It was a dark and stormy... no... ah... I was born a poor... no... hmmm... aahhh... To begin my life with the beginning of my life, I record that I was born. Yes, I admit it. I was born (not hatched as my brothers wanted me to believe) in Chula Vista, California to two wonderful parents who loved me. Born with a prominent shock of very dark hair, my parents were told that, according to the laws and traditions of the state of California, we could no longer stay there because it is written: “All girls MUST have blond hair”. Rather than bleaching my hair as others had done, they wisely decided to move back to Texas, the land of my mother’s birth, with my two brothers and me at the tender age of 6 months old. Much to my dismay, I am not a “native Texan”, but as the saying goes, I got there as quickly as I could.
And I grew up like any real native Texan learning to say “Remember the Alamo” before I learned to say “Mama”. Every year for twelve years, I learned about the founding fathers (and mothers) of Texas, Longhorn cows, bluebonnets, and football. I went to an Elementary School named after a very prominent local Dallas politician, to a Junior High School named after a prominent Texas Revolutionary hero, and then finally graduating from a High School named after a very prominent US General known for his great heroism and being fired by a President. After graduation, I headed off to the University of Texas (of course) and earned a B.F.A. in Theatre Production. For all of you who don’t know, that translates after graduation as “slave labor”. I toiled for many years working for low wages in dark theatres across Texas and the country having the time of my life! I worked on a game show, rap video, commercials, and many, many theatrical productions. But as every real “theatre artiste” knows, to reach the pinnacle of success, one must have one’s New York years.
So in late 1989, I bid farewell to Texas and off to New York City I moved. Just like in a musical, I got off the plane wearing my little ruffled, gingham dress with my little suitcase ready to take on the world. (Okay, not really, but it sure felt like it!) After a few months of culture shock, I found gainful employment at the Juillard School of Music and eventually working on and off Broadway. For 10 years, I slaved away for better wages, but, something was missing. After working in the Theatre and finding relative success, I decided that it was time to come out of the protective darkness and into the sunlight and, frankly, I needed a chance to use my brain for a while. My chance came in an unexpected opportunity. So, when I came to that fork in the road, I took it. As it turned out, I traded herding actors and schlepping scenery to herding attorneys and schlepping motions and orders. Not a bad trade and, for the record, it is not the entertainment field, but it has proved to be every bit as “theatrical”. So, now I am joyfully ensconced in a career that has allowed me to use my brain (most times) and wide latitude to continue my quest for knowledge and truth in full sunlight, and to scratch off at least one entry on my mental bucket list - a Culinary Arts degree from the French Culinary Institute.
After so many years in the “arts” and living in the liberal Northeast, it took time to come out of the closet. I was not one to give my opinion openly for fear of ridicule and scorn, so my full political awakening has come late. It was not until the “Financial Crisis of 2008” that I decided that I could no longer sit on the sidelines or keep my mouth shut. Not completely comfortable with having conservative thoughts in a liberal environment, I spent hours wandering in the virtual wasteland of the internet blogosphere seeking the truth in the privacy of my own home. Then one day, I stumbled upon an oasis of like-minded people and I swear I heard angels sing. And with that, I met the people who knew the people who brought me to this Oasis within an Oasis – Commentarama. I am flattered and honored to be a contributor to this great blog and particularly to Andrew and LawHawk... er... Vern Fleeglegass and Max Bunkhouse for the opportunity.
[+] Read More...