25 Things About Me

I know what you’re thinking.  “Oh no.  Not that ’25 Things About Me’ that was going around on Facebook earlier this year?”  But, listen.  There’s a reason I’m resurrecting mine.  Actually, two.   First, it is really all you need to know about me.  And secondly, in this season of lists, shouldn’t there be at least one that doesn’t mention Grizzly Bear?

In the interest of full disclosure:   I have some more bicentennial quarters now than I did when I originally wrote this in February.

My Dad and Me

1. I’m a third generation born-in-Manhattan-ite.

2. I was supposed to be named Welcome President because my father thought it would be great that every time I would enter a room, people would say “Welcome, President Ravis.” When I turned out to be a girl, he told my mother they couldn’t do it because there would never be a woman President. Which is odd, because he was actually very pro grrrrrrrrl. So I was named Margaux.  This name was greeted with the now classic phrase, “Well, as long as she’s healthy” by a friend of the family.

3. The way to my heart is definitely thru a bicentennial quarter. I collect them. My goal is to get 1976 of them. I have 816 as of today.

4. I tried to pretend I was a maid to clean Andrew McCarthy’s apartment. The falling in love part was supposed to happen after that. Unfortunately, all that happened was that he got an unlisted number.

5. My first address was 825, my second address was 25 and my third address was 5. I cried when we moved after that.

6. I also cried when I turned ten because I just saw an endless road of double digits and wasn’t sure I’d make it to triples.

7. If I ever complain about working, I’m lying. I love my work.

8. I got my dog by admiring him on the street and convincing the guy to let me have him for a weekend – a weekend that turned into 12 years.

9. I have had 2nd and 3rd degree burns. Twice.

10. There have been two songs written about me that I know of.

11. I make stuff. I made a huge headboard all out of beach glass. I make little felt creatures. I knit. I was really born in the wrong era.

12. I tell stories in excruciating detail. My friend Michael once said I’d explain The New Deal by way of Abe Lincoln. I’m trying not to do that here.

13. My Christmas Day ritual is to see 4 movies that day. This past year was the first holiday in a very long time that that didn’t happen.

14. When I found myself vacationing in Costa Rica with some guy who turned out to be less than I had hoped, I left $16 on the nightstand and snuck out at 4am. I spent the next two weeks blissfully traveling around alone. I honestly have no idea why I picked $16. We never spoke again.

15. Before I broke my nose, I did Bikram Yoga at least 3-5 times a week for years, not counting the challenges I did within that time where you go every day for 60 days, etc. Despite all this time, I still can’t do simple kick outs, but I no longer think that’s important.

16. Shocking as this is to me now, I used to smoke a pack and a half a day. When I quit, it was almost too easy. I’m not sure why.

17. My favorite movie of all time is Badlands. After that, it gets harder to pick.

18. The reason I study Spanish is to actually speak a Nuyorican version of Spanglish which I think is so sexy.

19. I’m loyal to fault.

20. I gave Jeff Buckley my paisley Telecaster on an indefinite loan when his guitars got ripped off. Rebecca Moore had it when he died and returned it, but I never wanted to touch it again. I sold it a couple of years later and have regretted that on more than one occasion.

21. Back in the day, people used to stop me all the time and tell me I looked like Joanie from Happy Days. I used to live in fear of it getting more syndicated re-runs.

22. My dream is to winterize my house on Fire Island and spend the entire fall and winter there. Keep in mind this is basically one room and there would be no other people for miles and miles and there are no stores, cars, tv or anything. I’m pretty sure I would either end up like Jack Nicholson in The Shining or create something amazingly worthwhile. But there is the chance I’d just catch up on my sleep.

23. I share a birthday with Joe DiMaggio and John F. Kennedy, Jr. Unfortunately I also share it with the Bush twins.

24. I love the NY Public Library but all the books I get from there are hardcovers and I can’t stand reading hardcovers.

25. I have hundreds of answering machine messages saved. I think of it as an audio diary of chunks of my life. Plus I get to hear voices from people like my Dad (who died 14 years ago yesterday) again, which is lovely. I still hate the demise of that technology.