Firsts
September 03, 2018
Happy Labor Day! Here's a sampling of this week Sunday Stealing questions - I liked the idea of "firsts," so here you go!
Who was your FIRST date?
My first official date was Charlie, who went to the all-boys Catholic high school, as opposed to my all-girls Catholic high school. I was a sophomore and he was a senior. We met on a parish Teen Club trip to Hershey Park, where I hung out with a group of kids that included him. He took me to a Righteous Brothers concert, and then to the Hot Shoppe for a bite to eat. We were inseparable for months, but he finally broke up with me. He tried to get back together with me when I was in college and he had gotten out of the Navy, but I had moved on by then.
Do you still talk to your FIRST love?
No. See the preceding answer. I thought Charlie was my first love, but I was 15. What the hell did I know?
What was your FIRST alcoholic drink?
Hmm. Probably Boone's Farm Apple wine. I remember drinking bottles of it with my pals when I hosted an anti-prom party at my house for all of us girls without dates or the courage to ask someone to be a date. In those days it was quite rare for a girl to ask a boy on a date.
What was your FIRST job?
My first full-time, paid job was circus clown on the George Matthews Great London Circus. I got paid $75 a week, with $25 held back as a bonus if I finished out the season. I also got "room" and "board". The "room" was a plank bunk and the "board" was cookhouse privileges.
What was your FIRST car?
The first car that was all mine was a 1970 green Chevy Nova, like this one but less muscle-y.
My pop bought it for me so that I could commute to the University of Maryland during my freshman year. I seem to remember that it cost $2500. It was a great car! I drove all over the place, including a long road trip to New England after I graduated.
Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?
I was 15, the summer after my freshman year of high school. I went on a school-sponsored study tour to Paris. Imagine! I really was extraordinarily privileged.
Who was your FIRST best friend & do you still talk?
My first best friend was Joey, the daughter of one of my mom's friends. I think I gave her that title when I was six or seven. She was three or four years older than I, so I'm quite sure that she did not feel the same way about me!
Whose wedding did you attend the FIRST time?
My older sister's, on July 1, 1961. I was nine and got to be a Junior Bridesmaid. I loved my beautiful dress! I had flowers in my hair! I carried a bouquet!
Tell us about your FIRST roommate.
My first roommate was Sue. I roomed with her during my sophomore and junior years in college. We got along very well. She was very focused on her studies, while I was a little more laid back. Then again, she was pre-med and I was a drama major. She was dating a guy who was already in med school and she was determined to get into the same school. She did, but she got into an MD-PhD program rather than the medical school. I went to their wedding, where I made quite a gaffe. It was a conservative Jewish wedding, and the food at the reception was kosher. Little did this shiksa know from kosher! I was standing at one of the canape tables when a lovely woman took a big bite of a particularly yummy appetizer and asked me what was in it. I replied, "I think it's crabmeat." The poor woman froze mid-bite and wrapped up the rest of the snack in a napkin and threw it away. Such a look she gave me!