You think you know me? Maybe you have no idea!

Steven & Troia, 2011

i've always been very forthright about myself, having long accepted my flaws as well has my more endearing qualities. but i'm always surprised by how little long-time friends, or even family, seem to know about me. so i thought i'd create a little game. i'm going to list 10 things you may or may not know about me. you think you know me? maybe you have no idea! read on and find out!

1. my parents are christian missionaries (or as i've coined them, "jesus freaks"), but have had a multitude of careers in my lifetime. my favorites would be the owners of  tae kwon do dojo and aerobic studios.

2. i became obsessed with wonder woman when i discovered her through my dad's old comic book collection and when i saw reruns of the tv show starring, lynda carter. the amazing amazon embodied strength, beauty, charm, wit, intelligence, humor, and compassion -- even for enemies -- something i've carried through all my life.

3. comic books brought me all over the world. it's true! based on the comic books i read from the '70s and '80s, i would draw my own comics and started taking art classes, then later going to art school, inspiring me to study abroad.

4. my mother had a brain aneurism when i was two years old. i was sitting behind her in the car when her brain just -- switched off. i still remember the thud her head made against the passenger seat window. i also remember seeing her again after surgery weeks later, a beautiful woman with no hair, but i was afraid to approach her outstretched arms.

5. i have a minor in nutrition. my reasoning for the degree was i wanted a backup if i ever got bored with the whole 'art thing'.

6. a former professor and dear friend took me under her wing and appointed me her intern/apprentice while she taught at the paris college of art. i learned so much about the world in those 3 months, traveling to other parts of europe on long weekends and holidays. i was devastated when my professor, a transgender woman, hysterical storyteller, fashionista, talented artist, and raging alcoholic, took her own life. there was a gaping hole in my soul for a long time.

7. my dog and two cats are among my most favorite people in the world. yes, you read that correctly.

8. i resisted becoming a teacher for a long time because my parents always said i would make a great teacher. so, of course, i couldn't be a teacher! but after life as a starving artist got old, i went back to school and became certified to teach visual art. turns out i love teaching!

9. my first degree is in studio art, focus on drawing and painting. that means i also studied ceramics, sculpting, art history, and printmaking for four years plus years. art education came later and became my real passion.

10. i was hit by a tour bus on a cross walk and thrown 10 feet, but survived with only a few scraps, bruises, and internal bleeding -- no gaping wounds or broken bones!