Hillary Who?

Some background on me

Notice how this page is plain, but the main page that got you here was all frilly and purple and shimmery? I'm the same way. Sometimes I look all fancy and stuff, but really, I'm a very down to earth person. You can dress me up all you want, but inside I'm always the same plain me.

Early years

I was born at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania aka HUP, on February 19th, 1970. Apparently, I was supposed to have been born on the 2nd - Groundhog Day! But despite a few hours of contractions, my mom ended up getting sent home to wait it out, and I wasn't born until the 19th. I attended nursery school at both Congregation Beth Shalom and Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park, PA, before moving up into the world of the Cheltenham Township Public Schools.

The bookworm

Yeah, that's what the kids called me. That and "doubleyou dee" - eg, short for walking dictionary. Sheesh. Some people. I was a very shy child, with an incredible hunger for books. The librarian used to call my mom all the time to make sure it was ok for me to take out so many books at once, or to make sure it was ok for me to read books on "advanced subject matter" (it was :)). I also loved music and animals. I was active in choirs, orchestras, plays, musicals, and horse shows all the way up through high school graduation. I didn't have much of a social life outside of those activities. I always felt like the "in crowd" didn't want me around. I've learned since then that all you have to do is make your *own* in crowd, and there's no problem :). I did very well in school as a child - ever hear of a kid who pretended NOT to be sick, so they wouldn't have to stay home?? that was me *grin*.

The party animal

So, as you might imagine, when I got to Berkeley as a 17 year old college freshman, things got a tad out of hand. There was an unfortunate incident my first week of college - the dorm sponsored a trip to a San Francisco nightclub for the residents of Griffith's Hall (where I lived). I went with the group - it was for all of the students, according to our RA. So, we got there, and they wouldn't let me in. It seems you needed to be over 18. Well, no one had told ME that! And the RA was upset with ME for not telling her I was under 18! I was extremely embarrassed and very upset about it. Other than that, college was a lot of fun :). I skipped lots of classes and went to many, many parties. I continued acting, and started writing, directing, and producing as well. I worked for a bunch of animal hospitals, but basically I temporarily put aside my goal of becoming a veterinarian in favor of having a good time. I did kind of crappy in school, but had a lot of really unique experiences. Good thing I got it out of my system then....

Getting serious

In 1992, theatre degree in hand, I ventured into the Cruel Real World. I worked with some friends in professional theatre for a while but that didn't last too long. I ended up getting a job at the University of California, San Francisco, as a veterinary nurse. Then, in 1994, I crept back out of the Cruel Real World. Phew! That Real World thing can suck the life out of you! I went back to school, where I belonged, learning about really interesting things. Sure, I still worked really hard in school and out, but I was much happier to be back in school.

In August 1999 I married Michael.

In May of 2000 I graduated with my VMD. Woo hoo! Now I'm practicing vet med part time, and being a stay-at-home mom the rest of the time. As of January 2005 I have THREE KIDS!! Pix here.

Philosophy blurb

Life is fleeting. Don't waste it. Make yourself happy. Contribute something to your community. Talk to your friends and family as often as possible. Once you start losing friends (eg, people you love DIE) you'll know what I mean. Don't waste time judging other people, feeling superior, etc etc - keep an open mind. Knowledge is power - learn about the things you fear, instead of closing your mind to them entirely.