On a basic level, I’m a researcher at an economic policy think tank (oh hey, someone in DC doing research, that’s novel...), but I like that my day job gives me the opportunity to work on issues I care deeply about (social justice, economic development) and gives me enough freedom to spend the rest of my time with friends enjoying the District, and the chance to travel to my heart’s content.

Cooking breakfast, photobombing, N64, picking up random words in German (manschettenknöpfe par exemple), the Carlton dance, packing light, high fives

Probably my hair or smile, or the fact that I’m a bit of a goofball.

My friends make fun of the fact that I will always watch Coming to America whenever it's on Comedy Central. Other favorites include Best in Show, Annie Hall, Waking Life, Before Sunrise, Amelie, Leon, The 400 Blows, Midnight in Paris…and Die Hard (Alan Rickman is just too good in it).

Arrested Development (so excited for the new season!) and The Wire are up there as my favorite TV shows, I also love It's Always Sunny, Party Down, Seinfeld, Fresh Prince, Curb Your Enthusiasm…pretty much anything that’s clever and makes me laugh.

Kendrick Lamar has been on repeat lately, but my music rotation usually includes Radiohead, Interpol, Rilo Kiley, Joni Mitchell, Wilco, The Roots, Jay Z, J Cole, J Dilla (clearly if you rap and start your name with a J, you're good in my book) Clipse, Talib Kweli (Reflection Eternal might be my favorite hip hop album), Danny Brown (I've seen him live...total insanity) Lauryn Hill, Rufus Wainwright…and assorted others I’m sure I’ll remember as soon as I finish writing this

I’m currently reading Consider the Lobster which kills me it’s so good, but I think I’ve read Raise High the Roofbeam Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction ten times in the past year. Favorite authors include Kafka, Proust, Woolf, and Faulkner (I have a soft spot for Modernists) but I also love Zadie Smith, David Sedaris, and Junot Diaz.

Big picture things like the future, smaller picture things like which This American Life to listen to or where to travel next, and irrelevant picture things like why there are no diners in DC and what Samuel L. Jackson would do if he were standing next to this ridiculous person on the Metro instead of me.

Oh, and opportunity costs. Always opportunity costs.

I dislike peanut butter, I know I know...totally unacceptable.

you're so inclined, or if you have Carl Kasell's voice on your answering machine.