1. While traveling to Alaska with a few mates one summer to gut fish up in the processing plants, we got busted over the Canadian border for pot. The Mounties not only completely stripped our car, emptying everything onto the pavement, but strip-searched us too (slap, slap went the rubber gloves. Bend over please.) They even called in the sniffer dogs as they didn’t believe the driver had only a bowls-worth left. They eventually let us go but I wasn’t a happy woman as I had my monthly cycle and they wouldn’t let us go to the bathroom for hours. 

2. I did a lot of yacht racing when I lived in Ireland. During one long offshore race called The Fastnet, I was up on the bow to un-tuck the head sail that was caught on the rail. While up there, I noticed dolphins swimming up alongside us. It was awesome! They skimmed just along the side of the boat, rising up out of the water to play. And since we were on a serious keel, the leeward side of the boat was practically in the water. I trailed my hand in the water to see if any of the dolphins would come up to greet me. When we hit an unexpected big wave, I fell in. By the time the boat had come around and they safely hauled me back in, I was close to hypothermic. Even a minute in the Atlantic will start to shut down the blood flow to your extremities. Boyo, did I get an earful from the crew. Not only had I risked my life, but we’d wasted precious minutes to haul my arse back on the boat. Yeah, the lads barely talked to me again until after the first four pints after the race.

3. I’ve had intimate relations with men from: USA, Australia, NZ, Scotland, Ireland, The Netherlands, France, and Spain. And when I say “intimate” that doesn’t mean full-bore intercourse. It may have been a kissy-kissy on the edge of a canal in Venice, or a bit of a fore-play in a hostel in Edinburgh. Sure, why not sample some of the flavor out there?

4. My first year at university, my housemates and I had a get-to-know-you-party the first weekend before classes started. After a “few” drinks, we started up our landlord’s lawn mower and mowed the grass (any grass that got in the way) all the way into campus and started on the President’s house until the automatic sprinklers came on. We then decided to strip down and go skinny-dipping in the fountain. After collecting our clothes and the wet lawnmower, we then returned back to our house where we proceeded to mow over our toaster and some canned fruit. To protect ourselves from shrapnel, we duck-taped couch cushions to our torsos and shins.

5. I am 42 years young.

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Okay then, give it your best shot! Whoever is the first to guess which “fact” is UNTRUE, will get a digital copy of A WORLD APART. Good luck!