11 Fun and Interesting Answers from MaggieDammit

I know that's double what you asked for, but it's half I could name. Honestly. And I just thought of five more right now, so you'd better cut me off....
Q: What would we find in your refrigerator right now?

A: Leftovers. Lately I've been a wee obsessed with the Food Network channel and so I'm always trying new and inventive recipes. My husband is a good sport, but unfortunately my kids usually aren't -- in fact, one of them eats nothing but chicken nuggets -- and so we end up with a lot of leftovers. Also, lots of cheese -- it's my go-to protein food for the kids, and my go-to comfort food for me -- and this is Wisconsin, you know? Lots of cheese. Too much cheese. This could explain my ever-expanding girth. Oh, and beer! (Viva Wisconsin!)

Q: Is it more important that food tastes good or that it's healthy?

A: I think the perfect foods are both. Take, for instance, avocado. Hard boiled eggs with just the right amount of lemon pepper. Almonds. These are fantastically healthy foods but they still taste wonderful.

Q: If you could trade places with a celebrity, who would it be?

A: I think Julia Roberts has the whole thing down pat. She's gorgeous, she's smart, she's in love, she's a great mom, and she doesn't give two hoots whether or not she looks pretty for that cameraman hiding in the bushes. And she laughs -- a LOT. Her ranch looks pretty amazing, too. I wish she was my BFF and then we would ride our horses into the sunset and make sweet, sweet humor.

Q: If they made a movie about your family, who would play your characters?

A: I don't know about the rest of us, but Will Ferrell might do my 4-year-old daughter justice. MIGHT.

Maggie with Gloria Steinem
Q: Can you leave the house without makeup?

A: This question would make my best friends snort wine out their noses. I wear makeup MAYBE once a week. It's one of my favorite parts about living in the Wisconsin boonies, of being a freelance writer, and of having a husband who is completely unimpressed by outer trappings. (Now, if I rubbed Essence of White Tail Deer all over myself, well, that might be a different story....)

Q: Do you have a favorite article of clothing that you plan to wear until it's just threads?

A: I'm beginning to think that really fashion forward people read this blog, and I am inevitably a gigantic disappointment. The truth is, I'm a big shawl person. I wear shawls until they are threads, for sure. I'm rarely without one. It's pathetic. But very, very cozy. ;)

Q: When it comes to clothing, which is more important? Brand or price?

A: I could care less for brands, but I'm a big believer in quality. I would rather spend the money on something that will last, than buy five shirts at Walmart. My closet is pretty sparse.

Q: What kind of people do you dislike?

A: I like most people. I see the good in almost everyone. I guess my biggest pet peeve is someone who thinks they're above everyone else. I can't stand people with a sense of entitlement.

Q: What's your favorite part of blogging?

A: The kindness of the people that read my words. If I'm stressed, or aching, or cracked raw in half, at any given moment I can reach out and ask for help, and a dozen people will instantly reply. Blogging makes me feel like I'm not alone, even when I think I want to be. It is, quite honestly, incredible.

Q: We hear you've started a new project. Can you tell us about it?
A: I founded Violence UnSilenced this spring to shed light within the blogging community on domestic violence and sexual assault. One in four women will be abused in her lifetime, and with 70 million blogs out there... well, chances are you know and read someone who is affected, regardless of what you think.

When I was working on a magazine article about domestic violence, I turned to my blog a time or two to vent -- and the response was tremendous. That's when I decided hey, I've got this audience and I don't know where they came from but they are incredibly generous people and I bet if I asked them for help, they'd do it. The entire Violence UnSilenced blog has been a community effort. Even the name was suggested by readers, and put to a group vote. The design, hosting fees, and badges have been donated by readers. It's incredible. I'm overwhelmed by the response, and more than a little humbled. The only way we'll ever eradicate domestic violence and sexual assault is to keep talking about it, keep showing our peers how prevalent it is. I really believe that.