something about me
“Drawn into the stream
Of undefined illusion
Those diamond dreams
They can’t disguise the truth…”
— “Something About You,” Level 42
I was a cheerleader once. (My best friend joined, and I wanted to be with her.) Worst decision I ever made
Girl Scout, too
I loved to climb trees (and hike), but my parents forbade me, because I was a girl, but I did it anyway, in secret
Dad forced me to play rec basketball from sixth to seventh grade. I was kinda good at it; I led in rebounds/steals as a forward
Dad tried to get me to learn to swim, but I was afraid of diving, so I lied and said I had my period. End of swimming lessons
I used to collect comic books: Archies, Casper, Richie Rich, and all the Marvel/DC superheroes
I would walk to the nearest 7-11 for the latest candies and comics
I played with bugs as a child. I loved to catch fireflies, then let them go. Unlike my husband and son, I’m not afraid to pick them up and release them outside
I liked playing monsters over Barbie. I loved Godzilla, Ultra-Man, Kikaida, and Rainbow Man
As you can guess, I grew up a tomboy. I got along better with boys anyway. Less drama
I still suffer from PTSD when girls cover their mouths, look over, and giggle
One time in high school, I wrapped my chest with bandages, because I hated my breasts. I even wanted to be a boy, especially when my boyfriend came out of the closet
In hindsight, I may be non-binary: I like men, not women, but I like women when I imagine them with men, if that makes sense. The older I get, the less interested in sex I’ve become, which could be a hormone issue and/or from early psycho-sexual trauma
The first book I fell in love with wasn’t a Harlequin Romance, murder mystery, or thriller, but sports fiction
I do enjoy all of the above, especially Victorian novels (from a college course), Agatha Christie, and, of course, Stephen King
I interviewed Molly Ringwald (she didn’t want to talk about “Breakfast Club,” just her new jazz album)
If I could go back, I’d either be a doctor, lawyer, or photographer, or nun
I always wanted to play drums
My favorite instrument to listen to, however, is the bass, thanks to Mark King
Everyone has a type, mine tends to be tall, lanky, awkward, and taciturn…like Spock. I’m attracted to someone who could survive an apocalypse
My favorite food used to be spaghetti and meatballs, but now it’s probably something simpler, in the Basque region, and in the form of a charcuterie platter
I always have one foot out the door. If I stay, count yourself special, because I can’t stand people for long
My favorite flower is peony for the taffeta petals and clean rainwater scent, followed by lilac’s sweet, floral ambrosia. But I didn’t always dig flowers (see tomboy above)
If I could bring only one record with me to a deserted island, it’s be Level 42’s “World Machine”
My superpower is the ability to know things before they happen and to know you, the real you, you are trying to hide. It comes out in my dreams and flashes of intuition
When I’m afraid to say, I write, usually poetry that beats around the bush and sounds interesting without making much sense
