Tagged by the Queen

Janet aka the Queen of Seaford tagged me! The challenge is to tell you seven things about myself that you don't know, and (hopefully) might find remotely interesting. Here it goes:

1. My ancestors came from Norway, and found their way to Westby, Wisconsin. In Westby, you can still buy Norwegian textiles and delicacies. There is also a great place to buy cheese called Westby Creamery.

2. Between college and law school, I took two years off. I spent the first year working towards a masters degree in philosophy (my undergraduate major). I then quit grad school and spent a year volunteering as an AmeriCorps VISTA, mostly teaching kids to read. It was awesome.

3. I have a tattoo of a butterfly. It was inspired by the book/movie Papillon, starring Steve McQueen.

4. I love colorful, modern art, including "folk art." Here are a painting from a street vendor in New Orleans, and a portrait of our dog Otis (by Steve Godbold, who perfectly captured Otis!):

(My apologies to the artists for the camera flash in these pictures.)

5. When I was in high school, I sang in a few bands, and dabbled in guitar. We played mostly original music, varying from folk to alternative.

6. I love to write. When I was in college, I wrote press releases as a PR intern, and some articles for the college newspaper. I don't get to do much substantive writing now (the occasional summary judgment motion or appeal), but it's my favorite part of my job by far.

7. I can cook a mean holiday turkey even though I don't eat them (or any other meat other than the very occasional seafood - for the past 10 years). The trick? Simplicity. Lots of butter, salt and pepper, and a little paprika for color. Celery, carrots and yellow onion stuffed in the cavities.

I am supposed to tag seven other people, but I know not everyone is into this kind of thing, so I'm just tagging one: Dirt Princess, who I recently got to meet! Hope y'all had a great weekend!