Hi. Welcome to my profile. Pull up a comfy chair (preferably of the beanbag variety) and pour yourself a cup of tea. :)

I'm a teacher by trade and a lover of learning. I was born and raised in Toronto, and am still just as smitten with this city as I ever was. But I think could be very happy living almost anywhere. I am delighted by both the familiar and the new.

I'm caring and creative, and I'm conscientious to the point of self-parody (though this is sometimes mitigated by my absent-mindedness and my powers of procrastination).

At times I'm playfully preposterous, and at others, I'm entirely earnest. At still others, I'm a refreshingly zippy blend of the two. I can deadpan pretty convincingly and I love catching people off guard. Call my bluff at your own risk. ;)

An exuberant idealist (though not without my cynical side), I'm a big supporter of such things as restorative justice, transformative education, sustainable development, equity, empowerment, community and helping disadvantaged buzzwords find employment.

I'm teaching Core French to elementary students during their usual teacher's maternity leave, as well as helping out with the school choir, ukulele group, and gardening club; playing in a samba percussion group; and trying to figure out how to get involved with social justice in a way that feels like a really good fit for me.

When I have the chance and the energy, I enjoy things like playing with words (and occasionally tormenting them), perceiving symmetry, exploring (neighbourhoods, hiking trails and ideas), dancing (when I can manage my third left foot and my at-times-excruciating shyness about dancing), reading, live music, live theatre, writing, snarking, cycling, singing, travelling, and surprising myself and others.

But I also really like sitting still and reflecting, and do a fair bit of that. Sometimes unintentionally. :D

A friend has this to say about me:

"You are a great communicator and always put clear and compassionate communication first, despite whatever emotions you might be feeling, and this enables you to deal with conflict constructively, and in a way that strengthens your relationships."

(The above is not always true, what with me being human, but I do strive hard for open, respectful lines of communication)

I'm also really good at:

being bashful at times and audacious at others
writing, I like to think
doing the Thriller dance
overthinking things!!
being exuberant
seeing the best in people
seeing multiple perspectives in almost any situation
...and above all else, procrastinating!

My penchant for puns, perhaps. And, sometimes, my shyness.

A sampling:

a) Come, Thou Tortoise; The Name of the Wind; The Poisonwood Bible

b) Little Miss Sunshine, The Wrong Trousers, Incendies

d) J.S. Bach, Kings of Convenience, Vienna Teng, The Weakerthans

e) coffee milkshakes, crepes, fresh pineapple, chocolate, hazelnuts, cheese curds, curries made with coconut milk

1. Close connections with people
2. Insulin
3. 4-part vocal harmony
4. A balance between solitude and socializing
5. The Toronto Public Library
6. The combination of my warm bed and cold winter nights
7. My mischievousness

teaching, peaceful political movements, love, language, ideology, how to live out my ideals, and the complexity of...everything!

the hopefulness that the concept of neuroplasticity inspires

whether my love of alliteration is more embarrassing or endearing to encounter

at home, needing 'me time'. Or hanging out with a close friend. Or dancing. Or walking around the city, exploring different neighbourhoods (though that is more something I spend a lot of time thinking about).

I can be extremely shy and awkward at times.

Also, one of my dreams is to be part of an intentional community where people share their hopes and dreams as well as their possessions, grow their own food, eat together, and spontaneously break into song. It would be even better if everyone in the community lived in a network of connected tree houses, kind of like in the Dinotopia picture book or the Ewok village in Return of the Jedi!

you value kindness, respect, openness and generosity of spirit

Also, if any - or all! - of the below resonate:

you can understand why I love this

you live your life - or would like to live your life - in the spirit of this song, as well as this one

you enjoy being playful and silly

you want to share in one of my interests, or introduce me to one of yours - I love experiencing things I've never tried before!

:P