David Lat: The FishbowlDC Interview

FishbowlDC says hello to new AboveTheLaw.com blogger (and one-time Wonkette'r) David Lat. How many suits do you own? About 15; they're a vestige from my legal career. But my rotation of suits is smaller than 15 at any given time, since some are only appropriate for certain seasons. Now that I work from home, in shorts and a T-shirt, they hang untouched in my closet. I think they're getting lonely. What word do you routinely misspell? Harassment. In fact, to answer this question, I had to look it up. Did you see Brokeback Mountain? Yes. I liked it a great deal, although not as much as most people I know. That said, Michelle Williams was magnificent. Did you see The Da Vinci Code? No. But I read Anthony Lane's review of it in The New Yorker, which was probably more entertaining. What's the name of your cell phone ring? The standard Nokia ring. I'm pretty old-fashioned about certain things. (Like fonts. Times New Roman all the way, baby.) What time did you get up this morning? Later than I should have. I'm a total night owl. When did you last cry and why? When I visited my sister's gravesite on the second anniversary of her death. (Yeah, that's kind of a downer. But hey, you asked.) More when you click below... Which of the seven deadly sins are you? Envy, envy, envy. A close second is gluttony -- especially with respect to Haagen-Dazs Caramel Cone ice cream, which I had to give up cold turkey. Beach, city or country? City. And the mall. Would you say you're cute? Pretty? Hot? Beautiful? After a really good haircut, cute, in a boyishly appealing sort of way. But maybe I'm flattering myself; it's obviously hard to objective about such things. When I turn 35 in a few years, I'd like my plastic-surgeon dad to give me Botox for my birthday. What color is your bathroom? A rather boring off-white. How many emails do you receive a day, roughly? Nowadays, about 50; back when I was at Wonkette, hundreds. I don't miss them. I feel guilty about when I don't respond to an email. But there just aren't enough hours in the day! What's your opinion of New York City? I lived in New York for five years before moving down here, and I love it. I go up there on weekends pretty regularly. Right now I'm trying to find people in NYC to do an occasional "housing swap" with me, so that I could stay up there for maybe a week every month or so (while they'd stay in my DC apartment). Know anyone? What's your favorite letter? I'm assuming you mean "of the alphabet," as opposed to "from Paul to the Corinthians." So construed, "P." It has character; it's not bland and common, like a vowel; but it's not too esoteric either, like "X" or "Q." What single person played the biggest role / had the biggest influence on your journalism career? Jeffrey Toobin of the New Yorker, an absolutely brilliant legal journalist, who wrote the "Talk of the Town" piece that sent me on my way. Have you ever downloaded a podcast? If so, which one? No. I must be the last person in America not to own an iPod. Who's your all-time favorite American Idol candidate? Jasmine Trias is my girl. She's not the most vocally gifted of the Idols; that might be Latoya London. But there's just something about her. When's the last time you volunteered? Where? Last month. I collected items for the homeless ministry at St. Matthew's. Who is your favorite active journalist? I might have to say Jeff Toobin again. But if I can't, then maybe Adam Moss. What did you have for breakfast? Vanilla Almond Crisp with vanilla soy milk. It's the breakfast of champions (who shop at Whole Foods). What's your favorite item of clothing? A blue, short-sleeved shirt, with pale grey stripes and a concealed-button front, made of a weird-but-cool synthetic fabric. It fits me exceptionally well, and since I bought it overseas, I never walk into a bar and find someone wearing the same thing. Plus, I was wearing it when I had my picture taken with Rep. Katherine Harris (R-FL), and it looked like we were in matching outfits. What one toiletry item could you not live without? Anthony Logistics for Men facial moisturizer with SPF 15. If you could have one superpower, which one would it be? The ability to know how long it will take for the next train to arrive BEFORE descending into the bowels of the Metro. Better role model: GIJoe? Barbie? Barbie. I'll take style over substance any day of the week. I want Mattel to issue a limited-edition "Judicial Diva Barbie." Malibu Courthouse sold separately. Each FishbowlDC Interview subject is asked to contribute a word to this ongoing thread. Thus far we have..."Leprechaun suits shimmer Sensenbrennerly. Never regurgitate, orginate! Ideally, chutzpah feathers one's soul melodically. Rhythmically, supergalifragilistic sounds..." baroque

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David Lat: The FishbowlDC Interview

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