Bored at age 11, I pushed aside a rack of my parents' old coats in a closet in my room and discovered shelf full of jazz - a treasure trove of 78s from Louis Armstrong up through Bird & Diz - very exciting! Then at age 16, my best friend (now a jazz pianist/composer) convinced me to go with him to try to get into the Village Vanguard to see Charles Mingus - this was 1973 and the drinking age in NY was still 18. Amazingly, they didn't card us and we got seats right up front. We had told parents we would try to get home "early" but when we were about to leave at midnight, Don Pullen came out and started the late set playing solo and my friend the pianist was not about to leave. We didn't get home til 5 a.m. and I was grounded for a week, but oh was it worth it - jazz has been my main musical love ever since. Although I am not a musician, I spend an inordinate amount of time listening to music - mostly but not exclusively jazz - and preparing my radio show. And I am fortunate that many talented jazz musicians have found a home in Asheville, so I am able to hear great live music many times a month. And many musicians have generously given their time as guests on my radio program. I don't ask them to perform, but to help me choose recordings that we play and discuss over the air. I am getting to live the non-musician jazz lover's fantasy life and am grateful for every minute of it.