I've been trying to get a bit more aggressive about meeting new people lately. I've always had my nice core group of a few friends I would spend about 95% of my time with, and that was great. These friends are swell, I still keep in contact and try to see them as often as I can, but life gets in the way. They move away for a new job or an adventure abroad, they isolate themselves with their husbands, wives or partners, or their studies just keep them too busy to maintain an active social life.

A word you will hear out of my mouth a lot is "adventure". The adventure I've been putting myself through lately has been to obliterate my approach anxiety. Basically, I'm trying to start short conversations with people as often as I can.

I'm a born introvert in the process of conversion to being functionally fully extroverted. So much of where you go, what you do, and who you do it with is determined by your level of interpersonal skills, and if you aren't growing those skills, you are either stagnating or wasting away.

Results so far in my little self-improvement-palooza: I'm much more confident, curious about other people and the world, driven to accomplish my goals, I'm living a life more in alignment with my values, I'm more productive but I have more free time, I'm more open-minded and outgoing.

I'm a credit away from grabbing a degree in Psychology from UW-Madison, then it is off to grad school for me, hopefully pursuing my masters in Applied Positive Psychology. After that, there are many doors open to me.

I try to wrap myself in activities that inspire growth as opposed to killing time. Meditation, yoga, cooking, building things, chess, drawing, running, weights, bicycling, etc.

I'm not afraid to make a fool of myself in front of God and country. I love to sing until my voice dies, and I will dance until my feet can no longer carry me. I'm a huge fan of Disney movies, and anything with Robin Williams in it. That is a funny, hairy man.

Studying for the GRE while getting to know myself and my friends a little better. Meeting new people, making new friends, building some lasting connections.

MUSIC: Bobby McFerrin, Queen, Radiohead, Sufjan Stevens, I recently lost my Ipod and my laptop was stolen, so I havn't been listening to much lately but what has been playing on the Reggae - Dub station of Pandora.
If you can send me a mix-CD of wonderful things, I'll return the favor with candy.

FOOD: My uncle's chicken and rice - my soulfood.

BOOKS: Authentic Happiness (my name sake, by Martin Seligman), the complete Sherlock Holmes, The Fountainhead, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Infinite Jest

MOVIES: Back to the Future, Good Will Hunting, Forrest Gump, Dirty Dancing, Seven Years in Tibet, Patch Adams, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Pianist, Tombstone, and whatever is in the theatres that I'm still raving about.

Pants (that counts as one even though its plural), flip flops (also one), corrective lenses (one again), a smooth pen, a whole mess of blank paper, a sharp strong chef's knife.

Right now I'm trying to understand why and how different people have "chemistry" with eachother. I've been feeling it at the oddest times with people I absolutely should be feeling no chemistry for, and have been having absolutely none for those whom I should be totally vibing with. Kind of frustrating, but something I'm sure I can get handled.

Having a blast and generally making an ass of myself

I'm kind of glad about not being a woman on this site. I can post photos which are actually flattering without oodles of women commenting on them. I can ramble about how awesome I am and women will read it. I understand that women have the problem of being over-burdened with male suitors when they put themselves out in an online format. I don't have that issue. If anything more than 3 women a day came out of the woodwork and sent me goofy "ur hot, WhatR ur digtz?" after oogling my chest, I might be turned off by this site.

Guys are creepy. I would never date guys.

Now, all I have to worry about is elbowing my way through the wash of correspondence women get, and impress on them that I'm special, they are special, and that they will feel comfortable around me.

You feel you have something to teach.

You are confident, independent, have a hint of oddball.

You have an adventure in mind for next weekend to compete with my adventure in mind.

Ideally, I'm looking for someone active and adventurous, but who can be laid back and appreciate the beauty of the moment. I love to find people that dance. A salsa would be nice but the drunken hippity hop is always a hoot. Someone passionate, with a goal in mind and a plan of how to get there.

All that aside, romantically, I want someone I can have chemistry with. Without that spark, those butterflies, or that electric feel when we first touch, I think all we can be destined for is friend territory. Not a bad thing, but not exactly why we are all here, either.