The early years were a mixed bag. Youngest of 3 girls in a pretty traditional household. There I'm on the right with the parents and my sisters, Elaine and Renee - a fine pair. Elaine appears to be wearing some kind of Swiss-inspired outfit. We're French so I'm not sure how that happened. Renee's wearing her First Communion dress, so it was a big day when this pic was taken. My mother was apparently having a very bad hair day. And my father, well, was wearing his usual endearing smile.  

Growing up I had to disguise my true self under a rather prissy-looking exterior so that my parents would be none the wiser about my other self. I had a short run with the Girl Scouts - somewhere under a year. I balked at selling the cookies and hated the ridiculous things I had to do to get the badges (like learning how to cook a meal). My mother sent us to dancing school. That's me on the left as an up-and-coming tap dancer.

I learned how to drive at 14 after getting the brothers next door to take me out for regular spins in the local cemetery where everyone was dead anyway so I was unlikely to do any real damage. In high school my friend Pat and I brought an old sorority back to life and invited all the girls to join who'd been unceremoniously rejected or never invited to join the other girly-girl groups. That was a good time. I also was in the French honor society, on the yearbook staff and took 4 years of Latin because I'm into Roman history. Carpe Diem. 

Took a year-long woodworking course (in between freshman and sophomore years in college -needed the break). Made a coffee table, and a couple of other things. That's me right around that time at a party (for me, obviously). See the dorky corsage? I might have been sitting on a stool that I made, but I can't remember.

Learned "industrial arts" from my father. He was expecting a boy as the 3rd child. But since things don't always turn out as planned in life, he had to make do with teaching me some helpful life skills. In other words, I know how to operate a skill saw, install simple electrical things and once I installed a new toilet. I started a wallpaper and painting contracting company while in college (again with my friend Pat) and we did pretty well. I've wallpapered every house I ever lived in, more than once, except my house in California - because who does that here??? Not long ago I installed crown molding and new baseboards in our living room and I made a bookcase for my office, so I haven't lost my touch.

Got my education in Boston, which is where I'm from originally. BS with honors from Boston University and graduate degree from Simmons School of Management where I got my MBA. Fine school. I've started two companies and I'm writing a book. Married, one kid and she's a playright in New York. There you go. That's it. Well, not exactly. Here's my professional bio.

I'm enjoying this life. Hope it continues for some time.