In honor of my 40th birthday, I’ve decided to share 40 facts about me that you may or may not know…

1. My favorite colors are hunter green and burgundy.

2. My first pet was a gerbil. His name was Ninky. My second gerbil was Harvey.

3. I was born with a bilateral choanal atresia. This means that I was born without air passages leading from my nose to my throat.

4. I was also born with thin bands of skin tissue over both eyes.

5. I was also born without tear ducts.

6. All of these defects were fixed before I left the hospital after I was born.

7. I was in an incubator for the first two months of my life.

8. When I was nine, I had to have surgery on my nose because the air passages created when I was born had begun to close up.

9. Both of my parents are left-handed. My brother and I are both right-handed.

10. I throw a Frisbee with my left hand.

11. I’ve eaten frogs’ legs. They do taste like chicken.

12. I played Little League baseball/girls’ softball for ten years. My favorite position was first base, though at one point or another, I also played at second and third bases, shortstop, and pitcher (in softball). I’ve also played the outfield.

13. I traded away my Snoopy pencil sharpener to get my first baseball glove.

14. When I was in fifth grade, I won a pre-Thanksgiving archery competition. First prize was a 20-pound turkey.

15. I was born in Brooklyn, NY, and lived in Staten Island, NY until I was six years old.

16. I missed my kindergarten graduation when we moved.

17. One of the earliest memories I have is being in my grandparents’ synagogue in Brooklyn when an elderly woman – Mrs. Goodman – fell down a flight of steps. I can still remember watching her being carried up the steps.

18. I’ve been a New York Yankees fan for as long as I can remember. This did not make me terribly popular during baseball season when I was living in Boston.

19. My mother once had to take me home from a birthday party because I was petrified of the clown. I still don’t like clowns, though I no longer run away screaming and crying at the sight of them.

20. I was in the Brownies, and I still remember the song we sang at every meeting. I never made it to Girl Scout level. I do, however, like Girl Scout Cookies, especially Samoas. I do not like Thin Mints.

21. I liked Hebrew school. Enough said.

22. I can’t ski. I was in the lowest level at Maple Ridge Ski School, and they had to bring in a private instructor because I couldn’t keep up.

23. I’m a sucker for certain accents, and have even gone out on dates with guys just because they had these accents (though not since meeting my husband, obviously).

24. I’ve never been really drunk, nor have I ever been stoned. I’ve never had a hangover.

25. One of the first R-rated films I saw was “Animal House“.

26. When I was six years old, I wanted to be a boy because I was always being picked last for sports teams during recess. Then I became better than the boys.

27. I was always a tomboy, and have never been a girly girl. I’m still not.

28. I loved “Welcome Back Kotter“, and sent Gabe Kaplan a fan letter. He responded with a form letter and photo.

29. I also sent a letter to Amy Carter, during her father’s election campaign. She typed her own response and sent it back. I’m glad I never sent a letter to her father.

30. I grew up with the wife of one of our local bloggers, and have been friends with another local blogger since meeting in the bus station in Schenectady, NY when we were teenagers.

31. My parents took me on the NY subway when I was a little girl. I believe they very nearly crapped themselves when I pointed out a black man and said, “Look, a robber.”

32. My friend Sheri and I refer to a certain period of our lives as “the geek years”. Today, Sheri is gorgeous, successful, and very hip. I, on the other hand, am still stuck in the geek years. And I still use the word “hip”.

33. I cried when my sixth grade social studies teacher – Mrs. Tolar – made me stay after school on my birthday.

34. I like the song “Shadow Dancing“, by Andy Gibb, and have it on my mp3 player.

35. I hate being the center of attention, and more often than not, I blush when given any kind of compliment.

36. I know at least three other people who also have birthdays today. One of them is my brother-in-law.

37. I knew I was going to marry my husband two weeks after we started seeing each other.

38. I never sleep on the train during my commute, no matter how tired I am. I’m more concerned about drawing attention by snoring than I am about missing my station.

39. If I could have lunch with any famous person, it would probably be Bill Bryson, whose writing style not only keeps me in hysterics, but also influences my own style. At times, his writing inspires me to keep writing.
40. I still have no idea what I want for my birthday.

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