Day 20
What is the oldest article of clothing you still wear?

Another easy one. My Thom McAn saddle shoes, bought in 1976. I still wear them to school on occasion!

Day 19
What activities were you involved in during your high school years?

1. Choir
2. Band
3. Jazz band
4. Orchestra
5. Spanish club
6. Thespians club
7. Musicals
8. My last two summers of high school, I worked 3rd shift as a waitress at the L & K Restaurant out by the interstate (it’s now a Denny’s), which, of course, enabled me to acquire this treasure.

Cripes — no wonder I never had time to turn around! OK fiends, spill it.

Day 18
Tell about a regret.

I regret not being more disciplined and responsible as a teenager and young adult. I know that some of my crazier, more rebellious traits have been passed on to my sons (their father was/is the quintessential antithesis of  “wild”). I regret not teaching them to conform and think inside the box.

OK, that last sentence was total crap. But I do sometimes regret being wild and crazy in my youth.

How about you? Is there something you wish you could do over, or are you all Frank Sinatra singin’ My Way?

Day 17
Have you ever had a recurring dream/nightmare? Tell.

Yep, yep, yep. I’m backstage at a live performance. I have the lead role, and I’m in my costume and the show is already underway. The stage manager whispers to me, “OK, you’re on!” Then I turn to him and tell him I’ve never heard of this show before, I don’t know any of the songs or any of the lines or blocking. I don’t know the other cast members. What am I gonna do?! Then my teeth fall out.

Ter.Ri.Fy.Ing.

Day 16
Think back to K-12 school. Who was your favorite teacher, and why?

You’d think I’d list a music teacher, but my favorite teacher ever was Mrs. Pauline Lewis — 8th grade English. She loved to read and write, and especially enjoyed challenging her kids.

• She ruled with an iron fist (even though she was only five feet tall), but I could tell she cared about us.
• She demanded correct spelling and proper grammar.
• She loved to do spelldown spelling bees (I won a copy of The Andromeda Strain once — she always gave out books as prizes).
• She actually looked at you and listened when you spoke to her.
• She inspired my love of writing for personal meaning and reflection, which gave me a crucial safe haven when I was the new kid at a strange school in a strange land, where kids talked with a funny accent and threw snowballs at me as I walked home from the bus stop carrying my violin, and who gave me fantastic nicknames like “Old Milwaukee,” which, incidentally, I would find quite flattering today.

Second place would probably go to Miss Rinehart, my third grade teacher. She was pretty, and wore the latest fashions — and in 1968, those were pretty wild. She smelled good, too.

Ready, steady, remember.