Happy Hump Day

It's Wednesday - I'm halfway through my last week at work. It's weird.

Here's my weekly "getting to know you":

1. Where were you born? Weehawken, New Jersey. It could have been Nashville, Tennessee, except my parents didn't want to move there. They got a little bit nervous when they were told only one other Cuban family lived in the city. So, they stayed in the Northeast, and my mom gave birth to me at North Hudson Hospital. It doesn't exist anymore; it was converted to an old folks home years ago.

2. Where did you grow up? Hmmmm, I started to grow up in North Bergen, New Jersey, home of James Braddock, although I'm learning now that he was originally from NYC. Oh well, there is a country park in North Bergen names after him. So I'm sticking to my story! When I was a young teen, my parents got the "heat" and moved us to sunny Miami. Specifically, Kendall. It was in Kendall that I went to junior high, had my first kiss, learned to drive, and hung out at the mall.

3. What was your favorite thing to do as a kid? I really loved playing with my Cabbage Patch Kids. Oh yeah, and my Barbies. I LOVED Barbie. I always dreamed of owning the Barbie Dream House, but Santa never left it for me. Instead, I had the Barbie Townhouse, which was made out of cardboard. But it did have an elevator, which was tres cool. I also liked to sing and dance around the house (favorite tunes: Copacabana, I Will Survive, On the Radio, the entire Grease soundtrack, etc.).

4. What was your favorite toy to play with? Again, it was the Cabbage Patch Kids and Barbies, but I also had this penguin-shaped refrigerator that I used to play with all the time.

5. What do (or did) your parents do? Well, now they are retired hypocondriacs in sunny Aventura, Florida. Prior to that, my father owned a Cuban bakery and my mom worked in it.

6. What was the name of your grammar school? Franklin School in North Bergen, followed by two months at Bent Tree Elementary in Miami.

7. Who was your favorite teacher (in grade, high, or college)... In Grade School - Mrs. Leslie Kapp, In Junior High - Mrs. Ellen Goldstein (English), In High School - Mrs. Lisa Kasenow (Physics), In College - Dr. Beverlyn Lundy Allen (she was also my advisor). Funny how they all turned out to be women.

8. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be everything: an actress, a singer like Olivia Newton-John, a lawyer, a doctor, an airline stewardess, and a secretary.

9. Have you ever met anyone famous? Yep, yep, yep. I'm all over the rich and famous. Just last week, I met Rachael Ray. and she begged to have her photo taken with me. :)