I am: smart, occasionally funny, committed to my job, incredibly knowledgeable about useless pop culture, introverted, self-sufficient, a loyal friend, observant, snarky, and thoughtful, perhaps to a fault.

I enjoy: laughing loudly, books, Chardonnay, naps, people-watching, following tennis, bowling, outdoor seating at restaurants and bars, walking aimlessly around new neighborhoods, beaches, chai tea lattes, travel, and ironing. Seriously.

I teach middle school English Language Arts. I work hard at it, and I think I'm pretty good at it.

I lived in Brooklyn for five years, but moved back to Chicago about a year and a half ago. I'm happy to be here.

spelling, remembering really random factoids, typing quickly, screaming at the TV while watching a Grand Slam tennis match, and pointing out others' grammatical errors. I'm also a borderline narcoleptic. I can fall asleep very, very easily. I have been known to fall asleep at the movie theater.

I talk quickly, lose my train of thought easily, and have a tendency to go off on tangents . . .

Books: The House of Mirth, Dubliners, The Heat of the Day, Disgrace, Olive Kitteredge, The Sound and the Fury, Giovanni's Room, The Voyage Out, Mrs. Dalloway, Slouching Towards Bethlehem, A Book of Common Prayer (Didion), Lolita, trashy mystery novels, books about teaching

I also read a lot of young adult lit. It's a necessary part of my job, but I do love it. You will often find me in the teen section of Barnes and Noble. I recently read The Scorpio Races, and I thought it was beautiful.

Movies: "Lost in Translation," "Silver Linings Playbook," "Adventureland," "Juno," "Brokeback Mountain," "Breakfast at Tiffany's," "Reality Bites," "Out of Sight," "Zoolander," "Before Sunset," "Almost Famous," "The Royal Tenenbaums," "You've Got Mail," "Pieces of April," "Bring It On," and guilty pleasures galore

TV: I must say, I like some really bad TV, but I prefer escapism when watching television. I don't have cable, but you can still watch a ton of TV with an antenna and a Roku. Sadly, CBS stopped working the other day . . .

Music: The Old 97's, fun., Gotye, Arcade Fire, Gaga, Florence + the Machine, Mumford and Sons, The Shins, Weezer, and cheesy pop (sorry, it's true)

Food: Indian, Thai, Mexican, Italian, brunch. I enjoy most food.

My tastes run the gamut. High brow and very, very base. We probably have some common faves.

flip-flops
something to read
SLEEP
glasses (being able to see is good)
Top 40 radio (singing loudly while driving to work is one of my favorite pastimes)
coffee

public education, books, TV shows and movies, New York vs. Chicago, and hypothetical trips I would like to take.

out for dinner/drinks with friends or sometimes watching a movie at home.

Might as well be open about this: I get up between 5:00 and 5:30 on school days, so my bed time is rather early. I value my sleep, and I need to be with someone who respects the geriatric hours I keep. That said, I'm much more flexible with my weekends and over the summer.

Also, I generally hate this question . . .

my profile struck a chord with you.