I grew up in Westwood, Ma, 4th of 6 kids -- girl boy girl, girl (me) boy
girl.
Catholic family always scraping by financially. We lived in the same house
from 1953 till Mum had to go into a "place" 48 years later.
Dad was born in Boston and his parents were Russian & Polish. He was
very devout, very family focused, very overweight.
Mum's parents were both born in Boston, both Irish/English. She was
undereducated, struggled with depression, took care of parents then children
then husband but not herself her whole life.
My siblings bullied me, my parents neglected me by letting them. As a kid I
cried a lot ("nobody loves me!"), was a brat and a tattletale trying to get
attention. I read lots of books. In my teens I tried to be invisible -- till I
got friends my sophomore year, then became a hippie. (yay!)
Dropped out of Catholicism at 14. Now I go to a Unitarian Universalist
church, but that's just for community. My religion doesn't have a name, it's
just "mine."
I was married in 1976 when I finally found someone who loved me (I
thought). We lived in Norfolk, VA, San Francisco, and New York City. We had a
good time for 9 years, then my son was born in 1985 and the real work, the family stuff, started.
Lucy was born in 1990. We four lived in NYC, 193rd & Broadway, until 1993,
then we moved to the DC area.
Kevin the Pisces/guitar player/narcissist left me in January 2004; Tom went
to live with him to be close to his job. Lucy moved in with him that Sept. to go
to a better high school. I had to face one of my hugest fears, being alone. I healed.
In 2007 Lucy had a fit and refused to talk to me ever again. She hasn't. My
guess is that I relied on her way too much for love after the divorce and she, a
Gemini, felt smothered. I say "my guess" because she's never told me why.
Tom and I are on good terms, but it's hard to talk heart-to-heart with him.
That might just be because he's a Scorpio guy.
As for work, I studied movies in college, watching not making. I have a BA
in "creative and critical writing for film," which was a degree made up for
me by a wonderful counselor at San Francisco State. I've been a proofreader/copy
editor/editor since my first job at the Co-op City Times in 1980. I've had many
jobs and I've been fired or laid off from most of them.
As a kid I wanted to be an actress, a singer, Amelia Earhart, a TV repair person,
Emma Peel, a musical instrument maker, a psychic, a detective, an archeologist, and maybe I
should mention, a writer.
In 2012, I think, was my second Saturn return, and it was a completely
tempestuous year. But that's another biographical chapter in itself!!
