Garrison Keillor wished me a happy birthday
Oh my, what a birthday surprise! Today the Writer's Almanac mentions me in honor of my birthday. And to up the surreal coolness, Garrison Keillor is the host and he actually talked about me on NPR this morning. What does this mean? I'm a tadpole compared to the other two writers mentioned (Benjamin Franklin and Ellen DeGeneres). I'm...I'm...currently juggling two babies and sleeping on top of a pile of laundry and trying to slosh my post-parnum oatmeal brain into a workable mess. I'm flabberghasted and tickled peach. Wow!
I'm excited to learn I share a b-day with the most-awesome Ellen DeGeneres. I've loved her since her standup days. My sisters and I had her airplane bit memorized. ("Get those away from me! Six peanuts…") We don't have television at home (i.e. cable or antennae) so it's always a treat for me when I'm touring and staying in a hotel and get to watch her show on TV. She is for me the new Carol Burnett. So, happy birthday, Ellen!
Did I mention, if you listen to the podcast, you can actually hear Garrison Keillor say my name? Thank you, Garrison Keillor, for the birthday wishes! And a shout out to to Betsy Allister, staff writer. After reading her bio I suspect she is the person responsible for including me in today's almanac. She's a fan of children's literature. Maybe Betsy read Goose Girl, maybe she liked it, maybe when January 26 came around she recognized my name on a list of "famous" people born today and she said, hey, let's feature her today. What a strange thing, what things I never imagined when I was ten and wishing fervently to be a writer. What a thing life can be.
EDIT: I'm sure no one cares but me, but I just have to clarify one thing about the article. It says Dean was "one of her high school flings." I didn't have any high school flings, though I'm sure I wouldn't have minded. Dean was one of my best friends for seven years before he was my boyfriend. And ten years into our marriage, he's still my best friend. Hey honey, we never got around to having a fling together. Maybe it's not too late? Text me later...