So there's a story Pema Chodron tells about a monk walking outside, who is suddenly charged by a pack of ferocious wild dogs. Instead of trying to run away, the monk turns to face the pack and starts charging them back. They're so surprised they turn around, tails between their legs. Although sometimes it's better to get out of the deep end of the pool, mostly this is the attitude toward the difficulties of life that I love best.

I was an English major in college and love poetry and good books, as well as psychology & spirituality, family & friends, and dancing and music. I actually dig math and the sciences, too, although I veered away from studying them for a variety of reasons.

After college, I changed my mind a couple of times about what to do next, one reason why I came late to the dreaded Pick-A-Career fork in the road. My choice, for the time being, is teaching English--mainly so I can get other people excited about the magical powers of well-chosen words. Having a fulfilling career, however meandering it may ultimately be, seems to be important to me.

Morality, good humor, kindness, sensitivity, alacrity and grounding--all these are crucial qualities to keep working on in myself and to find in those with whom I surround myself. I'm serious about life without being somber--there's a critical difference I think--and smiling (and/or making funny faces) is de rigeur.

I'm currently in a teacher prep program in which I take pedagogy classes in the afternoons and student teach in the mornings. This semester I'm with a fabulous 8th grade English class, which entails waking up at the not-so-fabulous hour of 7 am. I pursue meditation and some other spiritual practices (if you are in with the Ridhwan School, message me!). I like to play and listen to music, hope to explore the Bay Area more, and find new friends to do stuff with (except you can't come teach with me, however brilliant you would be).

Well, my friends tell me I'm really good at listening to them compassionately and having meaningful talks (I have a counselor side that comes out when it smells bottled-up tears). I'm a published poet, a relatively seasoned violinist, and an avid student of teaching. I'm told too that I'm thorough, funny, planful (rather than spontaneous, alas), and very sweet. I am more for judicious icing, though, than saccharine shots.

I'm kinda short (a bit under 5')... but I project myself well. :)

Some literature I love: The Fixer (Malamud), Zen Mind Beginner's Mind (Suzuki), Coleman Barks' Rumi, Dubliners, Madame Bovary, and many poems by Frost, Auden, James Merrill, Bishop, Shakespeare, Plath, Marianne Moore, Yeats and others. I want to put the musical Into the Woods here, too, because it derives from Bruno Bettelheim's The Uses of Enchantment. Right now I'm reading "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" (Tatum), which is eye-opening.

Favorite movies include: Black Orpheus. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The Ice Storm. Stand and Deliver. Groundhog Day. The Horse's Mouth. The Decalogue (Kieslowski). Koyaanisqatsi. Princess Mononoke. Triplets of Belleville. The Hurt Locker... In TV, though I don't watch much, I've enjoyed Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and the DVDs of Fawlty Towers. John Cleese is a force of nature.

Favorite music includes: in the Western classical world, almost anything by Bach or Brahms or Beethoven, and in the modern arena, Talking Heads, Built to Spill, Dar Williams, Patty Griffin, The Wailin' Jennys, Belle & Sebastian, MGMT, Leonard Cohen, Manu Chao, The Knife, and those amazing Tibetan monks. The ones with the super-deep voices. I know I've left a huge number of bands out. I don't listen to music these days as much as I want to.

Food I like: Butternut squash soup. Bagels with lox. Sushi. Pesto. Salads of many ingredients. Dark chocolate. (Another thing I'm good at: buying chocolate.) Thai and Indian food in particular, but really I haven't met a cuisine I didn't like.

Oh, gosh.
After the bare necessities of life:

my friends, who, like mustard, make the whole sandwich worthwhile (thanks to A.M.S. for that analogy)
my essential oils (I'm hooked on Young Living),
good literature,
continuing education (in the broader sense of the phrase),
opportunities to meditate,
and laughter--raucous, snortish, giggly, hiccup-inducing, belly, whatever.

Recently:
My coursework, and how to create an equitable society. Why there are so many tattooed students at school, and what color to paint my toes next--I suppose to compensate for not having any tattoos ;) How to thrive in the Bay Area (I'm new here), and how youthful everything feels here compared to the Midwest. How to cultivate greater balance in my life. How to set aside more time to write.

either out with a friend or family members, at Jewish prayer services at Chochmat HaLev*, or at home, reading and thinking and meditating.

*But I am not limiting myself to only Jewish friends/dates. Just relatively open-minded ones.

One day back in grade school, in music class, I managed to get a tambourine stuck on my head. (Ha, ha.) I had to be driven to a music store to get enough cymbals removed so it could be lifted off. (Is it still considered private, since the whole school heard about it?)

after going through my profile you find yourself thinking of

becoming friends. in all cases for friendship's sake; in some cases perhaps also as a stop on the way to a deeper relationship

you have completed at least some college coursework or you are a dedicated auto-didact--I need intellectual matches for things to gel.

you consider yourself relatively open-minded as well as at least somewhat level-headed.

Thanks for reading.