I'm a Texan transplant fairly new to the area. I just moved up to Albuquerque about a year ago to start my Emergency Medicine residency and already, I'm absolutely, madly in love with New Mexico. I was born and raised in Dallas, have been bouncing around Texas for the last eight years for school, and now I'm pretty stoked to live somewhere new and different from what I'm used to. That and I really can't get enough of the green chili.

I was raised to be independent, encouraged to be driven and I feel incredibly lucky for all that to have landed me where I am today…in a job that I absolutely, hands down love. But, after pouring everything I have into my education and career I’m looking forward to discovering who I am outside of all that. I want to try new things, push myself beyond what I think are my limits and see where it takes me. As I’m at that point where I’m trying to figure out what I want from life, I’m hoping to surround myself with people who challenge and encourage me to discover and explore new things about both myself and the world around me. I'm by no means perfect but I strive to be a person who positively effects the world around me. You can cue the after-school special music now.

As some of my other hobbies go I collect vinyl records, enjoy yoga, cycling, fantasy sports and recently decided that I wanted to learn French for the day when I finally get to work for Doctors Without Borders. When I'll actually find the time to accomplish all that, I'll worry about later. I've decided to purposely try things that in the past have intimidated the crap out of me so I just signed up for salsa lessons. We'll see how that plays out.

All in all I'm constantly looking for new and exciting challenges, ways to push myself to my limit and see how far I can get. It might be training for a 150-mile bike race that's ridiculously out of my reach or tackling a new recipe that I can't even pronounce. I usually end up failing just as much as I succeed, but in the end it's all about having fun and enjoying the little things. Moving to a new, unfamiliar city is always a little nerve-wracking, but I just choose to see it as my next adventure and if I can find someone to share it all with, well even better.

Owning it and working hard so I can be a better physician for my patients and their families. I have some long-shot dreams. Just to keep things interesting, I'd love to do temp work a few months out of the year in an ER Down Under in either New Zealand or Australia. Once my loans are paid off and I'm all squared away, I think it would be amazing to open a restaurant/cafe somewhere and staff it with at-risk youths so they could experience structure, responsibility and maybe a little culinary on the job training. My inspiration is this joint in New Orleans http://cafereconcile.org. Some of the best food I've ever tasted and a total game-changer for the kids who work there.

Cooking and grilling. I might just throw together one of the best steaks you've ever tasted...and after a year stent as a vegetarian I also have some mean grilled greens in my repertoire. Outside of the kitchen...poker, chess, air guitar (working on my air drums), and Rock, Paper, Scissors (it's a psychological game, all about reading people).

My eyes...really cheesy and cliche I know, but hey, there it is. And my laugh. It's distinct but in a good sort of way...not a Fran Drescher kind of way. I swear.

I'm a complete foodie. The spicier the better.

I love books (even non-fiction). Right now I'm reading a lot of Mystery, Crime Noir, Police Procedural, poetry and Horror (I love having the crap scared out of me). Some of my favorites: e.e. cummings, Stranger in a Strange Land, The Flander's Panel, Anthem, The Night Circus, Wuthering Heights, 13th Tale, Battle Royale.

You name it and I'll probably read it...except Twilight. I won't go there. Though, I do sometimes consider writing my own romance novels to help pay off my student loans.

Music:Bowie, Queen, Seger, Stones, Interpol, Radiohead, Zeppelin, Nina Simone, Prince, Hootie and the Blowfish, Mingus, The Boss, Cash, JT, The Black Keys, Sleater Kinney, Tegan and Sara, Missy Elliot, The Band, RHCP. That's only a few. I love discovering new bands but I will admit I'm not well-versed in country and I kind of like it that way. Twenty-five years of living in Texas couldn't even change that. Building up my vinyl collection is my new frivolous hobby. I try to catch live shows whenever I can.

My brother's a movie critic so I'm a bit of a movie buff and a total horror flick junkie. Even the ridiculously bad ones. Especially the ridiculously bad ones. Some of my go to favorites: Die Hard, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Shallow Grave, Donnie Darko, 28 Days Later, Old School, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Wayne's World, Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally, The Big Lebowski. I've covered the whole spectrum.

TV: Dexter, Arrested Development, The League, Homeland, Trueblood (my guilty pleasure), Batttlestar Galactica (that's right, letting my nerd flag fly), Game of Thrones. Watched four seasons of Breaking Bad in three days gearing up for my move to ABQ.

And donuts. I live for donuts. They're like my kryptonite.

In no particular order....

Slurpees
Peanut butter
My husky Klondike
Coffee
A pair of headphones
Compadres

When I'm out studying I often get distracted people watching and I wonder what their backstory might be. I guess it's the writer in me. It's like developing a new character for a story.

That and I'd really like to know what my dog dreams about.

...heading out to catch some live music, art show, movie, ball game. Pretty much whatever I can find. There's also a fair chance I may be stitching up drunks in the ER. Work hard, play hard.

I do have a little ritual. Before I get ready to go for a night out, I like to lie in the middle of my bedroom floor, put on a good vinyl and just listen to a few songs, clear my head and think of nothing but enjoying the music. It's my reset button,

When I'm home alone I like to dance around the house singing...mainly Prince and mainly in my underwear. I don't always get a lot of time to myself so I take full advantage of it.

If you want a serious answer, it's probably that I had a speech impediment and a bit of a stutter growing up. I had to take speech therapy classes up until the 3rd grade. I'd like to say the whole experience was character building, but really it just sucked.

You're kind, out-going, open-minded, inspired, driven. I don't care what you do or how much money you make doing it as long as your passionate about life and living it.