Seven Things

Oy, Jane! Why me?

Jane Bozarth has passed on the "Seven Things You Don't Know About Me" challenge to me. Not having blogged here in SUCH a long time, I am forced to resume what I should be doing every day or so. Yes, Jane. Thank you, Jane.

1. I was on the Grandma's Teeth bowling team at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The Fed used to have a bowling alley down underneath the main floor ... somewhere above the gold vault. We were close to last place. Oh, wait. I was on the Fed Research softball team one year too. We WERE in last place!

2. I met Alan Greenspan (going with the Fed theme) in his office. I had my head in his fireplace and my tush sticking out -- admiring the wrought iron -- when he walked back into his office. His remarks? "Oh, I forgot my paper".

3. I was bitten by a dog when I was 12 years old (going with the tush theme). My good friend had a show dog and apparently I went onto the doggie porch when I shouldn't have. Yes, there's a piece of tush missing (OK, some of you know that) and I still don't like dogs.

4. My father worked on the Apollo Lunar Landing Module. When I was young, we all used the silver/gold paper from the module to wrap presents. I was so embarrassed that we didn't have normal wrapping paper. I still have a search light from the Lunar Module. No cool wrapping foil, though.

5. I love hot air ballooning. Hate flying in planes, love ballooning. Once flew at the helm of a balloon for 20 minutes after working ground crew for the Black Tie balloon team in New Jersey. There was a young man from NYC who wouldn't stop talking during our flight. The whole point of flying is the quiet -- right? Oy, he wouldn't stop chatting. So, the balloon captain told me to take the helm. Then mentioned to the entire bunch of us (seven adults crammed in a wicker basket) that I'd never flown a balloon before and gave me flight directions. Man, did that guy go quiet!

6. I also once piloted the Staten Island Ferry going from SI to Manhattan. There were a group of us riding the ferry back and forth for a few hours drinking bottles of champagne. The captain invited me up and let me take the wheel and told me to point the boat right between the towers.

7. I sleep with a stuffed hippo that was given to me by my sister's husband. He died a few years ago -- way too soon. He sent me on a treasure hunt to the store where the hippo, already paid for, was waiting for me. After he died, I bought my sister the same hippo when I found it for sale at Sears. She sleeps with hers as well. Each hippo sits on the pillows when we make our beds. Hers lives in London with her, and has a page on Facebook. Mine's too shy for Facebook. We take our hippos to visit each other on occasion. Family members indulge our insanity. Isn't that what family is for?

I could add that I once shimmied across a Hawaiian stage in a grass skirt and coconut bra, that I love my family, miss my mom, depend on a fantastic group of friends, am passionate about what I do, love Antigua, love the undersea world, live to fish, am proud of my children ... but you already knew that!

Hugs to you all this new year.

Now I have to pass this on to 7 people! Here we go: Clark, Alison, Char, Alan, Rachael, Isaac and Robert?