LOL, Kristen! I didn't say a rock star. I just had a band.

Julie: Many are in the garage, but here's one from 1998 that was in a frame. I took a picture of it with my phone so apologies for the quality. It gives the idea.
http://i581.photobucket.com/al.....ding/3.png

These two are from 2005 new year's eve gig. These are after I was digital photography enabled so they were easier to grab.
http://i581.photobucket.com/al.....ding/2.png
http://i581.photobucket.com/al.....ding/1.png

LOP, thank you so much for sharing, I am tone dumb (I hear pitch perfectly but can't sing a note) but love music. You are amazing.

Wow LOP - how cool. You are a woman of so many talents. I am truly impressed.

OMG, LOP...you are amazing and beautiful!!

I LOVE this post! Such fun to learn random facts about you ladies!
Katiepea, we're piano and perfect pitch twins!! Because of my extensive classical music training I have a pretty thorough knowledge of that genre, but gravitate towards 19th century and early 20th century works like the sap I am.
Sarah, Debora and Marianne, can you make space for me in the word nerd club? Part of why I held off on starting my blog so long was because I couldn't find a name that struck me as pithy enough. :p I'm such a dork!

Ok, things you would never guess about me from my very classic and staid style:

I have a very hard edge to me. I'm fascinated by true crime programs and cold cases, love a good hard rock-out and have a very tasteless and inappropriate side to my sense of humour (anyone who's ever spent any time in a newsroom will understand). My language is far from impeccable at times, too.
I'm highly emotional and have been reduced to tears by things as stupid as a fragrance or a song on the radio
I have read every Jane Austen book (except the Juvenilia) at least five times. When I'm feeling low or frightened I want to read something safe that won't shatter my emotional calm, and I turn to her, L.M. Montgomery (waves to Ele), the Harry Potter books, or the old vet books by James Herriott.
Another one who turns to mush at the sound of a hot voice or accent. Irish accents usually push my buttons, and for some reason I could listen to Barack Obama read the phone book when he's speaking more softly.
I learned to ski and used to be fearless, but now the idea of going on a hill terrifies me
I have an absurd memory for things like dates, phone numbers, Simpsons quotes and random things no one cares about. This can be useful, but also has a downside when you want to forget about certain people or events.
I'm bilingual in English and French

Oh Michelle! I did not know you were fluent in French. I have sadly lost most of the French I learned and constantly wish I knew someone fluent who I could practice with.

And you and I can be tasteless together. Sometimes I wonder what the YLF community would think of me if they knew my true nature :p

When I'm feeling low or scared, for some reason, I take comfort in public radio. There is something especially comforting to me about Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, which is about the geekiest thing ever, so perhaps that is WHY it is so comforting to a geek like me.

Nearly everything in the world somehow reminds me of an episode of This American Life, which I listen to religiously. I love Ira Glass.

LOP what a dream life. I'd love to be a rock singer but cannot sing anything except the Happy Birthday song.
Joy, I know what you mean about the old attitude of women going to college and being nurses are secretaries. After high school I told my dad I wanted to go to college and he said, "I don't think so"!
I told my boyfriends dad I wanted to go to college and he said in a disgusted voice, "Why?"
That was the end of that subject and I have regretted it everyday of my life.

Inge, have you seen "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead" with Tim Roth and Gary Oldman? You get two for the price of one, and an awesome play. Love it.

Ditto what others have said about British accents and actors

Another vote for loud rock music, screaming men, and lots of electric guitar. As far as musical taste, it all changes with mood for me and pretty much anything goes (classical, electronica, classic rock, hard rock, folk, anything in between; except country music). And lately I've been really disliking the violin (and I used to be a Paganini fan ages ago).

I have a dirty mouth and a morbid sense of humor. I try to keep check of both.

Julie, I think I'm also tone dumb.

MIchelle, I'm with you on the Jane Austen books. I am currently re-reading Mansfield Park for the umpteenth time. My copies are very, very worn and I think I might need to buy a new edition soon. My husband thinks I'm crazy to read books more than once, but I find it very comforting. Have you read any of the "Map & Lucia" books by E.F. Benson? They are another favourite of mine. You can download a free audio-version of two of them at librivox: http://librivox.org/miss-mapp-by-e-f-benson/ and http://librivox.org/queen-luci.....ic-benson/

You wouldn't know by looking at me that I played the cello for many, many years and even considered making it a career. Fortunately I didn't because since then I found out that I am hearing impaired. I am not yet wearing a hearing aid but it's something hereditary and will get worse with time. It seems I am much better off being a copy writer (yes, another word nerd here).

I'm a big Jane Austen and L.M. Montgomery fan, too (I wanted to go to Prince Edward Island for my honeymoon - Hubs, didn't love the idea, so we went on a cruise instead).

No one would know by looking at me... that I'm a good driver.

I don't know why, but over the decades, any number of people who've been with me in my car have turned to me and said, "I can't believe you're a really good driver." The first few times it happened, I was taken aback - what is it about me that makes all these friends (none of whom know each other, in different countries, at different stages of my life) assume I'd be a terrible driver? But it sort of makes sense, I guess: I'm very verbal, always losing my keys, spend much of my time "in my head," like working out complex mental problems... It probably makes folks imagine that I'd be an unfocused, distracted driver. I very much enjoy proving my acquaintances wrong : )

Mac, they are probably pleasantly surprised because there are so few good drivers out there:)

Love your rock star past, LOP! Gorgeous.

*chuckle* Kristin and her soap opera obsession. Very fab.

High five, Inge! The Irish accent is my favourite in the world.

Julie, who'd have thought that a porcelain English rose such as yourself has Italian heritage. Also fab.

Joy, you win the prize. INSECTS!!!

Debora, wow. You can really rough it. I am so impressed.

Michelle, I am terrified of heights and loathe driving.

Well ladies, Greg can vouch for it - I never, EVER swear.

Angie, I never swear too. I'm the epitome of a good girl.

Add me to the bilingual club... I am fluent in Russian (but I can't read or write!)

Another one about me: My natural hair color is actually brown. It's really weird because I am so fair skinned and my eyes are grey... and my hair doesn't match! I've been highlighting my hair for many years. I think it looks more natural this way (at least I hope so!)

Lena I love Rosencrantz and Guildernstern! One of the best movies ever!

Another loud music person here. One of my first concerts ever was Guns N Roses. Still love em, especially for karaoke!!

Oh I love reading all these!

I am nearly trilingual- I speak Irish(Gaeilge) and English fluently, and am working on getting my French back up to fluency. Once I manage to get my French perfect, I will start learning Spanish. Unfortunately as Irish is nearly a dead language, I don't get to speak as much as I would like to. However it is really handy when you are travelling with another Irish person and you want to have a private conversation.

While I might dress like a girly girl, I really am the queen of the outdoors- mountain biking, camping and hiking are amongst my favourite activities.

I like being terrified- I keep going for scarier trails, bigger jumps and steeper descents on my bike. It's a great feeling even when it completely backfires! The next step in terrifying myself is sky-diving. I did my training for a solo jump but unfortunately I fractured a vertebrae the week before I was meant to do my first jump.

I have never left Europe- this shall be corrected soon, I hope! I haven't learned how to drive yet. I am lactose- intolerant and have all sorts of crazy food intolerances.

My favourite musicians are Nina Simone, Bob Dylan & Tom Waits, and sometimes I wish I had been born fifty years ago because of this!