I like to curl up on the couch with a good cup of coffee and The Wall Street Journal (but it's not what it used to be now that Rupert's taken over). I daydream about running off to Mexico and selling coconuts carved to look like monkeys to tourists on the beach, even though I really do love my job. I used to travel to fun places a little off the beaten path, but at the moment I've let my passport expire. I'm addicted to Vanity Fair. NPR podcasts help me through a long, boring commute.

I'll walk into a museum even if I only have time to admire one painting for fifteen minutes. I read books and then (obsessively?) blog about them. A Lonely Planet guidebook is always a good read. I sign up for NaNoWriMo every year, even though I haven't finished since 2005. Sometimes I'll surprise you with a bit of Star Trek trivia or way too much info about the Incredible Hulk. I have no problem going to see a movie by myself, but it's always nice to have someone to share the popcorn.

I'm divorced. I'm a mom. I'm ridiculously high maintenance, but surprisingly low-key. I'm very brand loyal. I like to try new things, visit new places, and meet new people.

I've been on this site way too long and yet not long enough.

I think 2010 is going to be a very good year.

I'm currently exiled in the far-flung reaches of Suburbia due to something we like to call "a good school district".

But I'm a few months into a new job located in Gaithersburg. Now I end up spending more of my free time in Washington, DC, which is a total switch for me. When I worked there, I used to live and breath Baltimore. I miss Charm City, but our Nation's Capital has its own unique set of delights.

Procrastinating. Proofreading. Puzzles.

Also, alliteration and assonance.

Maybe onomatopoeia on occasion?

Editors

• Barry_Z_O_F

I'm always being told I have a great smile.

Books: Jane Austen novels, Anna Karenina, The Shadow of the Wind, Atlas Shrugged (as a novel, not a mandate), The Handmaid's Tale, Anais Nin short stories and anything by Anne Tyler. Little Women is my favorite novel from childhood. Non-fiction like Outliers, The J-Curve and Freakonomics. I'm about to tackle War and Peace. Maybe.

Movies: Secretary is my favorite movie and not just because of the kink. Shaun of the Dead still makes me laugh after repeated viewings. The Warriors is a classic. I love a good cartoon. I'll play a drinking game with you while we watch a double feature of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. I'm a sucker for a superhero flick. Daniel Craig is my favorite Bond.

Music: Madonna, Linkin Park, Ani DiFranco, Duran Duran, Lily Allen, The Police, Akon, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Timbaland, anything from the 80's, and embarrassingly bad hip-hop. I'm trying really hard to like Radiohead. Honest. Pink's Funhouse is the current soundtrack to my life.

Food: Mexican, Mediterranean, Japanese, Indian. Fresh-baked French bread. Bubble tea! Cupcakes with just the right amount of icing. The perfect hand-carved turkey sandwich. Fresh mango and sticky rice. Nothing beats a great steak.

Slightly less than serious:

1. Podcasts (to get me through my commute)

2. MacBook (to keep me connected)

3. Public Libraries (to supply me with free books and DVDs)

4. Good Coffee (I suppose I could get by with bad coffee, but why would I want to?)

5. Freshly Sharpened Pencils and a Notebook (Moleskine! I told you I was brand loyal...)

6. Lip Gloss (for the glossing of my lips, obviously)

Happiness.

Career.

Sex.

Things I should be doing that I'm not.

Things I'm doing that I shouldn't be.

...talking you into just one more drink at an already overly-extended happy hour.

Even after two years on this site, I'm not really sure what I'm doing here or whom I hope to find. This can be incredibly frustrating. For me, for you, for everyone.

...you think we would make good friends or even better lovers.