36 – Number of ticks Julia once found on her body at one time (earning her the memorable title Tick Queen of Wisconsin).
2 – Number of dogs that sleep with Julia.
1 – Remaining dog that does not sleep with Julia (because he is way too big even if he doesn’t think so).
5 – Number of times that Julia has locked herself out of her car.
0 – Number of times that a gorgeous Kiefer Sutherland lookalike has come to rescue Julia from being locked out of her car.
9 – Number of dead-end, demeaning, totally skuzzy jobs Julia has held in her life. (Worst one hands down: working the counter in a sub shop wearing a brown plastic bowler and bowtie.)
17 – Age at which Julia spent a summer in Japan as an exchange student (in the scenic city of Kawasaki).
3 – Number of Japanese words Julia still remembers: Konnichi wa (good afternoon,) hashi (chopsticks,) and makudonorudo (McDonald’s).
4 – Number of years it took Julia to earn a degree in anthropology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Go Badgers!
1 – Number of skunks that Julia has encountered close up and in person.
28 (mph) – Approximate rate at which Julia ran away from the above skunk.
2 – Number of garter snakes that Julia triumphantly caught as a child.
2 – Number of garter snakes that subsequently got loose in Julia’s childhood home.
35 – Number of years it took Julia to figure out what she wanted to be when she grew up (a romance writer, d’oh).