My List of 25 Random Things

This is a questionnaire that has been circulating in Facebook. You are supposed to list 25 random things about you that many people don't know.

Here's my list:


1. I hate to shop - can't stand it. I will do very well in these troubling economic times.

2. I had to take Prednisone for a few months after my heart surgery. It made me want to shop. I ran up over $600 on my credit card. My doctor now knows I am "allergic" to Prednisone.

3. I once looked at a pig in a petting zoo and said to her "your ear looks so soft, I wish I could touch it". The pig then rolled her head over to the fence and stuck her ear out. Really.

4. I have owned 5 cars in my life, one I co-owned with my sister. The cars were: a Chevy Chevette, Toyota Corolla SR5, Volkswagen Golf, Toyota 5-speed Pick-up and a Nissan Sentra. All of the cars had a standard stick-shift.

5. I think time has run out for me to ever find the right guy and I am almost OK with that.

6. I still like to objectify men, though.

7. I believe I was a guy named Billy Mitchell in my past life. He started the US Air Force, I think.

8 Oh yeah, I am a firm believer in reincarnation.

9. I believe that Lisa's dog, Dudley, is the reincarnation of our father. I have almost convinced Lisa of this fact. First time I looked at him, his doggie face looked EXACTLY like my dad's! (I never said my dad was a handsome man)

10. Some people think I am a little crazy.

11. I am a rabid fan of Project Runway. I don't know why. I know nothing about fashion and can't sew. I think I mostly love seeing the creative process unfold.

12. My TV only gets 2 channels and those will be going away shortly. I use my TV to watch DVDs, mostly. I get my DVDs from the library.

13. I watch some TV shows online, like The Colbert Report and Daily Show, as well as 30 Rock (and Project Runway - on You Tube)

14. When I was a teenager, I used to write weekly letters to Barry Manilow and he wrote me back from time to time - handwritten letters. When I was 17, I was flown to NYC for a party in his honor. Barry had me sit next to him all night. He was very, very nice. I wrote him until I was 21. The last time I saw him was in 1988.

15. Sometimes if I turn my head the wrong way very fast, I get a bad stinging sensation in my neck.

16. I now have a lovely scar running down my chest from my open heart surgery. It is "keloid", meaning it has a bumpy texture. Keloid scars are common in dark-skinned people. I am about as white as a person can get and don't even tan.

17. I am half Italian. Hard to believe, I know!

18. My sisters and I used to sing together. Our big "hits" were Mister Sandman and Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy from Company B.

19. My cat, Picasso, lived to the age of 19 and a half. My other kitty, Saturn, died when he was 16.

20. I am currently living in a "no pets" apartment. I am hoping to move out soon!

21. I have sung the national anthem 3 times for the Seattle Mariners.

22. I haven't sung in a long time. I should start practicing again.

23. I am most proud of going back to college at the age of 39 and finally finishing my degree! I loved college. Absolutely loved it.

24. I have about 30 paintings that I did, stored in a metal shed in Hillsboro, NC. No one has the key and my friend moved off the property. I am not even sure they are still there. Probably eaten by mice by now. Which is sad, because I really liked those paintings.

25. I think bacon waffles are delicious.

Success !

I booked a great guest for last Saturday night's show.

I heard about her from a listener's email. Just a random note, suggesting that we might find her work interesting. She compares the legends of ancient people to fossils of dinosaur bones in the region.

I thought it was a fascinating idea. So, Googled her and located her tiny website. I found her books on Amazon and contacted the publisher, Princeton Press, and asked for review copies to be sent to me. Once I saw that her book was interesting, I contacted her via email. She got back to me weeks later, telling me she was on an archeological dig and would return in a couple of months. When she returned, we spoke on the phone. I found her stories to be fascinating and her personality engaging - two very important components for a guest on my show.

Then, I had her books sent to the host of my show. He loved them, thank goodness. Finally we nailed down a date for her appearance on the show, a couple of months in the future, because she was going to be traveling again.

She had been booked for over a month when the host told me he was going to Mexico on that same day. I re-scheduled my guest.

I asked her to provide a series of questions to help guide the interview. I called her and begged her to do the show on a phone that had a cord, connected to the handset, for best audio quality. I convinced her to go to Goodwill to find one.

She was finally on last night and it was radio magic! The host and the listeners (and my boss, too!) loved it. My guest received a slew of emails from listeners asking for more information.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I do as a producer!!

The guest's name, by the way, is Adrienne Mayor. Her book is "Fossil Legends of the First Americans".

Crack!

I broke another tooth today. On a honey-roasted peanut. I hope I can chew into my 70's - but at the rate I'm going, it is NOT looking good!

I had to have a back molar pulled in late December, two teeth gone in one month.

I Want to Believe

Despite all of my past political activism, I have been surprisingly low - key in the days leading up to Obama's inauguration. I have been so sure that tragedy would happen before the fateful day.

But, as I sit here and listen to his first speech as president of this land, I have a little hope. But we have all been burned before. And raked over the coals.

I WANT to believe that change will happen and that a brighter day is at hand.