14 Moderately Interesting Facts*
(*Not to be narcissistic or anything. It’s just more fun to know a little bit about the person you’re working with, don’t you think?)
1.
I spent three years living on a super-secret CIA training base. (It was super secret then, but these days all the spy novels have to mention it at least once. Always referred to as "the Farm." You know, for verisimilitude.)
2.
I had the opportunity to run a safe house in Manhattan when I was 23. Free housing on the Upper East Side in an upscale apartment. But I turned it down. Reason: I was, well, 23, and what would the neighbors say about those mysterious comings and goings at all hours by men in suits? If you get my drift.
3.
My favorite place on the planet is the dog-friendly beach in Carmel, CA. The joy, the freedom, the sea-soaked air, the romping dogs, the little cottage up Ocean Avenue that sells Ritter Sport chocolate.
4.
My pet peeves are monologists and complainers. And passwords.
5.
My philosophy of life: There is nothing that sorrows the soul that a long road trip – preferably in a convertible – can’t cure. If there is reliable asphalt between my driveway and the destination parking lot, I’m more likely to drive than to fly. I've been to Key West and Vancouver, B.C., so far. And all points in between and back and forth.
6.
I'm addicted to online courses. And podcasts.
7.
My favorite movie is Joe Versus the Volcano. If you like it too, you’ll know exactly why. If you don’t like it, you probably think I’m insane now.
8.
There really is no point in discussing global goings on with me. If we disagree, we’ll be unhappy. If we agree, we’ll be even more unhappy.
9.
My favorite time of day is pre-dawn at my desk with the windows open letting in the soft, high desert air, overlooking the Sangre De Cristos mountains. Especially in the summer during the monsoon season when everything is greening up finally. I’m writing with a calm mind, with the soundtrack of Legends of the Fall playing through my headphones.
10.
I’ve always dreamt about living aboard a sailboat, and circumnavigating the world. Two problems with that plan though: I’m afraid of pirates. And I can’t sail.
11.
I love paying off strangers’ vet bills when I have a little extra money. (I’m also inordinately proud of the fact that I know the word polydactyl.)
12.
My passion is talking with people who love their work. I’d do it even if I wasn’t paid to do it.
13.
My global quest for the perfect prime rib dinner — that you don’t have to take out a mortgage for — continues.
14.
My favorite social question is: “What’s making you happy these days?”
