by Melanie, on 2 Jul 2020
Strategic Piece's Marketing Coordinator, Lina, has a birthday coming up on July 4th! Since it's a long weekend, and we wanted to make sure we could celebrate with her with digital festivities, we wanted to share her answers to some birthday questions a little ahead of time.
We hope you have a fabulous time celebrating with your family, Lina!
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
At some point I wanted to be a librarian and I would go through all the books we had and “grade” them based on their condition. I don’t even think that’s what librarians do but at the time it made sense! The funny part is that, my mom has kept a lot of the children’s books and handed them down to me and every once in a while, I’ll read one to my son that I notice has the “grade” on the inside cover.
What’s the best book you’ve read so far this year?
More of a guilty pleasure book, but I recently read “Behind Closed Doors” and it was very hard to put down. For non-fiction, “Work Optional” is motivational if you’re interested in the FIRE movement.
What’s your best idea for an invention?
A mechanism in your shower that washes you like a carwash. You just walk in and you get shampooed, washed, rinsed while standing there.
What’s the best birthday present you remember getting when you were a kid?
I can’t recall a specific gift, but since my birthday falls on July 4th it’s always been pretty special to watch fireworks.
Who was one of your childhood role models?
Sounds cliché, but I would have to say my Dad. It seemed like he always knew how to fix everything! (He had an engineering background.) He was a great friend, always helping out whoever needed a hand and was kind to everyone he spoke with. He also had incredible patience – tried to teach my brother and I how to drive a stick shift using a sports car that he had just bought at the time.
What is your favorite local restaurant?
My favorite local restaurant, Dolce Vita, just recently closed down. Fortunately, their sister restaurant Poscol is still open and is a great choice for freshly made pastas, shareable plates, cured meats, cheeses and of course, wine.
What is one non-work-related goal that you would like to achieve in the next five years?
I would really like to learn calligraphy/lettering. Even in high school, I liked observing other people’s handwriting, and if I liked it, I would imitate it for a while just for fun.
What is part of your daily routine that you look forward to every day?
My first cup of tea in the morning. Also, the end of the day when the kids are asleep (ha!), and I get some quiet time on the couch with my husband to talk about our day and reflect on things going on in our lives or just laugh about stuff.
What is the best piece of advice someone has given you?
My Dad once told me that if you don’t ask for something, you’ll never get it. At the time, it was for something benign, like asking for a substitution for a dish at a restaurant. (I was very shy!) The advice stuck and it still rings true for me today. At the worst, someone may tell you no, but at the best you’ll get what you asked for or sometimes something even better.
Three favorite apps on your phone?
Tasks for to-do’s. The Notes app has actually been very handy lately with all its latest functionality. Instagram – for a quick (or not so quick) distraction!