25 random things about me

1. I love maps and have a keen sense of direction, but since I turned 40 or so I've noticed that when I am stressed or tired, my map-reading skills go right out the window.
2. I am always surprising myself by having more endurance than I expected. Perhaps this is because I am in better physical shape now than I was ten years ago.
3. I had some EMDR therapy a couple of years ago that in a single session dramatically helped me become more relaxed and less fearful in traffic (although I do still get peeved easily at dumb driving).
4. I have always wanted about ten careers (musician, inventor, doctor, writer, chef, dancer, painter, fabric/clothing designer, filmmaker, photographer) but so far only have managed to work hard at getting better at a couple of things (writing/editing, and learning to be a good family member, friend, and member of my community).
5. I have had one out-of-body experience, after I broke my leg rollerskating when I was in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, with my family. That night, I hovered in the corner of the ceiling and watched my bodily self hobble to the bathroom and back.
6. Some of you have already heard this: I sat on Janis Joplin's piano during a concert when I was four years old. And could hardly believe my eyes when I saw she was white, not black, as I'd thought when listening to her record.
7. I am joyfully married to someone I had a crush on when I was 12.
8. I am eternally grateful to have gone to India and met some of the people who are the reason our thriving, beautiful, and sassy daughter survived the first five months of her life. I only wish I'd known to kiss their feet then.
9. I cannot imagine my life without cats. Nor do they seem to be able to conceive of life without me, so all's well.
10. I get more squeamish about gross/gory sights the older I get. (Exception: anything having to do with my own family members.)
11. It takes enormous restraint for me to follow a recipe exactly as it is written.
12. Before I'd turned 13, I'd met some of The Beach Boys, taken soup to [the band] Chicago, been backstage at a Chick Corea/Weather Report concert, and invited Elton John's drummer, Nigel Olsson, to tea at my house (he never showed, although I had cleaned the house and made sure we had Marmite for sandwiches).
13. I don't understand why when Facebook notifies me about someone's new 25-random-things meme, the notification says I was mentioned in that person's list. But when I read it, I am not mentioned.
14. It's almost too obvious to say, but I'll say it again anyway: Music is my religion.
15. My favorite thing to say when a Jehovah's Witness knocks on my door is "I already believe."
16. I believe there's a stronger link between our brain and our gut than we comprehend today, and that healing people's guts might boost people's mental health dramatically. If I could go back to school right now, I'd study epidemiology or gastroenterology (and get over that squeamishness).
17. I like living in houses where I spend most of my time above ground level. A writing treehouse would be heavenly.
18. I don't think I'll ever be finished grieving my sister who died when we were little.
19. I used to be a purist about grammar, but now I am not. I still maintain high standards in my own writing; I'm just more pragmatic about the way people truly use language and less interested in defining "correctness" at any given moment.
20. That said, I correct typos and errors in library books when I find them. (I keep thinking someday I'll reread one of those books and find one of my corrections, but it hasn't happened yet.)
21. I get a surprising amount of pleasure from frequently tracing the same paths I walked or biked as a kid.
22. Given the duration and frequency of my musical passions, I wonder what's around the corner for me. Like the people I've loved most and always will, I'll always love The Who, Crowded House/Neil Finn, Michael Penn, Aterciopelados, Elbow, and Gomez. (The Grateful Dead deserve special mention for providing wonderful musical events and setting me on the path toward another calling: being an attentive audience.)
23. Levar Burton attended our Boulder wedding reception.
24. The older I get, the more psychic I feel, and the more empathy I have for animals. (If I have a single spirit animal, it's a border collie, even though I don't consider myself a "dog person.")
25. Given how little I've finished, I am continually surprised at how ambitious I still am.