I was born in Los Angeles County General Hospital on September 30, 1967. The following day, my mother turned 33.

Growing up, I loved to watch soap operas with my mom, especially General Hospital, because the opening scene featured the famous hospital. An ambulance rolled through a set of iron gates with the imposing, art deco building towering in the background. This always made me feel slightly famous, and I repeated it frequently to my friends in all those tiny towns where my dad pastored churches. I’m not sure they believed me! =)

But, it was true. I was born in County General just after the Summer of Love. Naturally, I don’t remember any of it.

County General is located in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of L.A. It’s 17 miles from Compton and 1,300 miles from Oklahoma City.

I lived in the San Gabriel Valley until 1974, the year I turned seven. By 1981, I was living in a small town in Southeast Kansas, and by 1983, my friends and I were mimicking the colloquial California English of valley girls. “Gag me with a fork,” our favorite phrase.

Here’s a great picture of some young Gen-X girls from 1982. This was taken at the Walter Reed Junior High School, 8th Grade Graduation, 1982, in the San Fernando Valley. True Valley Girls, at least by geography. These girls would have been born around 1968-69.

Where were you born?