’d never believe, and I once fit 13 sorority sisters in my Honda Civic hatchback.
- Choosing the most expensive item. Beer Geek swears that I can walk into a store and immediately pick out the most expensive item there. Without seeing prices, guaranteed I’m going to like the thing with the highest price tag. Luckily for him, I’m extremely frugal, so the instances of actually buying said thing are fairly small.
- Finding the hilliest races. Seriously if you hear I am doing a race, do NOT sign up. It will either have a couple of killer hills (I’m looking at you RNR USA and Achill) or be nothing but up and down (Yes, Charlottesville and Annapolis, I’m talking about you.) I honestly don’t know what I’d do if I ever ran a flat and fast race. Probably end up injured because my body isn’t used to flat LOL. (I’m also really good at running in the rain without chafing. Yeah, it’s a gift.)
- Staying up late. I swear, I hit 9 pm and my body switches into late night mode and my creativity and motivation come out. I do most of my writing between 10 and midnight and I’ve been known to *need* to file everything at 1 in the morning. Luckily, I’m also an expert in…
- Surviving on not much sleep. I can go for weeks on 4-5 hours a night. I can go for days on 2-3 hours a night. I’ve always been like that and I think I was gifted with that ability just so I could survive Jones. He didn’t sleep more than 2 hours in a row until he was 4. No, I’m not kidding. Now you know why Ragnar is my favorite race!
- Searching Google. Ok, I admit, I have a leg up on the rest of you. I’m a research librarian. That means I actually took classes on search strategy. But I also have an incredible ability to hone in on the key concept (and even better to figure out what you are really looking for when you explain it poorly.) Yes, I’m a really good reference librarian.
- Getting my hands on good beer. It’s a combination of timing, skill, and ability to talk people into things. Sometimes I think this is one of the things Beer Geek likes most about me.
- Showering super fast. I once timed how long it took me to wash and condition my hair and soap my entire body – less than 5 minutes. I think it took me longer to get the water to be hot than it took me to shower. Yet, I’m still that mom who picks her kids up without showering after a run. I know.
- Snagging the good tickets. It’s a skill honed over years of getting the kids into the highly sought after camps and classes in our county. I’m just like a ticket ninja now.
- Making poor fashion choices. I often joke that I keep expecting What Not to Wear to show up on my doorstep. If it’s possible to clash, I’m going to manage it. And sadly, Shoo seems to have inherited that amazing skill. (OK, the below outfit was a joke, but sometimes…)
So, tell me, what are YOU an expert at?
I love this! I like to think I’m an expert of Google searches, nose wiping and laundry folding!
I may be an expert at pulling clean laundry from the baskets, but I am so not an expert at folding it LOL.
Fun post! I too, shower fast and race related can use a porta potty in under 30 seconds!
Oooh, I forgot that skill! I’m super fast in the porta potties as well.
Oh LOVE LOVE THIS!!!
walking a crazy doodle in the pouring rain while still texting!
I can’t text and do anything else at the same time. I bow down to you.
You’re killing me. I feel like I could have written this– you and I are so much alike.
I am an expert at cleaning up multiple piles of bodily fluids, wiping bottoms and tears, and tolerating large groups of children running through my house.
I’m so happy that the wiping bottoms skill is one I no longer use. Just sayin’
I too am an expert at loading the dishwasher!! My husband loads it and I rearrange everything. He says I overload it but everything gets clean, right?
Great post! I may steal this idea from you…
Yes! I totally reload after my husband! He generally doesn’t even notice though…
I’m good at the most expensive item too, and so is my mom. That must be who I get it from.
Mad skillz, I tell you. Mad.skillz.
well if you are the expert at staying up late, I might be the expert at going to bed early, hahaaaa and as of lately finding the flattest courses. Hmmm let’s see I”m also an expert at being productive working from home…wait this moment negates that!
I suck at working from home. I way too distracted by all the chores that need doing.
Laughing Out Loud. I’m an expert in laundry. Maybe not an expert but it’s where I live…the laundry room. I’m thinking about really decorating in there, maybe put in a TV a small frig… Even our dogs know to come inside and check for me there first. Oh, and I loathe coat hangers. Just sayin’.
My laundry room is the only unfinished room in our house. I try to spend as little time there as possible LOL.
I’m an expert at checking my phone, washing dishes and listening to my husband and children all talk to me at once. I am an expert at getting up at 4:30 am each day rearing to GO! I am an expert at falling asleep right at 10:45 pm every night while my husband is talking to me. LOL. #wowlinkup
Wow, I think you get less sleep than I do! Getting up at 4:30am requires multiple alarms for me.
Google search expert – that’s a great one!! I am an expert in finding the best travel fares – growing up as flight attendant’s daughter, I am really good at being creative on how to get places. Comes in handy!! 🙂
Ooh, I’ll remember to get in touch with you the next time we need to travel…
Love this! I’m an expert at making a cocktail out of whatever we have in the fridge. It usually works out…usually. LOL
My kind of girl! Of course, I mostly drink beer and I only have good beer in the fridge…
This made me my smile. I’m definitely the opposite with showers. I’m an expert at long showers! I think I just phase out mostly but I’ve enjoyed them since I was a child. Interestingly enough, it is difficult for me to say I’m an “expert” at anything.
I’m not really an expert at anything important (except maybe the google thing – really helps with my job)…
LMAO! I’m having a coughing fit laughing at your answers, and that outfit…. Amazing! My best running friend says I’m an expert at taking a short run and getting us lost to turn it into a really long run.
Ha, I need you here to get me to do my long runs…
I love this post!!! I am an expert at taking fast showers too!!!
Fast showers are so important as a runner mom.
Fun post! I can certainly relate to a few of those. We have more in common than I knew 🙂
OK, now I want to know what we have in common…
What a fun post! I am an expert at saying “Stop that!”, “Don’t do that!” LOL I am also an expert at waiting until two days before Christmas to start my shopping!
Oy, I say stop that a lot too. Thankfully, I’m generally pretty good about early Christmas shopping.
This is hilarious!! I am an expert at procrastinating (just got our Thanksgiving turkey this morning!) #wowlinkup
Oh, yeah, I’m pretty good at that one too. So many skills I forgot I have LOL.
I’m an expert at worrying. Give me even the most innocuous scenario and I can find a legitimate reason to worry about it. If you want a mountain made out of a mole hill I’m who you want to see.
Oh, yes, I’m pretty good at that one too.
Awesome talents you have! I’m pretty sure I’m an expert at knowing where everything is in our house. No one else seems to!
I wish I was an expert at that. It would save us a lot of time since one of my kids just leaves a trail of stuff everywhere and then can’t find things when he needs them.
Haha! I love it! I am an expert at picking out the most expensive item at the store too! LOL … and am an expert at NOT caring what I look like (majority of the time) 😉
Oh, yeah, totally with you on the not caring what I look like…
Oh, I love this post! I’m a night owl too, but unfortunately I can’t survive for too long on too little sleep. You’re so lucky you can do it! I’m a fast shower lady too!
Yes, I’m thankful that my night owl tendencies and ability to deal with sleep deprivation. With a 6 am wakeup every weekday, I’d be a mess if I was the type who needed lots of sleep.
haha. This is great. Remind me not to run any races that you are registered for! 🙂
I’m definitely an expert at loading the dishwasher and folding laundry and picking the most expensive item too! Happy Thanksgiving!
I know. I warn all my friends…
I just wish my budget and my tastes were more in line. ;o)
I love this I’m an expert game . . . may have to post one of these next week! I’m an expert at staying up too late, at wearing super bright colors and wild wacky patterns. I’m an expert at having tickle wars with my kids and I am an expert at licking the spoon after I’ve made chocolate chip cookies. This is fun! loved yours! Especially that you are an expert at making bad fashion choices 🙂
My son informed me today when we were discussing what he should do if he lost me at a race and he looked at me and said “Mama, I can see you a mile away” LOL. Guess I was a little bright… I’d love to read your post.
Lol, great post! I’m an expert on browsing social media and taking long hot showers, lol. #wowlinkup
Oh, yes, my ability to waste time on social media is near expert status as well. I have to be really really cold to enjoy a long shower though.
Love this! I’m also an expert at staying up late but not at surviving on little sleep…so it doesn’t always work out well lol. #wowlinkup
Yeah, I’m lucky I possess both of those skills…
Haha, I love this. Can you even shave in the shower within 5 min? If so, I’m impressed 🙂
What a fun post… you should start a tag post with this theme.
I am an expert at fast showers too. When we lived on the boat, our marina showers were $2 for 3 minutes. I could shampoo, condition and shave my legs with time to spare!
What a fun post! I’m also very good at being a night owl. I’ll think I’m tired around 9 PM, when I should be going to bed (I have a lot of early fitness clients). However, once 9:30 PM comes around, I get a second wind and feel super productive. I’m also good at fitting in a run even when I’m hanging around family and trying to get them to run with me too 🙂
Well, I always say that I’m an expert driver – if I could just clear the streets of the other idiot drivers it would be great!!!
hahaha…I love this. I would have to say I am an expert at being attached to my smartphone and social media, spending money (that i don’t always have) and choosing too many races at a time simply because I need an excuse to travel #wowlinkup