They're kidding, right? You've got my stats and photos, what else could you possibly need to know? :) I like to laugh (although I did find myself in a weird Laughter and Yoga class on a whim and realized it can be crazy awkward to laugh inappropriately for the sake of mental and physical health), experience new things, feel unsettled (which means there's more to see, do, taste), live outside the box. Keep reading for more about me and if you've got questions, shoot me a line, cool?

My first thought is to write about my career, field, education, etc. If that's what this question is going for, then I've been in the education field for about 8 years, working with different organizations, including my own small business. I'm into alternative forms of education so I just started a new gig at a virtual curriculum provider that's doing some pretty cool stuff. I'll let you know in a month if it's as awesome as it sounds, but I'm optimistic. On that note, I'm a decently positive person. Some people confuse optimism with naivete, but I like people who can keep their negative side in check. There are too many good things in the world to focus on the bad. If that's your deal, you're probably not my guy. I'm incredibly supportive and if you're in a bad mood, I can't not do what I can to make you feel a bit better: come up with a game plan, get you drunk, bring you a stupid present like a Magic 8 ball with answers. This is getting a little off topic. This is not atypical, so get ready.

If the question is going for overall life pursuits, then I would have to say that I'm building a life of balance. My work is very important to me, but so are relationships and experiences. I manage my schedule like a puzzle, squeezing in kickboxing classes, dinners with friends, drinks with coworkers, and volunteering at my local library so that as many evenings and weekends are as full as possible. I hope you are this way too. I love to travel (preferably internationally, though there are plenty of US destinations that I really should've checked off by now...), cook (and by extension, eat), spend time drinking wine with friends, go on photography excursions, and in general, fill my days with lasting experiences (this includes many asides and parentheses). I'm also getting a bit more into fitness so kickboxing, kayaking, hiking, jogging (not yet a runner, but perhaps one day) are starting to take up more of my evenings and weekends. Let me know if you'd like to join!

Claim to fame: through an odd turn of events, if you ever see a redhead on a commercial for language learning software in the US, Japan, or Korea, it just might be me. Oh, and I created holiday M&Ms in 1986. Never saw a dime, but I got a letter from them thanking me for the submission. Two years later, you could buy Christmas M&Ms. I'm still a little ticked that I'm not a bajillionaire.

Using sarcasm or self-deprecating humor to get people to laugh

Learning enough of a language to get by (currently studying Turkish so I'm ready for my upcoming trip in the Fall and plan to pick up sign language--I'm already a pretty significant hand-talker so I may as well be doing something with it)

Making pies (though in all fairness, how hard is that, really? just dump some fruit, chocolate, sugar into some dough and you're good)

Trying new things (I want an adventurer, someone who is curious and hops out of bed in the morning because there's something to be discovered, even if it's just to meander around Georgetown for hours and people watch, though hopefully we can find something equally fun to do away from the city)

Being a friend (seriously, I rock--I remember birthdays, I bring presents for no reason, I'm a pretty good listener, and I tend to be a problem-solver even when people just want to gripe)

My eyes. They're the kind of blue that you see on the first day of Spring, driving through the Shenandoah on your way to a picnic. The kind that make you take a deep breath of fresh air and exhale slowly, feeling content and exhilarated. Plus, I tend to look straight into people's eyes when conversing, so that adds to the enchantment.

Having said all that nonsense, they're blue.

Oh, and I have red hair. That's kind of hard to miss as well. It's actually a little unfair because others have that natural mnemonic device ("Oh yeah, you're that girl with red hair."), whereas I am forced to find other distinctive features to remember people by ("Hey... man... you're that guy in the tshirt... It's been so long! How are ya?!?" *sheepish half grin with slight blush*).

Books: The Alchemist, Flowers for Algernon, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Brain that Changes Itself, The Hunger Games, Why Gender Matters, Water for Elephants, anything Bill Bryson, anything Malcolm Gladwell, Predictably Irrational, stupid travel books, Orson Scott Card, Isaac Asimov, I'll pretty much read anything... Still stuck in the grad school kind of mentality (language learning, international programming, nonformal education, that kind of thing), but trying to expand.

Movies: Stranger than Fiction, Closer, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, V for Vendetta, Trading Places, Office Space, Major League, Crash (one of those "watch once a year" movies), the new Batmans, Inception, X Men 4, Usual Suspects, Zoolander, Big Night, Big Chill, Die Hard, Talented Mr. Ripley, True Lies

Shows: whatever Netflix recommends for me: Parks and Rec (I was called Leslie Knope as an insult once, but took it as a compliment!), How I Met Your Mother (I'm more of a Scherbatsky than a Lily, FYI), Better Off Ted, Lie to Me (new favorite show), The Office, Ted Talks (do those count?), It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Seinfeld, Studio 60, West Wing (love that CJ Cregg shares my initials!), 30 Rock

Music: my brother's a musician so I listen to him for a lot of stuff, though often have a hard time remembering: Need to Breathe, Kings of Leon, Bon Iver, The Swell Season, Fanfarlo, Juanes, Luis Fonsi, Mana, Ben Folds, The Killers, Nina Simone, Paolo Nutini, Ray LaMontagne, Ryan Adams

Food: good grief, where do I begin??? Japanese, Italian, Latin American (Mexican, Argentinian, Spanish), Thai, anything with hazelnuts, cherries, or chocolate, grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, Thanksgiving dinner, manchego/brie with spicy plum chutney, blackberry and chocolate pie (my recipe), butternut squash/pumpkin soups, fajitas, brunch brunch brunch (I don't branch out enough--it's usually eggs florentine or waffles)

Things? So, no people? Let's leave out the obvious (family, friends, blah blah blah) and focus on the stuff:

1. Wine (sold wine for a few months in the DC area, discovered I'm not great at sales, but solidified a passion for wine--hence, you'll always find a fully stocked bar at my place)
2. Sound machine (I'm sorry, but who can fall asleep in absolute silence? It's impossible. Until I make my millions and buy a house in the Willamette Valley with a vineyard on one side and a creek on the other, it's the Brookstone babbling brook for me.)
3. Passport (my newest copy has far too few stamps in it--must remedy that promptly. We've covered Iceland, Canada (does that even count?), and Guatemala, but Turkey will be later this year. Hoping to add Croatia, Morocco, and Costa Rica soon. Where are you going next?)
4. Laptop (seems cheating to put this one, but without it, I'd be in a bit of trouble professionally)
5. My camera (while bopping around Asia in my 20s, I starting seeing things differently and wanted a camera that could come closer to what my mind saw. Enter: Rebel XT, which I'm still learning how to use... baby steps... Teach me some stuff and I'll bake you some banana bread.)
6. Something somewhat abstract, but I guess you could say, the ability to make others happy. For example, this year, all of my Christmas shopping was pretty much done by September. I made mental notes of things people mentioned and before I could forget, went out and bought/made whatever it was. It let all my friends and family know that not only did I listen when they commented on something, but made the effort to come through. I put a fair level of effort in making others happy and, in doing so, it brightens my own day as well.

That last one was kind of lame, forgive me.

How can I make the world better (my areas of interest are education and micro-enterprise, particularly among girls/women)?

What's the latest dish I can add to my culinary repertoire?

If you had a year to change your life and money wasn't an issue, what would you do?

How to keep up with all the off/online sources of input for myself and for my business.

What kooky fruit and veggie combo to try for my next juice (borrowed my bro's juicer to see if I can get into that... Stay tuned!).

How many different lists I have going and how they are mostly growing not shrinking (travel, work, writing, books, etc.)

Becoming a woman of the 1800s (having said all that tech talk earlier), you know, jamming, canning, growing things in pots, that sort of thing (I currently have a tomato plant, blackberry plant, and a bunch of herbs on my porch and I'm a bit frightened at how delighted I get to see them grow)

What people find when they Google me

out with buddies trying out a new restaurant or grabbing a drink somewhere. Or I'm at home, cooking dinner for some folks and just hanging. I also like to go to the movies so that happens occasionally, as well.

When driving, I mentally jump between the white dashes of the lane dividers. If I see two lines that converge, I have to somehow complete the triangle. I think we all have a little OCD in us. What's yours?

-you want to "do" stuff, like go hiking, take a spontaneous weekend trip, take a cooking class, whatever
-you want to do any and all of those dang groupon activities and need a buddy
-you accept that chicks dig Pinterest and that you may one day benefit from it
-you have the ability or desire to grow facial hair (not a requirement, but it's nice)
-you are passionate about something/anything that you want to teach me
-you think we'd get along and think you can keep up with me (the gauntlet has been thrown!)
--you can do more than one thing at a time, i.e. going to the gym and then going out to dinner could easily happen in one evening and wouldn't be too taxing for you
-you're the kind of person who listens and doesn't assume every girl is like your last girlfriend (she might be, she might not--give her the benefit of the doubt--she might surprise you)
-you are confident, not arrogant; spontaneous, not thoughtless; dependable, not needy; romantic, not gushy; driven, not a workaholic; funny, not childish. and tall. :-)