7SS: David A. Mills

Sometime in the late 90s I dropped out took a break from seminary and went to work at a non-profit law firm that worked against the death penalty (that's the really simplified version.)  David Mills was on staff at the same time, working as an investigator of mitigating circumstances in the cases of death row inmates.  He'd also gone to Union Seminary in New York, and was dating a woman who became his wife and the mother of his two incredibly beautiful daughters.

The only time we ever double-dated with David and Leila was to go see the movie "Boys Don't Cry" with Hilary Swank.  Let me tell you.  It's not a movie to see with another couple you're hoping not to have to share therapy time with.  And yet, due to the joy that is Facebook, ten years later, David's still acknowledging my presence and kindly agreed to be interviewed.

Step #1
LIGHTNING ROUND

• Mac or PC? PC
• Sean Connery or Pierce Brosnan? Connery
• jazz or blues? jazz
• salty or sweet? sweet
• Asheville or Wilmington? Asheville
• nature or nurture? nurture
• baseball or soccer? baseball
  

Step #2
DESCRIBE a favorite scene or event from your childhood memory.
I had to move to Charlotte in the middle of kindergarten. My teacher took me to an ice-cream shop for a banana split to say goodbye.

Step #3
TEACH US one or two of your favorite vocabulary words.
nauseous--it does NOT mean "nauseated." When you tell me "I'm nauseous," you're telling me you make me sick. While that may be true, I don't think that's what you want to convey.

Step #4
BOOK BLANKS

• The last book I finished reading was Yogi Berra: Eternal Yankee by Allen Barra.
• I gave it four stars.
• One word to describe it is well-researched.
  

Step #5
QUESTION: You run the Common Sense Foundation in Durham, NC. Can you explain, in laypeople terms, what that means?

I no longer work at the Common Sense Foundation, but it's a rabble-rousing organization that produces talking heads for the media to present the liberal perspective on North Carolina issues.

Step #6
QUESTION: In your opinion, what's the biggest challenge facing the Obama Administration?
The economy

Step #7
GIVE US THE SCOOP. Tell us something about yourself that’s exclusive to In Search of Giants (ie, has never been publicized in print or podcast interviews.)
I was on Jeopardy! in 2007 and got my clock cleaned.

Now, of course, I have to go comb the Jeopardy archives.  Thanks for coming, David, and hugs to those three gorgeous girls of yours!