I haven't got a word for what I am. The more I learn about gender the more I realize that we don't have a decent vocabulary for all the possibilities yet. Yes, I know I listed myself as a lesbian, but that was sort of a defensive move on my part, since I found out a lot of guys didn't read the part where I said I wasn't interested in most men. I guess "rarely" can still mean "yes".

In my lifetime, I've been attracted to straight men, straight women, bi women, gay men, and trans- and gender-queer folk of all types, but remember that's over the course of 28 years or so. Flirting is fun, but sex is not a priority right now. In the future? Who can say. While we're on the subject, let's clear up a few things: just because I'm not interested in having sex right now NOT mean that I think sex is evil/wrong/bad, nor am I uncomfortable around people who have sex and talk about it. I'll be making jokes right there with you.

I look like a girl, it's just what I ended up with in the genetic raffle. That's made it easy for me to pass unmolested through mainstream society, which has been both a blessing and a pain in the butt, because apparently you're not really queer if you like wearing dresses sometimes (sadface). I wear girl-clothes because I know how to make them work on me, though I wouldn't mind trying something else if I could figure out how. If I'd been born a boy, I'd still want to look pretty, I'd just have gone about it a different way. I need to get a new photo because I just got my hair cut and look (slightly) less femme than I used to.

I probably expect too much of people, though I never ask anyone to do something that I wouldn't do myself. I have one major rule: do no harm. You can apply it to just about every situation in life, which is probably a little scary for some. From day to day, it's mainly about responsibility: think about what you say and do before you do it, and if you make a mistake, clean up after yourself.

I love good conversation, I consider it essential for any real relationship, and I find intelligence very attractive. I'd rather have someone admire me for my mind and my talents than just letting their hormones be their guide, at least in the beginning. Intellectual and emotional connections need to come first.

I'm generally unobtrusive (I can practically will myself into invisibility, I've had people sit next to me for twenty minutes before they see me) but with the right person I can catch hold of their mood and become more gregarious and light-hearted. My father refers to me as his stealth daughter.

I am not impressed by arrogance, aggressiveness, feelings of entitlement or materialism, and if you'd describe yourself as "in your face", then we probably won't get along. I'd much rather come to a consensus or agree to disagree than keep hammering at something that isn't going to budge. I am, however protective of and loyal to my friends to the ends of the earth. I believe in the chosen family, and I take my obligations seriously. I have a watch-dog's memory for people who have been kind to me, and while I am more bark than bite, I will use my teeth when I need to. I'm also very respectful of personal space, and I tend not to go where I haven't been invited.

One of my favorite things to do is to sit up all night tossing around ideas for a story with a bunch of close friends. Notice I said IDEAS-- for god's sake don't ask me to edit, I still don't really know what "good" is yet. That doesn't mean, however, that I'm not going to ask you what you think of MY writing :)

I'll make odd comments if it means that I can get other people to laugh, or sometimes just to surprise them. "I love talking about nothing, it's the only thing I know anything about" is entirely true. I will invent random stories to fill a few minutes, but luckily I'm also the most honest liar you'll ever meet, so all it takes is someone asking "Really?" for me to admit that I've been pulling your leg.

My inner child is alive and kicking, so I've been known to crave time on a trampoline, pillow-fights, coloring-books, and opportunities to play dressup.

Oh, and I'm an INFP, points for you if you know what that is.

I am literary, truthful, and a closet romantic.

I believe in divination, but I am NOT a flake.

I love fireflies, warm nights, the smell of growing things, teapots, masks, sunlight, boots, leather jackets, wishing-wells, little bridges, and being able to see the stars.

Although it's only happened twice thus far, I'm an official, published-and-paid writer now! Do the dance of joy! That being said, I have to do it again, and then again, and probably for the rest of my life. It's an idea that makes me very happy. Besides that, I am working part-time as a medical lab technician and just got a job at a local library. I'm getting my Master's Degree part-time at Drexel which means that these days I live life in two states: full speed ahead, and dead tired. I also do some pet-sitting, which isn't a regular gig but definitely pays more than the office. Also, I love dogs, so I enjoy having the chance to hang around with friendly beasts.

What I'd really like to do one day is write a small, obscure cult classic that makes massive amounts of sense and inspires long intense conversations. Either that, or become the next Joseph Campbell--yeah, that would work.

I love patterns, archetypes, and mythology, and I'd spend more time studying them if I could find a decent academic program where I wouldn't be the only one under the age of 50. Eventually, even I get tired of being the odd one out.

I do exercise about 30-45 minutes every other day but it's mostly out of vanity, and the vague apprehension that one day I'll be sorry if I don't. I try to incorporate yoga and tai chi into my routines, as well, just for balance.

Following tangents, I had years of training under a professor in college who always managed to bring stories about her daughter and the Beatles into psychology lectures.

Asking questions, although it's not so much something I'm good at but something I'm compelled to do.

Reading tarot--getting better all the time.

Reiki. I'm good at it, and I love doing it. For those folks who haven't heard of it, it's like psychic plumbing. It uses a lot of the same ideas as acupuncture, only without the needles. Now if I could only get paid for it...

I have a good ear for music, a surprisingly sweet voice for ballads, and a talent for mimicking accents.

I hold an unofficial Master's Degree in Deadpan Humor from the University of Nowhere in Particular, and it tends to out itself.

I'm told I can look sweet, adorable, and sharp all at the same time, sort of like Little Red Riding Hood with a shotgun.

I'll probably try to make you laugh. My sense of humor has been largely influenced by Monty Python, Tom Lehrer, and the Muppets. I use my sense of humor as a barometer to find out who I'm compatible with, and I can both very sarcastic and very silly.

I'm usually carrying a spiral notebook with me.

(a) Oh god, don't ask. My room is a small library, I practically have books coming out of my pores. If I had to choose favorite authors of prose, though, I could narrow it down to: Francesca Lia Block, Herman Hesse, Tanith Lee, Patricia McKillip, Charles de Lint, Neil Gaiman, Katherynne Valente, Italo Calvino, Borges and Paul Cuehlo.(b) At the moment, Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" Trilogy, "Peter Pan", "Farewell my Concubine", "Revolutionary Girl Utena" (the series, not the movie version. Eh, close enough), "Fight Club", "The Matrix", "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon",Were the World Mine, My Own Private Idaho, Pan's Laybrinth, anything by Jim Henson. I like psychological dramas, horror movies with bad acting and great special effects, intelligent comedies, anime with PLOT, and fantasy/sci-fi. Favorite TV shows include West Wing, Heroes, House, ER, Law and Order: SVU, and Supernatural(c)Loreena McKennit, Dar Williams, Sarah McLachlan, Bruce Springsteen, Tori Amos, REM, U2, Bon Jovi, movie soundtracks, and whatever happens to be on the radio (Yay WXPN!) or my Pandora stations. (d)Italian, Indian, Middle-Eastern, Chinese. I'm not crazy about red meat, but it doesn't bother me if other people eat it.

1)New ideas, I'm constantly looking for someone else's perspective on things. 2) Periods of privacy. I grew up in a small family in a small town, went to a small school etc. Too much noise and too many people for long periods of time tire me out, and I need time to decompress. 3)Music. I'll sing it, I'll listen to it, I'll even try to write it, but it must exist in my universe. Humans don't communicate well to begin with, but music is something everyone can understand if we just stop thinking about it. 4)A few close friends (you know who you are) with whom I don't need to censor myself, and who will support me when I need it. 5) A measure of hope for myself, my family, the world. A hope that I'll make some sense or find some peace in the events that occur in my life. 6)The possibility of something that science cannot measure or explain. Religion, the occult, psychic phenomena, whatever, I need something personal and unexplained that keeps me reaching instead of just allowing things to be explained for me.

How people fit together as friends, as family, as lovers, as societies. How do we know what our place is, how much of that is under our control, and how do we find it once we know what we want?

Frustrating human problems like how to stop hating each other when it's practically tradition.

Gender, gender identity, what love and beauty mean, and the millions of ways they manifest themselves.

Mythology, folktales, fairytales, and the underlying themes in the stories we tell ourselves and each other.

How much I believe in the things I think I believe in. How being able to believe makes me happy, and worrying whether it makes me stronger or more vulnerable.

Thinking. Okay, that's not just Friday, that's everyday, all day, my entire life. It's a condition, I can't help it.

I'd really rather be out with a friend somewhere, but for some odd reason most of my peers or people who have the potential to become so seem to live in Maryland or Canada. Go figure.

I think tomboys, dandies, androgynous people and trans-men are hot.

I want to lie in bed with someone and take turns reading poetry and plays to each other.

I will admit to reading fanfiction.

I have met my animus, and am completely comfortable with the male part of my brain.

Those with either a guitar, a dog, or both are likely to attract my attention.

I am a pacifist, but I hate weakness.

I can't love people I don't trust, and I don't sleep with people I don't love.

I believe that relationships require compromise.

I think Adam Lambert is hot like a hot thing.

You're a hippie, a geek, a pagan: someone intellectually sharp, emotionally sensitive, and spiritually curious.

You think we have some overlapping interests.

You've read my profile, and you're willing to take time to get to know someone.

You think that being friends should always come first, or be part of the equation.

You know some tricks that would allow me to pass as a particularly pretty boy.

You can teach me how to make costumes.