I don't really know how to summarize myself...so I'll try to go with what my friends might say.

First let me say that humor is the key to happiness. I try not to take myself too seriously. I grew up in a family of 8, so I've learned to both dish out and take some serious teasing. I can turn any horrible situation into a big joke. Some people call that disrespectful; I call it sanity.

I love learning above all else. I'm not talking about sitting in a classroom or buffing up with a textbook; I mean real learning, the process of absorbing and synthesizing information every minute of every day. Everybody learns far more than they realize without even trying, and I find the huge body of knowledge and ideas that one can grasp, not to mention the ones that we can't grasp, absolutely fascinating. I definitely have the ability to get lost in my own head. I also enjoy sharing what I learn with others; if I had the patience, I would probably enjoy being a teacher.

Other things I love: good company, wine, pot, and hiking. I am crazy about traveling, especially if it involves car trips and\or camping. Nature is important to me. I enjoy the occasional party, but it's not something I do all the time anymore. I love reading and do some creative writing.

Music is extremely important to me. I played the violin for 10 years, though I honestly listen more than I play now. I'm just too busy with other things to be committed to my instrument anymore. I also love singing, though I've never had any real vocal training. I love going to shows.

Socially I am extremely liberal; I really don't care what people believe or do as long as they are not directly hurting other people. Morals are not something that concern me too much. I am more focussed on compassion than I am on sin. I am spiritual, but not religious. I have my own ideas about God, but I feel no need for other people to agree with me.

Some things I don't like: insecurity, pop music, and melons.

Words that are frequently used by others to describe me: short, smart, cute, stubborn, weird, cocky, spaced-out, feisty, straight-forward.

I'm in my junior year of college. I'm taking pre-nursing classes.

mario kart, baking, hugging, smiling, debating, speaking my mind, writing, lauging, being myself

My eyes (big), my hair (curly), and my height (4'11).

I have a lot of confidence and I think most people pick up on this.

Books: Skinny Legs and All, American Gods, Smoke and Mirrors, Good Omens, Harry Potter, Galapagos, The Sirens of Titan, Still Life with Woodpecker, Lolita, 1984, The Things They Carried, As I Lay Dying, Where the Red Fern Grows, Lord of the Rings, Ender's Game, His Dark Materials trilogy

Movies: Fight Club, American Beauty, Snatch, Easy Rider, Lord of the Rings, Fargo, Pan's Labyrinth, Lock Stock and two Smoking Barrels, Amelie, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Spinal Tap (or any other Christopher Guest film), almost any Monty Python, The Princess Bride, The Shipping News, many others

Music: The Beatles, Radiohead, Ween, Of Montreal, Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkle, Tori Amos, Air, Elloitt Smith, Sufjan Stevens, David Bowie, Tom Petty, The Features, Crosby Still & Nash, Neil Young, Ani Difranco, PJ Harvey, Velvet Underground, Violent Femmes, Sublime, The Gorillaz, Outkast, Ratatat, Ben Folds, Pink Floyd, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Gillian Welch, lots of stuff

Food: I'm a vegetarian, but I'll eat almost anything that's not meat

I am opposed to the idea of a typical Friday night. I may chill out with a small group of friends, I may go to a party, I may just stay home and read or smoke my hookah. It really depends.

I do engage in an illicit activity or two.

You tell me