Okay ladies, I have a claim to fame and I know some other women from my home town do too.

Michael Phelps, the golden swimmer (soon to break the 7 golds won by Mark Spitz) once lived right down the street from me, and my oldest son went through 8 years of school with him.

The young man has even been in my home.

The guys lost touch when they went to different high schools, but then again, my youngest son was a freshman this year in the very same school from which Michael just graduated.

Michael has no clue what a fan he has in me. I feel like a stalker when I lunge for the newspaper with yet another picture and article about him. I am taking great pleasure in this. Can you tell?

Can't wait until the Olympics next summer. I will watch and gawk at him just like I did with Mark Spitz when I was a teen. Oh my!

Please tell me you know who I am talking about!