It seems I didn’t look carefully at my inbound links. Way back on June 20, I was tagged. So here are eight fun facts you might not know about moi.
- I made my first and only “bargain with God” when I was nine. Mom said I was too sick to go to school on the day my class was going on a field trip to the first indoor mall in Austin. The bargain was that if God let me feel well enough to go to the mall, or convinced my mom that I did, I would always do my homework. I stayed home that day, unfortunately.
- I have “spent time” in 19 US states (the interesting part is not the number but the fact that I’ve counted). Spent time means I’ve slept at least one night in the state. I have had layovers in three states. Utah, Illinois and Georgia, I’m comn’ back some day and will hopefully be allowed to leave the airport.
- I met Lyndon Johnson at the opening of his presidential library. My mom insisted that I tell him my birthday was two days before his. I was so embarrassed! I did it, though, and received a gold pen with a presidential seal, and an autograph. Later, he wrote me a letter, which is still in my parents’ safe at home.
- I was on the high school debate team. That probably does not surprise you. It might surprise you to learn that I first made the finals in a tournament reading a poem called “A Woman to Her Dead Husband”. I came in fourth out of 100 or so.
- When I was 15,, my dad broke his leg. He was in the hospital on the night that John Denver came to Austin. My mom had gotten us tickets for the show, so we visited my dad (the hospital was a block away) and went on to the concert, which was my first. (Inspired by Steve.)
- When they brought a baby to my mom in the hospital, she looked at the kid and said “That’s not mine!” They brought her another baby, same reaction. On the third try, they brought me. She took one look and said “That’s mine!” I look like my dad. At least, I think he’s my dad.
- When I was in college, I spent most of my meager discretionary income on books about classic film. I still have a rather large collection of movie books, mostly acquired from the three bookstores I haunted during those years.
- I have been to one college football game, one college basketball game (women’s) and no pro sports events.
