Wow!
Thanks everyone!
filifera looks possible...and toumeyana
I am voting for some type of agave...
mostly because of the meatiness of the leaves, the cool stippling and stripes -or bud imprints, and the fact that there are many more compact agave hybrids than yucca showing up for impulse purchase it seems.
I got it from a BBS mini-succulent half-dead sale rack many years ago when I lived in MN--it was called 'Bird's Nest' Aloe
and I agree--definitely not an aloe. The lying tag also said to "Protect from frost".
It is probably amazing that it is still alive after all these years with poor culture indoors and I am quite certain that it doesn't look normal or as it should either, because of that.
It will be interesting to see if and how it changes after a summer outside