Who can write a proper self-summary? Are we not large, containing multitudes? But here are some things that are about me:

I like open windows. I will open the windows even in the winter just to let in some fresh air.

When my windows are open and the wind is blowing I can sit on the floor and not see the other buildings around me and my apartment feels like a tree house. This feeling and my giant windows are the best things about my apartment.

I like being outside. Biking, walking/hiking, whatever. I can find something to enjoy about most landscapes and weather patterns and temperatures (this may be a function of growing up in an incredibly flat landscape, which I still find lovely, in this state, where we get all the temperatures).

I miss traveling. I want to go so many places and when grad school is over I hope to have opportunities and money to get to those places. Number one on my list is Antarctica.

Getting my Masters in Library Science. (The end is nigh - so close I can taste it, but just far enough to frustrate.)

Working in a junior high library and really, really liking it.

Reading (for class+for fun=lots and lots of reading).

Going for walks. Waiting for my bike to be released from the bike hospital.

School.
Juggling (and by "good at" I mean "capable of").
Art (drawing and painting, mostly).
Trivia. My brain is full of useless information.
Bubble maps. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I have received applause from a room full of people for a well-made bubble map.

My eyes? Or the dimples? I don't know.

I love to read and I read fast, so I have a lot of favorite books. I love anything by Nikos Kazantzakis, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, E.M. Forster, Jane Austen, or Michael Pollan. During the school year, I read a lot of children's and young adult books because I always feel like a fraud recommending books to kids that I haven't read (also, a lot of them are just fantastic). I think in August I'll be able to read grown-up books again and, much as I love YA, I can't wait.

I don't watch movies very often. But I can watch Before Sunset, Elf, Charade, My Fair Lady, and Eternal Sunshine over and over without tiring of them.

I like 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, and Community. And I have recently become kind of nuts for Downton Abbey.

In most genres of music, I can find something to enjoy. If quantity is anything to go by, I have an inordinate amount of music by Neko Case, The New Pornographers, Rilo Kiley/Jenny Lewis, Rufus Wainwright, Nick Drake, and Fleetwood Mac. Lately, there has been a lot of Phoenix and Lord Huron.

I used to be a picky eater, but no longer (though I draw the line at octopus - those tentacles freak me out). When I cook, I tend to keep it simple, with veggies, pasta, and a little meat, but I like checking out different restaurants and cuisines.

I can do without most things (save the basic essentials), but six things I generally have with me include:
A writing utensil.
A book.
Ipod.
Phone. (I don't like talking on the phone, but it seems like a smart thing to carry around.)
Water bottle.
A sketchbook.

Right now, the history of print and young adult literature.

Relaxing. Or in class, depending on the week (my Friday class this semester is actually pretty incredible, so I have no problem with this).

If you're still reading and weren't put off by the Whitman. Or if you have some books to recommend. I'm serious about this one - I'm always looking to add to my reading list.