Sixteen things you may not know about me

1. I’ve been published.

2. I walked on crutches for most of fifth grade.

3. When my husband and I were in Boston before we were husband and wife, we almost literally walked into Robert B. Parker, collectively our favorite author as he jogged along the Charles River.

4. I own the complete DVD collection of the Dick Van Dyke show and would willingly listen to him read the phone book. I also own the complete DVD collection (though not the made for television movies that followed the series) of Gilligan’s Island. I really only wanted the first season because it was in black and white, but without the musical Hamlet episode I’d never be able to raise my head around my youngest cousin. So, as long as I was going in for a Ginger, I figured I might as well go in for a Mary Ann and get the lot.

5. I won my entire school’s art fair grand prize when I was in 3rd grade with a picture of a white horse near a lake in the mountains rendered entirely in pieces of dyed egg shells.

6. I used to read a book a day while working. It was a factory job and very boring.

7. I was a contestant on Jeopardy. I came I second place.

8. I was an exchange student to the Netherlands the summer between my junior and senior years in high school.

9. So far in my life, I’ve had dogs, cats and a pony.

10. I like Tab and, when no one is looking, I occasionally put a six pack of the pink cans in my grocery shopping cart and hurry through the self-service aisle so the fewest people possible know.

11. My favorite pizza is cheese stuffed cheese with extra cheese.

12. I much prefer listening to old radio shows (Jack Benny, the Shadow, etc.) than music. In fact, if music is playing, I find it impossible to work.

13. I legally changed my name when I was 29.

14. I like my job.

15. For my fortieth birthday, my husband got me a ride on a Ford Tri-Motor airplane. Hands down the best present ever.

16. I am a total Luddite except when it comes to the DVR service on our television. I think someone crawled into my mind, saw what I didn’t even know I wanted and gave it to me.