A meme about Firsts

First Job: Cashier at a burger joint called -- I kid you not -- The Cow Pattie. I was 15 and it was 2 blocks from my house. I was let go when the manager hired his niece for the job.

First Real Job: Conference organizer for a now-defunct human rights organization in Chicago. I loved that job: I was passionate about the cause, I got to travel around the country, and I met amazing people.

First Favorite Politician: John Anderson. Remember him?

First Car: The first family car I remember was the Batmobile; actually, it was a Cadillac with wing fenders and pointy tail lights. The first car my mom bought after she left my dad was a decrepit Ford Falcon; it didn't last very long. I learned to drive on a Ford Pinto. The first car I bought used was a Ford Fiesta that I bought from my sister when the arrival of their third child made it impractical for them. The first car I bought new was a Mazda 323, which ran beautifully until ... well, never mind.

First Record/CD: The first record I remember choosing to listen to was Schubert's Trout Quintet. The first record I remember buying was a gift for my mom, Verdi's La Traviata. The first record I remember buying for myself was Chicago.

First Sport Played: I am not athletic. Does elementary school kickball count?

First Concert: I went to see Aida in the fourth grade; I can STILL see the set, the magic, the mystery. The first concert I went to as a teenager was James Taylor; he was playing at a small auditorium on the campus of SMU 3 blocks from my house. From where I was sitting, I could see Carly Simon standing in the wings ... it was such a THRILL.

First Foreign Country Visited: My family traveled all over South America when I was a toddler, but I don't remember that. The summer after 8th grade, my mom, sister and I went to Spain, Italy, and Greece.

First Favorite TV Show: Gilligan's Island!

First Favorite Actor: Sean Connery, always and forever unto ages of ages

First Favorite Actress: Katherine Hepburn

First Girlfriend/Boyfriend: Craig ... we recently reconnected on that social networking site. What a disappointment!

First Encounter with a Famous Person: I know I've posted this before, but it was (and is) a big deal ... I bought a t-shirt at a Harry Chapin concert: He leaned across the table, kissed me on the lips, and said, Beautiful.

First Brush With Death: I was only 2 or 3 when my paternal grandfather died. I remember his being very sick, and I remember going to the house after he died: I can see my grandmother standing on the staircase and coming down the steps to my dad.

First House/Condo Owned: A fabulous 2-bedroom condo in Maryland. Nick moved into it after we married; then we rented it out when we bought a house. I sold it at a $5K loss when we were tired of being landlords ... two years later the woman who bought it sold it for a $30K profit. It still makes me sick to think about!

First Film Seen: Fantasia

First Favorite Recording Artist: Simon and Garfunkel; I can still sing every word of every song they ever recorded together

First Favorite Radio Station: KLIF 1190 AM, in Dallas, Texas

First Book I Remember Reading: The Very Little Girl, by Phyllis Krasilovsky. I read that book over and over and over again; if it weren't so expensive (or if I had little girls), I'd buy a copy today.

First Meme You Answered on Your Blog: I had to page through my blog from the beginning to find this one from May 2006. Many of my answers are still the same, and many have changed. Maybe I'll redo it sometime.