I do not study metaphysical philosophies, and do not read journals on metaphysical topics. I am not a new-age afficionado. I read The Celestine Prophecy (only because it was on the best-seller list for so long) and thought it was one of the worst books I had ever read. It's full of tripe and cliche, and--though it has some good things to say--the premise is downright stupid.

I have had dozens of UFO encounters in my dreams, but never while awake. I have, many times, desperately fought to wake up, almost to the point of panic. I wake with an image of seeing myself sleeping, from the viewpoint of standing next to my bed and looking at me. This is probably what people call an OBE, but I had no sensation of having left my body. I only remember looking at myself from the outside, and only in dream, and not hovering or travelling to get there.

I have allergies, and so does my mother. Sometimes, I will pick up the phone, for no reason, and it is her--the phone does not ring. We have many other such links, this is only an example. I see my mom about once a year--just saw her after 18 months since last visit together. This is telepathy, and it is real; I believe it is just another way of communicating.

I have had many detailed premonitions--car accidents, meeting new people--I've described these visions to people, and later had them come true. I no longer do this, because people think I'm really weird when this happens--one even told me I was serving the devil and was not welcome in his home anymore. I used to tell strangers what town they were from--I don't know how I knew, I just did. I now keep these revelations to myself.

I feel very much an alien in this world, because it is hostile and irrational. I often dream of travelling to another planet, but I do not see that as connected to my feelings of alienness. I also dream of finding a remote island or moving to a different period of time. The idea in my mind is one of having moved a notch on the evolutionary climb, and still dealing with neanderthals.

Physically, I am different from most people, I suppose. My last illness was in 1972. My diet is unusual, in that I have no liking for sweet or fatty foods. Like my mother, I look many years younger than I actually am. When I was 30, people often mistook me for someone in high school. Now, I am 35, and have been through some very stressful times over the past few years. People now guess my age at mid-to-late 20s. I heal incredibly fast, compared to other people.

When I was a teenager, I did have a taste for fatty foods--but they were very high in protein. I ate 1 dozen eggs a day, 10 lbs of cheese a week, and a 5 lb can of peanut butter a week. Since then, I have had a lean diet, and seldom eat any eggs or cheese. When I was 7, I stopped eating birthday cake--too sweet.

When I lived in Ohio, I asked out an attractive woman. On our first date, right out of the blue, she looked right at me and said, "I wanted to go out with you because I knew you were a fellow starchild." I thought she was weird for saying that, because I had not mentioned anything even related to such a topic, but that is what she said. She told me my aura was deep blue, and so strong, she knew this was not my home.

Also, people's cats and dogs have an affinity for me that is unreal. I've seen these animals ignore their 'masters' in my presence, when called to. Instead of their normal behavior, they cling to me. This sometimes happens with children, too--the effect is very pronounced in pre-schoolers. My neighbors can't get over how their 2 year old stops bawling in my presence. Squirrels, deer, birds, and other animals will let me get much closer to them than they will let someone with me. I think this has to do with having a relaxed disposition, rather than being uptight, as most people seem to be.

What's odd is that this attraction does not hold true of adult humans. I've heard from very observant people (including a psychiatrist I saw as part of a pre-employment exam) that I come across as intimidating. This paradox is hard to explain, at least to me.

So, these are some tidbits about me, and maybe I am from outer space because they fit with the items you listed in your letter. I certainly feel like it sometimes, but it is more likely there are other explanations. I am also a redhead, which fits in with Erich von Daniken's theories in "Chariots of the Gods"--one of the very few such books I have ever read. The most plausible explanation for my traits is my gene pool. My paternal grandparents came from Sicily, which has been invaded by quite a few armies. My maternal grandparents came from Germany, but my grandfather was of mixed heritage, some of which was French/Irish/Celtic.