I'm a Sagittarius born during the year of the Fire Dragon, which makes me a triple fire sign. It's a wonder I don't just self-combust. I'm not as outgoing or flamboyant as it makes me sound until you get to know me fairly well, but then I can be a handful. I don't play games; I like romance but don't live for it. I love to dance but can't find a club that doesn't double as a meat market. (if you know of any in St. Louis, I'm all ears. I've been to Buca and Morgan Street and have not been impressed.) I've been told my ice-cold hands mean I don't have a pulse, and I've been known to elbow the cats aside so I can curl up in sunlight puddles. Speaking of cats, I have two black cats, one male and one female, both named Max. It's a long story, and it's not my fault. I only named one of them. All in all, it's not bad.

I know I've been gone for a while and a lot has happened in the meantime. I just had to get back on the crazymaking bus for one last whirl, and this time when I jumped off it was almost routine. I didn't even feel sad; I just can't afford to get back on again, so I won't. These days I feel a lot of relief and I'm happy to get up each morning and know there will be no drama today. So hey, let's all hear it for bright new futures!

Girls, come on out of the woodwork. Let's hang out. Eat ice cream and watch stupid movies. Be gal pals or maybe more. Make funnel cakes at home and drink fruity drinks that kick like a mule.

In other news, I've also been laid off in the meantime. I was upset about it for about five minutes. I got eight weeks of severance pay (which, incidentally, are about to run out) but I haven't even begun to tap into unemployment. Turns out I'd have to earn more than $10 an hour to beat unemployment, and those jobs aren't exactly falling off trees. So I'm headed full-force into the freelance writing game and hoping I'll be able to support myself from that. What I'll probably wind up doing is staying on unemployment while I rebuild my sample file, getting a craptastic job to bring in money and begin getting paid for writing, and then jumping off solo by the beginning of next year. Keep your fingers crossed for me; it's been a rough year.

Hmm...I can write, I can make soap (no, not like Fight Club. EW!), I love to dance, to cuddle my cats, and take pictures; I can read like a bat out of hell, and I'm deadly at Trivial Pursuit. I can also make bath salts, salt and sugar scrubs, and bath bombs. Lotions I'm slowly getting the hang of, but lip balms are still beyond me.

People generally notice that I'm a curvy girl but proportionate. I have gorgeous hair and I'm a decent conversationalist.

Oh, boy, we're gonna be here a while.
Books: Stephenie Meyer, Kim Harrison, Terry Pratchett, Christopher Moore, Pam Johnson-Bennett, Janet Evanovich, Steven Lynch, Patrick Rothfuss (if he'll ever get around to publishing his next book, dammit), Maria Snyder, Carol Goodman, Erik Larson, Tamora Pierce, JK Rowling, Karen Armstrong...ask for a more complete list and I'll type your eyeballs out.

Movies: Clue, Goonies, Princess Bride, Run Lola Run, Batman Returns, X-Men, the Bourne flicks, Grandma's Boy, anything by Kevin Smith, Harry Potter...I could go on for a while here, too.

Music: Lemme see...Prince, female trip-hop (Sarah Fimm, Daughter Darling, Carmen Rizzo, Delerium, Conjure One), alternative (Breaking Benjamin, Red, Blue October, Evanescence), some jazz, electronica...just about everything except country and brassy jazz.

Food: Italian, Mexican and Greek. I specialize in comfort food; I make a mean pot roast and a beef stew to kill for. I'm not half bad at quiche, either. I used to bake bread...need to get back into that.

My Ipod
My cats
Warm temperatures
People
Books
Writing

People, my life, my future, working, my current book, video games

I don't know anymore. Probably job hunting.

Aw, hell, I don't know. I don't have a job, and I hate it.

You're fun and brainy enough to not be threatened by a smart woman. If you like a balance of being at home and going out. If you want to travel. If you think nothing of disappearing to Memphis or Kansas City or Chicago on a last-minute whim overnight or for a weekend. If you love to cuddle (this has turned out to be a biggie). If you like (or at least can tolerate) cats. If you're open-minded, kind, compassionate--but no one's doormat. If you treat women with respect and empathy. If you want to learn new things, expand your horizons. If you respect others. If you like to make people laugh. If you're endlessly curious.

And here's a thought: ladies, if you're looking for a gal pal to hit the pool, to go to the Galleria and get made up with cosmetics we wouldn't actually spend that much money on, and who will actually tell me those jeans don't do anything for my ass, who wants to meet up for coffee or wants to see that gooey chick flick, then you should message me, too.