I have a great family; two parents, and three sisters (I'm the youngest). Family is really important to me, but I should call more. I grew up in the Seattle area, and moved down to the Bay Area to open an office in SF.

I live in Berkeley, and work in the city. It's a good balance to have access to all the great things that draw people to SF, but retreat to Berkeley for quiet, sunny weekends. That's a bit more my style. I live near one of the Cal pools, so I like to amble up there, have a swim, and amble back to my place to catch up on some of my hobbies.

In my life, I have:

-seen giraffes in Niger.
-performed in a classical guitar ensemble.
-been to Mt Everest base camp (Tibet).
-belonged to a bass fishing club called the Puyallup Hawg Hunters...yep.
-driven a bus up and down the highways of Alaska, telling corny jokes to tourists.
-volunteered on a Liberian refugee camp.
-done voice over work in China.
-fished for piranhas in the Amazon.
-taught english in China and Costa Rica.
-raised a ton of money for a variety of charities.
-lost a game of soccer against a team of 15 year old girls
-gotten trapped in Canada.
-wanted to be, a wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks, a professional bass fisherman, a lawyer, President, an American Sign Language interpreter, a founder of an international development non-profit, and a standup comedian, to name a few.

In December, I started performing stand-up comedy, and I'm loving it. I'm new, so I'm still mostly doing open mics, but little by little, I'm starting to get invitations to perform at showcases.

I'm also taking advantage of living in the Bay Area. I love my job (Sr. Fundraising Manager at an org that raises money for non-profits), and my free time - swimming, reading, trivia night, comedy shows, exploring, and veggin'.

Every year of my life seems to be getting better and better, and I've gained quite a bit of self awareness over the last several years through dating, working, traveling, etc... Things are easier when you know what you want, and what's worth worrying about. I've realized that largely, I'm an optimistic and wholesome person, but I still have my fun, and that's the kind of person I will likely click with the most.

Quoting TV & movies, tennis, learning languages, sending text messages with proper punctuation (textin', as it were), expressing affection through teasing.

Hmmmm...I'm not sure. People often tell me that I came off as intense when they first met me. I think it's just because I'm listening intently.
I'm also told that I'm chatty, and I ask a million questions. I guess it just depends on what kind of mood I'm in.

Books:
(NF) Guns, Germs, and Steel, Globalization and Its Discontents, Mother Tongue: English and How it Got That Way, Mindful Economics, Collapse, The Fate of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence
(F) Papillon, The Chosen, Hatchet, Persepolis, Still Life With Woodpecker

Movies:
Joe vs the Volcano, The Secret of My Success, Amelie, Midnight in Paris, Alone in the Wilderness, Harvey, Rear Window, anything by Stanley Kubrick or Wes Anderson, and most things by Woody Allen.

Shows:
Seinfeld, News Radio, Daily Show, Flight of the Conchords, Northern Exposure, Quantum Leap (That one where Sam leaped into Lee Harvey Oswald...awesome!), Arrested Development, Peep Show, That Mitchell & Webb Look, The Mighty Boosh, The West Wing.

Music:
I love a lot of varieties of guitar, generally acoustic (classical, jazz, rock), Paul Simon, Postal Service, Nine Inch Nails, Prince, Cream, Stevie Wonder, Pinback, Led Zeppelin (my life in high school), The Fugees, A Tribe Called Quest, Rage Against the Machine, Modest Mouse, L'orchidée d'Hawaï, Creedence tapes.

Food:
I eat birds and fish. I don't eat cows or pigs (things with hooves). Thai, sushi, indian, veggie burgers, 'Turkey Sub'. Veggie chips and hummus comprise a disproportionate amount of my diet.

-free time
-my passport
-TJs organic orange juice in the morning
-texture
-books/movies/sitcoms
-Oh yeah...and my family.

"When can I go camping next?"
"How am I gonna make this joke funny?"
"I hope I get a seat on BART today."
"Crap, here comes a nice old lady! I should give her my seat."
"How come 'artsy-fartsy' made it as a phrase?"
-etymology of words and phrases.
-Have I ever touched a rock no one else has touched before?

Movies, darts, pool, beers with friends, going to classical guitar concerts, performing at open mic comedy shows, etc...

My parents were social workers, and my family is the real touchy-feely sort, so I was definitely raised to wear my heart on my sleeve, and it's hard for me to understand people who aren't that way.

...you find constant, corny humor charming.
...you indulge in the odd pun yourself.
...you're a good person, and have self-respect.
...you're open-minded, and constantly interested in why people do what they do.
...you listen actively, and communicate well.
...you have a positive attitude.
...taking a double-decker bus tour around the city sounds fun.