***I am not polyamorous, so please don't contact me if you're looking for something on the side with your girlfriend or wife. If you have a wife, fuck off.***

Summarizing what I think of myself might not present an accurate picture. Many times, people think of themselves one way, but are viewed by the world in an entirely different light. Besides, I am always changing, always evolving and developing new interests. How can I summarize that in an accurate and meaningful fashion?

Oh, all right. I guess that is a bit of a cop out. I have a Master's degree in Library Science and I'm about to begin working in a library in Charlotte, North Carolina. I've lived and worked in Colorado for the past six years and am a newcomer to the Charlotte area.

I have a neverending curiosity. I love learning new things and discovering new interests. I will always be passionate about reading. Self-confessed bibliophile here. But I have been excited about various things such as pottery, urban exploration, photography, open mike poetry nights and sidewalk chalk. I'm the helpful sort. The girl that volunteers helpful information when overhearing someone ask a question such as, "Where are the bathrooms in this place, anyway?"

I have two kids from when I was married. Son is thirteen and my daughter is twelve, both in middle school. I love them ferociously, but not at all in the helicopter parent way. They take up quite a bit of my time and energy, even though they aren't little anymore. Anyone who's interested in dating me will have to face that reality. On the other hand, I pretty much adore children. I'm a children's librarian, so that helps a lot with my profession. I am getting to the place where I don't think I want to have any more of my own, but would love to meet yours someday if you've got kids yourself.

I buy in to suspension of disbelief so thoroughly, you will probably laugh at me if we ever see a movie together. Especially a scary movie. I don't really like scary movies. Because they scare me. But there is little that I seem to be afraid of outside of fiction. I will go on a ropes course at the top of 3-4 story high trees and not be a bit afraid. I like tromping around under a city in a dark tunnel. I have no issues with going walking at night. I am not afraid of snakes, spiders, lizards, blood, driving fast or fast food. However, I have no tattoos and no plans to get some and generally find motorcycles to be a risk not worth taking.

Art in its many forms fascinates me. If it's beautiful and/or well-crafted, I love it. I also try to create my own art through writing poetry, fiction, making baubles that might pass for jewelry, ceramic sculpture, sketching, painting, singing and dancing. All with varied degrees of success, but just because I may be bad at doing something, doesn't mean I don't enjoy it anyway.

Some folks have some dealbreakers, here's a few of mine. Republicans and Libertarians need not apply. Same goes if you're really serious about any particular religion. If you smoke, even "just when I'm out or stressed," I'm not going to want to be around you. While I like cats, I've never found an allergy medicine that allows me to live with them, so if you just couldn't live without your kitty, then it's probably not going to work. If you've spent more than the night in jail, sorry, but a prison record isn't something I'm copacetic with. ***I am not polyamorous, so please don't contact me if you're looking for something on the side with your girlfriend or wife. If you have a wife, fuck off. ***I know I just cursed, but I nearly never do in real life, and if your every other word would be bleeped out on most TV or radio, we probably won't get along. If you're a crusader for vegetarianism? No, thank you. I like steak and hamburger and bacon and even crappy balogna too much to ever go veggie. Also, just so you're aware, if you're more than 7 years older than me, or more than 7 years younger than me, I'm probably not going to be very interested. Sorry! I just think there's likely to be too much of a gap as far as shared experiences go after that point.

I know that's a lot of "no"s, but I think it's better to just be up front about who I am and what I like. No one has to waste their time, then! The sentence with *** around it seems to be ignored a lot, which is why it's in here twice and right at the top.

Reading, singing, playing, listening, smiling, laughing, writing, dancing, joining, leaving, sleeping, dreaming, talking, learning, crying, whispering, jamming, driving, thinking, creating, helping, watching, exploring, sneaking, perusing, selecting, cooking, eating, drinking, swimming, strolling, and generally taking things as they come.

I'm really good at reading fairly quickly with good comprehension. I am a good listener and a pretty good cook. I'm fairly good at putting people at their ease, except when they find me intimidating. (What?! ME? Intimidating? I still don't believe it.) I'm good at fixing things when they get broken. I'm really good at finding a way to enjoy my surroundings most of the time. I'm really good at telling jokes and stories. I'm a good singer and I like to sing a lot.

My smile. I've been told I have a really great smile. Also, my curly hair. When I wear a corset, it's my boobs.

Personality-wise, I'm told I'm smart and funny. Go me!

a) (Psst, I'm going to give authors, rather than individual books, because I can't narrow it down to individual volumes.) Christopher Moore, Tom Robbins, Kurt Vonnegut, Robert Heinlein, Neal Stephenson, Laurell K. Hamilton, Arthur Conan Doyle, T.S. Eliot, X J Kennedy, Maya Angelou, Jim Butcher, Malcolm Gladwell, Charles DeLint, J. K. Rowling, Lemony Snicket and many, MANY others. I AM a librarian. You can check out my GoodReads over here -> http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/282350

b) Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Serenity, My Alibi, Megamind, The Emperor's New Groove, Kung Pow, Lord of the Rings trilogy, Galaxy Quest, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, What Planet Are You From?, Blast From the Past, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Clue, Willow, Never Been Kissed, Ever After, Bruce Almighty, Dave, Inner Space, The Big Lebowski, Groundhog Day, My Fair Lady, Office Space, Back to the Future trilogy, Indiana Jones, Moulin Rouge, Chicago, Secretary, The Fifth Element, Dirty Dancing, Jumping Jack Flash, Brewster's Millions, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, American Astronaut, Ocean's Eleven (Twelve and Thirteen, too), Princess Bride, Spirited Away (and other Miyazaki films), Pixar films, Star Wars, Star Trek, The Color Purple, Iron Jawed Angels... There are lots more here too, as I like movies way better than television. I do enjoy Dexter, Bones, Castle and Monk though. I have never seen American Idol. Nor Big Brother, Sopranos or Lost.

c) I like alternative, emo, punk, ska, (some) pop, classical, jazz, blues, rock and roll, funk, reggae, swing, techno, ambient, bellydance, arabian, indian, traditional african. It's actually easier for me to say what kinds I don't like, because there's fewer genres I don't like than music I do.

d) Italian, mexican, american, chinese, (some) thai, I like some sushi, but not sashimi. I like to cook and bake. A recent meal I made included chicken breasts diced up and sauteed in butter, sage, chili powder and celery salt and then placed between two flour tortillas with cheese and a mild black bean and corn salsa and placed in a cast iron skillet until both flour tortillas were toasted and the cheese was melted. Topped with sour cream. I love sour cream. I do drink some beer, but never ever out of a can. I also think I make a pretty darn delicious light and flaky pie crust from scratch.

Books. Can opener. Camera. Eyeglasses. Tea. Wristwatch.

I don't include people in a "things" category. Neither do I include emotions, which are intangibles and not "things."

I spend a lot of time thinking about stories. Stories I've written, or read, or am planning on writing, or just scenarios played out in my head of how different people might act or how I wish they would act.

I spend a lot of time thinking about science and the environment and politics and how they affect my life and those around me.

I think a lot about the way people think and why they think that way and is it possible to change the way they think and if so, how to do it.

Reading a book, watching a movie, hanging out with friends at my house. Every now and then I go out and play a game of pool or have conversation over some drinks. More recently, I have my children's friends over visiting my children and sleeping over. It can get really crazy.

I have a deal with myself to not lie to other people. If they ask me a question, I feel compelled to answer with honesty. (But not necessarily completely.)

You can construct a grammatically correct sentence. Someone driving with their foot on the dash and singing along with the music doesn't make you insane. You can have a drink in the evening but don't need it. You enjoy playing board games, but not mind games. You understand how someone can be both very moral and very sexual. You read my entire profile. Good for you!