Weaknesses & strengths

Now, I always like to think that I'm a perfect specimen of a women. Juggling the day-to-day of kids, husband, friends and family with ease. Balancing the household budget while balancing the kids on each arm. Well-read and up-to-date on all the important issues. A fabulous social life and able to comment on the latest book/restaurant/exhibition.

A healthy mix of Martha Stewart, Jana Wendt and Cate Blanchett. The truth is, if I'm completely honest, it's more of a mix of Peggy Bundy and Roseanne. Well, not quite, but close anyway. I'm not always the person I'd like to be.

My weaknesses include:

• I am a touch lazy, if given a choice between chores and the computer (or anything else), well I'm ashamed to say the computer generally wins out.
• I am completely hopeless with numbers. Seriously. I'll buy something and be halfway home still working out in my head if the change I got was correct. I used to feel much better when I went out to lunch with other sub editors, all highly intelligent people until the bill came and we'd all stare hopelessly at each other as we tried to divide it up. Thankfully Skip is a whiz at mental arithmetic (all those hours working out horse racing odds in his head) so if he's around I stare stupidly at him
• I'm a terrible gardener. You only need to look at my garden to see that.
• I have a terrible habit of repeating myself and stories. It's frightfully boring to everyone else, especially if wine is added to the mix.
• I am shy. So I can often appear stand-offish or a like a deer in headlights. Alternatively, I can ramble on like a complete idiot to make up for the shyness.
• I'm not a very good present giver, I've always wanted to be that person who gives great gifts.

Now, I never like to dwell on the negatives (cause that could take up waaaay too much time). So here's a list of strengths to weigh things out:

• I'm patient. I'm calm and I don't get flustered easily. I always think that things will work themselves out and they generally do.
• I'm optimistic. Again, I always believe that things will work out for the best.
• I can be funny and fun to be around. Well, at least to myself anyway (if you can't make yourself laugh, well then life is just boring). 
• I have a wealth of trivia in my head. Can always drag up some piece of useless knowledge out of the recess of my mind. 
• I'm genuinely interested in other people, what they've done and what they've got to say. I find other people fascinating. My dad always says his favourite memory of me was when I was about five, we'd just returned to Australia after living in States and the West Indies and I was completely fascinated about hearing another kid's recent trip to Port Macquarie, like he was telling me he'd gone to the moon. I never mentioned that I'd just travelled around the world.

What are you strengths and weaknesses?