I am a city girl who was raised in the small town world of northern Minnesota. I escaped the frozen tundra in 1988, landing in San Francisco in 2005 by way of Chicago and New York. My personal motto is: Work Hard, Have Fun, Be Nice. I live by these words. I’m a huge fan of satire and think that Jon Stewart and Stephan Colbert are geniuses. I love to teach people new things and get my fix as a volunteer leading a comparative architecture walking tour of downtown San Francisco. I adore spending time with the intellectually curious, witty, adventurous, and slightly edgy crowd. They are my mother-ship. I just read that human behavioral studies suggest that people who use a lot swear words tend to be more honest and trustworthy, so now I feel a lot better about my potty-mouth.

Here are a few fun facts you might find interesting: Remember Marge Gunderson from the movie Fargo? I used to talk like that; I seriously considered joining the rodeo the last time I was in Reno; I can play the piano and I can sing, but I can’t do both at the same time which is making it hard to get my lounge act off the ground.

Things that make me happy: good food, dive bars, close friends, city living, animals, funny people, music, learning new things, a peaceful and beautiful home, cooking, independent films, exploring uncharted territory, curling up with a good book, give and take, WTF podcast, kind gestures, raconteurs and bowling.

Things that bum me out: closed minds, lowest common denominator, mean people, crappy weather, contrarians, raisins in food for no good reason, taking the easy way out, hypocrisy, one-upsmanship and an appalling lack of appropriate turn signal etiquette.

I’m working on living a happy and balanced existence. I am a designer by trade and love what I do for a living. In my spare time, I pursue interests that bring me joy. Right now that means taking voice lessons, learning Italian and spending time with friends. I’m also making space for new people and opportunities to find their way into my life.

Spatial relationships, figuring out what ingredients are in restaurant dishes and telepathically communicating with my pets to get them to do my bidding.

My sense of style, dry wit and big brown eyes.

Books: Mysteries, Historical Fiction, anything funny
Movies: Independent films, Documentaries, Comedies; pretty much anything with a plot that doesn’t rely on blowing things up.
SHOWS: The Daily Show, Colbert Report, CBS Sunday Morning, Bob’s Burgers, Parks & Recreation, Nova
MUSIC: Recent iTunes downloads – Aimee Mann, Justin Timberlake, Ayub Ogada, Benjamin Gibbard, Bobby McFarrin.
FOOD: Pretty much anything except raisins (see above), offal, and eggplant. I’m kind of addicted to kale salad lately. I know, that kind of surprised me too.

1) Laughter
2) Kindness
3) Joy
4) My animals
5) Creative Outlet
6) Chocolate

A side business I’m trying to get launched by the summer.

Something a little low key like a movie or dinner with friends. I'm usually pretty tapped out by the end of the week, so a quiet Friday night gives me a lot more energy for fun the rest of the weekend.

I’ll probably have to turn in my She-Lady Club membership card for admitting this, but I’m getting really tired of being super independent and hyper-self sufficient all the time. Being single is great, but being in a solid relationship sounds a whole lot more fun. I am certainly not looking for someone to complete me; that would be weird. I just think it would be nice to share new experiences with a like-minded person and see where it takes us.

You love your fantastic life, but think it could be even better with a great side kick. Are you a smarty-pants? Do you love to laugh? Can you enjoy yourself at dive bar as much as at fine dining establishments? Does coming home to a dog or cat sound like a good thing? Are you up for new adventures? Do you see the irony of 20 year olds wearing Members Only jackets? If the word “Yes” jumps to mind, then please, by all means please message away.