1. After I finished graduate school in New York City way back in 1998, I interviewed with Anna Wintour at Vogue for a position as an assistant to the Deputy Editor. She was an hour late and flustered as it had just been announced that Tina Brown was leaving The New Yorker and starting up Talk Magazine. Wintour told me that I would be reading about what she’d just witnessed in the next day’s newspapers. I did and didn’t understand what the big fuss was…needless to say, I didn’t get the job. 

2. Instead of working at Vogue I produced audio books for Simon & Schuster. I didn't even know this was a thing but I loved this job. I abridged books, worked directly with authors including Stephen King, Tom Wolfe, Jennifer Weiner, Harold Kissinger, and President George Bush Sr. A wonderful roster of true New York Theater types often read the books in our small in-house studio, and I loved the camaraderie of the our small team. It was my first real job and coincided with Sex & the City’s release and I felt very much part of a wonderful New York City moment. 

3. When I lived in San Francisco in 2004, I bought myself a beautiful 1972 BMW 2002 series (the last year they made them with the round tail lights) in Aztec Orange. There was a vintage car dealership not far from my apartment and I walked by one day and spotted it. It was love at first sight! I adored her giant leather steering wheel, manual five speeds, all original interior, little extra triangular windows that I think were originally meant to air the car when you were smoking. Driving is a joy to me and I’d take this beautiful car along the stunning coastline highways there and speed along. I hated to give her up when I moved back to NYC for culinary school.

4. I’ve almost always bitten my nails. It’s only been in the past couple of years that I’ve managed to give it up. I started as a kid and just never quit….but nothing makes me feel quite as polished as a good manicure, so I’m trying my best to keep my nails short and neat.

5. Tennis was my thing! I started playing when I was about 8 and really loved it. Sadly I’ve lived most of my life in places where playing is not only prohibitively expensive, but you must also sign up and join clubs, and on and on and on. Here in Joberg it’s quite the thing to do and seems accessible (plus the weather here is ideal for it) and I’m thinking I might try and pick it up again.

6. My family flew on the Concorde back in the early 80s. It was part of a British Airways package deal that my Dad found which took us from London to NYC on the Queen Elizabeth II ship and then back at the end of summer on the Concorde. I wish I could say I remember it well, but I do remember my mother making us girls get dressed up for the flight and the tube of the plane feeling very small even to my child’s eyes. I also believe they just fed us from beginning to end as we raced through the time zones in three hours flat. 

7. London was home for my family for a very brief period of six months when I was in the 7th grade, in 1984. It was a tough year as we’d been in Washington DC for the six months before and Moscow before that. Girls aren’t very nice when you’re that age and I was definitely going through an awkward phase (I could write a whole book about that ill-fated year). One bright spot was being taken along with my Dad to the “Feed the World” recording session that November. Remember….”let them know it’s Christmas time again…..?” I believe my Dad thought I could help him identify the various performers as they arrived and my goodness was it a line up! Bananarama, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Boy George (who was late coming off the Concorde), U2, Sting, Paul Young, Phil Collins. For years I had a single piece of paper with all of their signatures on it but sadly lost it in one of my many moves, but still have the original record with Bob Geldof’s signature on it.  What a terrible song! 

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