I will be moving to Santa Monica full-time at the end of May, but I already have an apartment there, so I am transitioning to thinking of myself as a Californian once again and not a New Englander. Any tips you can offer on SoCal living (I grew up in Northern CA), I'd be most appreciative!

A bit about me : I’m smart, generous (with my time, my affection and yes, my money), funny (only occasionally in the smell department), a bit overly earnest at times, passionate (both in a carnal sense and in a joie de vivre sense), very honest (both because I am a terrible liar and because I value honesty in others) and a little bit stubborn. right?

Clearly I love parenthetical expressions (right? Hahaha).

Come fall '13, i will be teaching sixth grade at a local independent primary school. I don't think I have ever been so excited about a teaching job!

I was working as a freelancer/food columnist. Since I love to write and I love to cook (some columns contain my own recipes), this was kind of a perfect job for a while, but I really missed teaching.

Right now, though, I am mostly getting used to LA and wrapping my mind around the idea that my decade-long dream of being in here with all of my friends and sunshine and NO DAMN SNOW has finally come true.

Cooking, writing and reading, talking, listening, making silly noises when I giggle (which is a lot), buying just the right card for someone, identifying an obscure actor in an even more obscure role, and finding parking spaces.

My smile. I asked my friends and every single one of them said this. That made me…you guessed it…smile.

Books- Anything by Alice Hoffman; Eat, Pray, Love; The Basic Eight; Game of Thrones; Will Write for Food; Lots of YA literature (I actually enjoy reading for work)...my favorite book is often the one I am reading at the moment. If it isn't, I drop it like it's hot.

Movies- My favorite weird genres are improbable romance (those that contain an element of magic and/or unlikelihood) and religious horror (especially fun, bad religious horror like The Seventh Sign). I love movies overall. Some longtime favs include Dirty Dancing, The Princess Bride, The Graduate, Young Frankenstein, The Final Destination franchise (except that last one; that one blew), The Faculty, Footloose, The Big Chill...really, anything with Kevin Kline, Up, How to Train Your Dragon, When Harry Met Sally, The Graduate, Grosse Pointe Blank, Point Break, Love Actually, Zombieland, 500 Days of Summer, Easy A, Red, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, Shaun of the Dead, and Drones (okay, that's my friends Amber and Adam's movie, but if you haven't seen it you should - it rocks!)

Music- Varies, but again with the rather mainstream tastes. I will say that music is one of those things that I absolutely could not live without, and I pretty much have tunes going 24/7 when I'm around my apartment. That said, I do not walk around the streets of Boston (or any streets) with my headphones in as I feel it cuts me off from the world too much, and I love people. Some music I enjoy pretty regularly: Vivian Green, James Taylor, John Mayer, Janelle Monae, Bree Sharp, Fountains of Wayne, Amanda Marshall, Sting, The Police, All-American Rejects, Barenaked Ladies, anything from the Glee soundtrack, Daughtry, Rick Springfield and yes, the occasional Barry Manilow. Don't judge me. ;-)

TV: Current - How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Fringe, the new Hawaii 5-0 (surprisingly good- trust me!), GLEE, Smash, Top Chef, The Walking Dead, Phineas and Ferb, Drop Dead Diva, HGTV Design Star, The Office, Game of Thrones, American Horror Story, Once Upon a Time, The New Normal, The Following.
Past- The Wonder Years, Life Goes on, Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Flight of the Conchords, Arrested Development (movie! Yay!), Wonderfalls, Daria, Freaks and Geeks, Chuck, Entourage, and Terriers.

Oh, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that I love "Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me."

Food- I am the most adventurous eater you will ever meet! I've eaten fried chicken hearts at Brazilian bbq places (gross, trust me) and will try anything food-wise. My favorite food in the whole world is hash browns. If you think these are chunks of potatoes rather than shredded, go away; we have nothing in common. ;)

I love to cook, I love to eat out, I love to be cooked *for* (though you should anticipate that I will want to help. I'm a good sous chef- really!).

My kids, my friends and my cats
A good book, good music and good conversation
Internet access, my laptop and my iPhone
Hugs and kisses and the occasional massage or affectionate squeeze
Good cookware and knives and flavored salts
Nice-smelling bath and body products

*Yes, I realize this is technically more than six, but I think I did a pretty good job of grouping them appropriately, right?*

What should I cook/eat/watch/read/write?

Why are people so unkind to each other when it really is easier to be nice?

Is it REALLY that hard to use proper grammar and spelling in your dating profile, much less on the internet as a whole? Don’t you want to make a good impression?

What’s on TV? (shallow but true)

You. Where ARE you?!

I would love to be out to dinner chatting it up with you. Or snuggled up in bed reading together. Or going on a walk if it’s warm.

What I’m usually doing is clearing my DVR, and reading or doing the dishes if I got bored during the day and cooked/baked something.

I used to work with the cast and crew of the TV shows Buffy, Angel and Firefly (Whedonverse folks, to my fellow geeks) to put on an annual charity event in Los Angeles.

I have a vestigial gill in my left ear. People who have examined it closely can see that it is not, in fact, an oddly-placed piercing; it is, in fact, a leftover from my early days in a liquid medium. :)

You can put together a decent sentence in English, like a girl who's a little curvy (and I do mean curvy, not grossly obese), and most of all- you are kind, honest, affectionate, confident, and intelligent.

Please do NOT message me if:
=You are very allergic to cats. I have two (my beloved Tony passed away on 4/8), I love them dearly, and your unfortunate allergy would make it hard to spend any kind of quality time together.

=You are over the age of 60. I know that makes me sound horribly agist, but the truth is that I have yet to connect on a social level with anyone over that age be it on here or with fix-ups or whatnot. I am a young soul, and I like best those who bring out that part of me more. I am sure you can find someone better suited to you- and good luck! :)

=You are under the age of 30. I am sure you are adorable/well-endowed/a perfect gentleman. But I already have kids, and I don't like feeling like I am dating their friends or peers. Sorry.

=You are already in a relationship, even an open one. I respect your poly-ness, but I am not interested in being involved with someone who already has a primary someone-else in his/her life. This means if you are part of a couple, I am not interested. I do not know how much clearer I can make this. You all are giving polyamorousness a bad name!