A San Diego woman named Miss Del Mar Cougar 2009 has plenty to say about her title and where she would like her newfound fame to take her.
Real-estate agent Rosie Goldstein got her crown Wednesday.
Goldstein said she was originally from the Bay Area but moved to San Diego about 20 years ago. Two friends who saw the contest mentioned in a local paper called her Sunday and told her she had to enter. By Monday she was front-runner, and the next day, a finalist.
"It was unbelievable," Goldstein said about her experiences. "A whirlwind. We need to find a reality show -- a cougar-based reality show."
She remembers how she felt when she found out Wednesday morning she had won: "I was just so happy: 'Oh my god, oh my God.' "
Goldstein said she finds nothing wrong with the term "cougar."
"I think it's a fun term for older women," Goldstein said. "It puts us in a different light -- it's a young term."
For anybody wondering, the real-estate agent (Rosie Goldstein and Associates) is currently single.
"Not dating anyone right now. Why? Do you know someone?" she asked.
While Goldstein, who would only say she is "past 40," is open to dating someone her age ("Absolutely"), she has gone younger in the past.
"In the not too far-away past -- 37 and 36," she said, "I wouldn't go too much farther than that. Then you're getting too young. Naive young."
The Tierrasanta resident said her experience Wednesday was more than she hoped for.
"I felt like I was movie star. The [club] president brought us up ... where the high-rollers are," Goldstein said.
The self-described single mom said her 23-year-old son was "proud, very proud" of his mom getting the title at Del Mar, even telling co-workers about her achievement.
"His boss said, 'No way, that's not your mom,' " said Goldstein who also sings with a cover band called Big Fun and Company.
So what's Goldstein's secret to staying young?
"Exercise, eat well -- I always take care of myself," said Goldstein, who adds that she takes a lot of vitamins.
Clearly, Goldstein is enjoying all the attention -- well, most of it anyway.
"I'm on the front page of the paper," she said, but quickly qualified, "of all the pictures they took, they picked the worst one."
