If I were a wine, my label would read, "Sweet and dry. Pairs well with everything, but has a kick that you won't expect."

And if people had labels, mine would say "Lovable, smart, and cheerful, with a streak of stubbornness that only comes out when it rains."

I'm a Midwestern native that has been in New York City for the last two years after living in Ohio, France, and Boston. (Not in that order.) But I am in love with New York City and feel that it suits me perfectly for this stage of my life.

I can get a little silly, and I'm more than a little nerdy. I like to laugh, create, and ask questions. I'm also good at fixing things, preparing for zombie apocalypses, and solving problems.

As an educator, I devise entertaining activities that will teach children to appreciate art and find their own creative voice. As a graduate student, I read books the width of bricks and conquer papers that would make a weaker man cry.

But I always make time for reading books, running, winding down with drinks, and brunching with my friends on the weekend.

Pretty much everything!
Laughing, creating things, thinking outside of the box, making people smile, and being devils advocate. Giving advice, listening, being a good friend. Sleeping, eating, kissing, breathing, hogging all the covers. I also have a pretty awesome moral core.

My crazy crazy glasses.

Books: Philip Pullman, Meredith Pierce, Garth Nix, Robin Hobb, Robin McKinley, Jack Kerouac, Elizabeth Peters, Susan Cooper, Neil Gaiman, Tim O'Brian, Isabel Allende, Tom Spanbauer, Carlos Andres Gomez

TV: Downton Abbey! Arrested Development. Firefly. Doctor Who. Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Movies: Star Wars, Princess Bride, Casablanca, Dave Chappelle's Block Party, Jane Eyre, Swingers, Almost Famous, The Matrix, The Godfather, The Royal Tenenbaums, Trainspotting, Tootsie, and basically anything by Kevin Smith, Joss Whedon, or John Hughes.

"Negative. I am a meat popsicle." The Fifth Element.

Pockets: I was not born with a kangaroo pouch, so pockets compensate nicely.

Cellphone: It is the magical device that tells me where to go, what I need to do, and what others are doing.

Glasses: All the better to see you with, my dear.

Rubber Bands: They close bags half full with frozen peas and hold my hair back when I am drawing.

External hard drive: Mine is purple!

Earphones: I always want them because I always lose them.

What type of dog I want to get.
New and untried restaurants that are ripe for food adventures.
Joss Whedon. And why he should have written Star Wars- Phantom Menace.

Looking for my lost earphones. Then once I've admitted defeat, I exit my door for another food/movie/gallery/music/bar/theatre adventure with friends.

This is totally humiliating...
But I was once peed on by a rhino.

(And no. I did not enjoy it.)

If you like Watermelon Beer.

If you have a great book suggestion.

If you can tell me what color my message button is.

... if you like NPR and XKCD! If you have confidence, ambition, and a sense of humor. If you know what GGG means and know who Chuck Close is, then I think we'll get along fine!