Please, if you try to IM me, I might not see your message, as I keep it disabled most of the time. Send me an email if you want to contact me.
And yes, this profile is long, but you can blame OKCupid for that. They kept asking me for another 100, 150 words to get my completion % up, and here's what happened...

ME: Much more than the sum of my words... Simply complicated, intelligent and silly, shy and outgoing, sophisticated and plain, sensuous and cerebral, open-minded and judgmental, unpretentious yet loving the finer things in life; young in both attitude and style for this empty-nester, but old-fashioned enough that I'm hoping that you'll write first!

... a sapiosexual woman (Don't write just to ask; jfgi or you ain't got it!), who enjoys a lively discussion, and has a sassy sense of humor that sometimes gets me in trouble... at my best doing something creative, like cooking, gardening, or satisfying my thirst for learning.

I take care of myself, eating well and staying active, and although these things are important to me, I'm no health nut. In a nutshell, an INTJ (more info here ) who would rather listen to Mazzy Star than to Celine Dion, climb pyramids in Chiapas than go to Disney World (and I've been to both), visit museums than casinos, and dine on just about any ethnic food rather than steak. And though I won't say that I'd try anything once, I do love learning and experiencing new things, generally finding the roads less traveled far more interesting...

And YOU - You're intelligent, articulate, witty, honest, and can appreciate the woman above... you've proofread your profile... You know that taking care of oneself goes beyond the physical, and that true adventure can often mean the journey of spirit we take within... You can be equally at home on a mountain hike as being a couch potato with the NYT crossword puzzle on a languid weekend afternoon, or at The Metropolitan Museum of Art...

You'll impress me more by the considerate way you treat me than how much you spend on a date... someone who enjoys the simple pleasures in life, who can accept the flaws and foibles of others as well as himself, and can find the humor in it all...

Editors

• angellogic

Living it... Enjoying my empty nest status, which gives me lots of flexibility in how I spend my time, and the freedom to travel as time and budget allows.

Professionally, making the kitchens of America (well, greater Fairfield County) beautiful and functional, and it's an important part of who I am.

Several years ago, a family tragedy forced me to take stock of what was important in my life, and what was and wasn't working. I quit an unrewarding job, and embarked on a new career I believed I would find challenging and satisfying. One of the best decisions I ever made! Wanna know more? Read on, or write...

... making soup. I can make a delicious soup out of almost anything I might find lurking around in my refrigerator that needs to be used. And I find that making it is so therapeutic for me, that I've made soup on 85 degree summer days in order to beat the blues. Oh, and stocks, the basis for a good soup? I have elevated that in my repertoire to an art form.

I found this quote today, so had to add it to the above, "A first rate soup is better than a second rate painting." ~A. Maslow

That white streak at the front of my hair, or my smile... well, unless they really look, in which case The Eyes Have It.

The term "favorites" suggests a static list, and this is anything but that (so check in once in a while for updates), but here are some things I like:

Books: Read when I can, but not as much as I used to, spending more time reading online, and on sites like TED.com. What I like is far too broad to quantify well here, but I'll try. I usually prefer fiction, but stuff with a little meat on it, like The Kite Runner, The Poisonwood Bible, The Life of Pi, or lighter non-fiction like Seabiscuit, or Theodore Rex. There's some self-help/spiritual fare, such as The Four Agreements, which I have given away more than once, and the copy of G. Zukav's Soul Stories that stays on my bedstand, The Sibley Guide to Birds is the best of several guides I have, and I have even been known to break out a dictionary for the entertainment value! The last time I browsed randomly around Borders, the tome that caught my eye as I passed it was The Secret Life of Dust, something I bet is just fascinating!

Movies: WAAAY too many to list, to use the okc nomenclature here. I lean toward indies, and even belong to a film lovers group, so there's always new and unusual things on my just seen list. A few noteworthy recent ones include Pan's Labyrinth, Volver, No Country For Old Men, and Inglorious Basterds was brilliant! It's a Wonderful Life, The Shipping News, Moonstruck, The Big Lebowski, Time Bandits, Memento, Rear Window, Young Frankenstein are just a sampling of some older faves.

Music: Again, way too much to list, but I'll listen to just about anything except gangsta rap, from classical to punk. My taste in rock tends toward alternative from the 70's - 90's; I've recently been exploring more jazz and blues. I was blown away recently when I discovered Sonny Landreth, and I challenge anyone to explain to me how that man could take a back seat on the music charts to the boring pap that sells out there! Anything that's live is better, and now that it's summer concert season around here, I'll be taking in my fill of artists like Harry Manx and Susan Werner. In general, I prefer a club setting over concerts most of the time, so I can dance!

Food: In general, healthy and ethnic... Indian, sushi, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern, South American (ask me about Venezuelan Beach Food)... you name it, I'm game to at least try it. I enjoy cooking, and my fare runs to light, healthy, Mediterranean influenced in warm weather, and homey comfort food, like my yummy turkey chili and soups when the weather is cold.

Since there's no little category for these things, in no particular order: football (Go BILLS!), soft socks, massages, Jabberwocky, O'Keefe, asparagus, Shakespeare, board games, Champagne, NPR, trap shooting (yes, NPR AND trap shooting!), hugs, Sudoku, high-heeled shoes, buteos, travel to places off the beaten path, kissing, Power Grid (one among many board games), massages, amber (the gemstone), Pastafarians, mashed potatoes with the skins on, laughter... (I guess since some of these are food, maybe I should move them up a paragraph.)

And one other thing - I checked the box "has one child," but a more accurate statement would be, "I have a grown son, and could love your kids, but I am done with that part of my life."

Editors

• 2songbird

... the ever changing array of "badges" I have here. It amuses me that one day, it seems I am 'less spiritual,' 'more compassionate,' 'more kinky,' on the next, 'more independent,' 'more scientific,' more desiring of love,' and that they'll change without me even answering any new questions! The 'Less Thrifty' badge has me puzzled - not only am I more thrifty than most people I know, but I earned that badge right after I answered that I tip 15-20%, and that I consider it somewhat important that my match would as well. So, does rewarding for good service make me a spendthrift?

...and the questions on this site, especially how they're disguised as "scientific," when they are anything but that. They're often poorly worded, and have vague or muddled choices. In fact, I erased nearly 1000 of them and started over again, and I decided I'm only going to answer those that I believe are going to indicate that my "matches" are good people who are honest, considerate, emotionally mature and available, and looking for the same.

So many of them are badly worded, and the only honest answer to them is "It depends." And, quite frankly, I don't think that whether or not you use your turn signals, chew or don't chew gum, like comic books, or use words like "PIN" and "ATM" are good indicators of any of those qualities. I don't need to know what your sexual fantasies are before I even have a conversation with you, and what's more, in many cases that will be a dynamic of the relationship, and will vary from partner to partner.

So, for the 10% of you who actually read this far, I imagine 9 of you are most certainly scared off. And for that last man, maybe you should drop me a line!

Either out having fun with friends, or at home, having fun on my own.

With friends, you might find me playing Euro board games, or out seeing a live band, dancing (either freestyle or contradancing), or at one of those aforementioned independent films. And at home, curled up with a good book sampling a single malt, or more likely, sipping on a nice red wine while I'm pissing away time here on the internet.

Oh yeah, you'll never find me doing it on a Friday night, but I like birding, and bird watching (which are 2 different things.)

I was tempted to fib about my age here, because, although it sounds cliche, I am almost always taken for much younger than my I am. But my age here is true, as are my photos.

I've already revealed a LOT of myself here. In fact, I have said more on the Journals here than I ever imagined I would be willing to share with people I don't know. Read them if you really want to get to know me.

... you've read the above, and/or my journal posts here, and something about them resonates with you... you have a photo to share, (after all, fair's fair!), and you're looking for a stable and monogamous woman to share your time with...

... and if you can let our friendship develop first.

Or, you live in my part of the world and you'd like to make a new friend with whom to go birding, or hiking, or in search of good music or other culture.

Or you'd simply like to get to know me better.

Just one more thing...

I spent a lot of time crafting this, and you already know quite a bit about me if you've read it. So, please, at least *have* a profile, and make the effort to string together more than 10 words if you think we should be talking. If you use the word "watermelon", I'll know that you've actually read my profile, and you're not sending me a form letter. (Yes, there are a lot of people who do that, and even admit it freely!)
And don't be afraid of that Red Light; I really do reply to those who write me a sincere note.