7 Random Things Meme

I had been kindly tagged for this meme by both Tanna at My Kitchen in Half Cups and Naomi at Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried. I love their blogs and really liked reading their 7 things, but wasn't convinced I should put myself out there as well. But I'm tired tonight after two nights out (in a row! and I didn't get home until after 10pm!!) and I can no longer think of any excuses not to list those 7 things. So without further ado...

1. I'm a New Yorker by birth and a Londoner by transplant, but my surname and origins are from Louisiana. My last name is an entirely made up one, and can be traced back to one Italian gentleman who married a French-Acadian woman, moved to Louisiana, and changed the spelling of his name so it could appear more French. My grandfather was the first of his generation to leave Louisiana and move north, and I've continued that wanderlust tradition by being the only person with my last name living in the UK (as far as I can tell). And my husband wonders why I wouldn't take his name at marriage.

2. Still on family history, I'm a bit lucky to be here: I'm the child of a (former) Catholic priest and (former) nun. It isn't how they met, though - they were set up on a blind date by friends who thought they'd 'have a lot in common'. They did, and got married at Kennedy Airport and danced their first dance to the theme from The Godfather. Horse's head, anyone?

3. My own wedding was marginally less unique, though I did wear a vintage pink cocktail dress I bought off ebay for $80. And I found shoes to match - hooray!


4. I'm allergic to avocados.

5. My high school was (supposedly) one of only two in the U.S to put on a full-scale opera each year, and so I appeared in The Magic Flute during my final year of school. It doesn't mean I was any good, mind you.

6. Mr A&N's real name is Tom, and aside from being a very good cook himself, he's a film editor by day and a writer by night. We spend our evenings alternating who is cooking and who is writing.

7. Aside from cooking and eating, and possibly sleeping, my favorite thing in the world to do is to laugh.

I would like to tag the following people to take on this meme:
Wendy from A Wee Bit of Cooking since I always love reading her posts and find myself giggling at them more often than not.
Brilynn from Jumbo Empanadas, not least because she's working under adverse kitchen conditions.
Kate from Aaplemint, since she's a stellar blogger, photographer, and commenter and seems to have some very interesting adventures.
Emiline from Sugar Plum since I'd love to find out more about her plans for herself.
Jasmine from Confessions of a Cardamom Addict, since I've recently found her to be something of a literary kindred spirit and am so pleased she's back sharing her blog with us all again.