In response to questions referring to "what make's Jen tick," here are some general thoughts, estimations, and basically best guesses:

Where are you and what do you do? I'm located in gorgeous West Seattle, in a wonderful house with a great yard and lots of garden space. I live with my husband, Ken, two fur boys, Jack (blond one on the far right) and Daggett (both long-coat Chihuahuas), their cat Cleo, and Ken's two kitties, Georgia and Ping. Currently, I'm the Media Relations Manager at an airline. I love the work and the people are great.

What made you decide to become a helicopter pilot? I'll give you a hint. There is a picture of it somewhere on this page…

Ok, so I fell in love with Airwolf at the tender and impressionable age of 12. Absolutely no helicopter is as cool at that one. If you want to fight on it, I'll meet you behind the gym at 3:30 pm. Bring your Band-Aids. The pilot was sexy, but his helicopter was better. I'd have given all my Duran Duran albums to take a ride in that helicopter. Sixteen years later I did fly the same model helicopter and met with Airwolf's real pilot. I guess that counts for something, eh? I sent Jan-Michael Vincent a copy of my license when I became a pilot. Funny, he never wrote or called to congratulate me.

What is this reference to Gowan? What is a Gowan? Literally, it is a small flower found in the Highlands of Scotland. But for me, it is the last name of my favorite singer. A loyal and faithful puppy, I've stood by this guy since I first heard his music in my pre-teens. (In fact, here's photographic proof of me standing by him...) He was a solo singer in Canada in the early 80s, and has since joined Styx, replacing Dennis DeYoung. We met in 1987 when he was on tour and I was one of those embarrassing, crying teenagers. We met again in 2002, where he amazingly remembered me thanks to a funky picture I'd sent him during those embarrassing, crying teenager years. However, this time I was interviewing him for a story in the Orange County Register and had a great time catching up. Here's a photo from that day.

Larry Gowan is an amazing singer, pianist and performer. As a teen I took his last name as my pen name, and it continues to surface from time to time in my more creative endeavors. Not sure what he'd think of that, but he's been a part of me longer than I was around before I knew of him, so there you have it. Jen Gowan will one day be a published author. The Battleship Gowan is my metaphor for my life, pretty much. And a Gowanimal I'll always be. What is a Gowan? "I am."

Do you listen to anything other than Gowan? Certainly. I'll listen to just about anything except for rap, hip hop, and most country music.

Where have you lived other than Seattle? Utah, Oregon, several places in Washington, Glasgow (Scotland), the San Francisco Bay Area (Martinez), the Los Angeles Basin (Redondo Beach and Long Beach), and Las Vegas. All great experiences, but I'm really happy to be home in the Emerald City.

Biggest pet peeve? When someone says they will do something and they don't do it. That really chaps my hide. If you have no intention of doing something, for God's sake, don't say you'll do it. It solidifies mistrust and may cause me to take out frustration on household items I've named after you.

Speaking of names, what have you named, specifically? Well, I have two dogs, Jack and Daggett. Then there is the cat, Cleo. My former car was Nicodemus, the Sexy Beast (my early mid-life). Other past cars were: The Bomb (Pinto in high school), Ted, Simon and Stringfellow (a rather stubborn 4Runner). My laptop is Wilson, with its hard drive being Owen (get it?). I have a teddy bear named Mel Gibson so I could tell people I slept with Mel. I have another one named Willem. When I got back from Paris in 1994, the doctor thought I had a tapeworm, so I named it Herman. I took drugs to kill him, if he was in fact real. I named two lobsters we got in Boston before boiling them alive. My friend LaVon was not pleased with me for doing that. I named my frog I had to dissect in 11th grade Biology class Clint, after a guy I liked who'd just broken my heart. When I was three I had a frog (who was probably a toad) named Kermit. Oh, and I can't forget, I had a slug named Carrot, who won the Saulk City Slug Race in, like, 1981. I set him free. I've had other pets, but family members picked their names. Oh, and of course, my daughter.

Where were you born? The gorgeous state of Utah. No, I'm not Morman. Just a worshiper of the great red rocks.

What do you miss about California (other than friends)?
I tell people the number of things I miss can be counted on one hand:
1. Prop 13 - where they can't raise your property tax above the tax rate for the price you paid for your property.
2. Redondo Beach Brewing Company - Chicken Soft Tacos! And their great beers.
3. Dog parks that have an area for small dogs.
4. Better insurance at my job there, and state disability pays you for 3 months of maternity leave.
5. There might be a fifth. I can't think of it though…

Which would you rather have, respect or money? Respect.

If you could be anything in the world, what would it be? A happily married wife and a mom. (Oh wait, I have that now. Guess I'm set.)

God, Budda and/or Allah? God. Did you know dogs answer to humans, but cats only answer to God?

Favorite color? Sky blue pink, the color of a gray rat's tail.

Favorite food? Seafood (I might have been a sea lion in a former life.)