I was born and raised in  . . ..  With my mother (a  . . ., now retired), my father (also retired), my older sister, and our adopted stray cat, I spent my first 17 years in a Jewish neighborhood almost in the suburbs. My family, which has grown to include a brother-in-law and two nieces, still lives in  . . .. They can’t believe I moved to Iowa. They’ve all moved to the suburbs.

When I was 12 I fell off a bicycle and chipped one of my front teeth. I’ve resisted getting it capped. I’ve never resisted getting on a bicycle.

I attended  . . . college in  . . . and earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology. I received two master’s degrees from the University of  . . ., one in anthropology and one in journalism. My work experience consists of journalism, social-science research and restaurant jobs. You may have read my food column in  . . .; my pen name was  . . .. (Don’t look for it now: I quit in May.)

Some of my non-academic interests are cooking, reading fiction, gardening, tennis and almost anything outdoors. I have a dog, an 11 year-old  . . . named  . . ., who gets me out of the house three times a day. Today we packed up our law books and went to our favorite spot at Kent Park till the sun went down.

I am an NPR junkie.

I have an intense curiosity and enjoy learning about anything new and different. I’ve traveled around this country and several others, but I’ve never been to Asia, Africa, Australia, or Antarctica. I like to uphold my mother’s motto: I’ll try anything once, twice if I like it.

I came to law school because I wanted to get involved in public interest work. At this point I’m thinking along the lines of child welfare, environmental law, and/or Native American law, but I’m open to suggestion. Other careers I’ve considered: teacher, anthropologist, pet psychologist, and entomologist. I used to want to be the first woman on the Supreme Court.

Before coming to law school, the only experience I’d had with the legal system was from volunteering as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (for abused children). The coordinator of the program thought I’d enjoy law school. She was right.

I moved to Iowa three years ago, with my significant other, who just finished  . . .. Now he’s  . . . in Chicago.

That’s all for now.

I’m still excited to be in law school. I have wanted to be in law school since I was in the 6th grade and it seems a little unreal that I am actually here -- becoming what I’ve thought about being.

I love to chat, so please stop me.

I grew up and went to college in Nebraska. It’s basically like living in Iowa, except Iowa has a lot more festivals and “stuff” to do than Nebraska.

Here’s a tip for anyone planning a trip across Nebraska. Do not exceed the 75 mph speed limit. You will get a warning or maybe even a ticket from going even 77 mph.

I’m not a world traveler. I have been a total of about 9 states in my whole life and have never been out of the U.S. Hopefully, I will be able to travel more in my adult life than I did as a child.

I’ve been married to the same guy for 5 years. I like being married and would recommend it to everyone.

Well, er, Hello!, class, with no distinctions, if you will. I was born and reared in . . . California, and yep, I’m a long way from my family, and with no ruby slippers to boot. The whole clan still resides in, except my sis; she just moved to the Bay area after graduating from UCLA. Bravo! My pappy is an advocate, hmmm?, and my mom is an . . . artist, let us say. I have a little bro, . . . , who is almost graduated from high school this past May, but he did manage to total my motorcycle over the summer. My grandparents live a few minutes from my parents and every Sunday the clan, including all my aunts and uncles and bratty cousins, congregates at . . . for dinner. Yep, that’s kind of a glimpse, as long as there is no short supply of imagination.

when i was a tot, i kind of wanted to be a baseball player, dang did i ever want to be a baseball player. my favorite player was a right fielder by the name of . . .  he was too cool. then i grew up a little, around 25 or sos, and got kind of loopy and all of a sudden i wanted to be a doctor – pediatrician – or a lawyer. got to be especially loopy to want to be a lawyer me thinks, but sometimes, in all honest, me really digs the thought of practicing as an attorney. i still have a dream deep inside, but i’ll jest keep that to myself for now.

I studied. . .  at . . . It took me eight years to get through under grad because I kept dropping out to travel around . . . or to hang out here in the U.S. and see our grand country on a motorized horse. While attending . . . , I mostly lived in . . .. My favorite part of the city was . . ..  I lived with one of the coolest and brightest fellas in this universe, . . .. He is a man I call brother.

Before I forget, chess is a great love of mine, so if anyone is ever up for a game, a wood pusher is just a phone call away. Oh yeah, yesterday was my birthday. For some reason I keep getting older. The morning time is my time. I love to start my day with a cup o’ joe -- current blend: Sumatra, Swiss Chocolate, Vanilla Nut Cream -- and the crossword. Because everyone keep bugging me to quit, I won’t mention that [cigarettes] are included in my holy morning trinity.

I’m not overly ambitious and so I only seek to be governor someday of some little state, say, California.