I am a total nerd, and consider it my mission in life to inspire nerdiness in others. I believe God has a sense of humor, which explains a lot about the world. I probably would have been an artist if I hadn't been raised by engineers. I'm trying to teach myself to play the piano.

Teaching, singing, laughing, taking pictures, yoga-ing, playing tag, figuring it out.

I'm a regional admissions counselor for my alma mater, a small private liberal arts college where I was an Economics and International Studies major. It means I spend the fall traveling all over Texas meeting high school students and the spring reading their applications. I get to show nerds that it gets better if they can make it to graduation. Pretty sure it's the best job in the world.

When I'm not living out of a suitcase, I sing at church (and pretty much everywhere else), watch movies with my brother, read, do yoga, and try to see as much live music as I can. Sometimes I teach standardized test prep in the evenings, which is more fun than it sounds. I figure, if I can make that interesting, I can do anything. Lately I've been getting my kids to focus by promising them if we finish early, we'll spend the rest of class doing Random Things I Know, in which I tell them the ridiculous useless facts my brain collects. They love it.

If I have a free Saturday, I like to find a new part of town and just wander with my camera for a few hours. All the money I save goes to fund my wanderlust. Next goal is Turkey and Greece!

I'm really tall, which means I get to be sarcastic with little fear
of reprisal.

Books: I used to read constantly, and then college happened and my fiction addiction collapsed under the weight of my workload. I'm getting back into it.

Music: Depends on what day of the week it is. I think all music is good, it's just waiting for the perfect moment to fit into. Most played on my iTunes: Mike Doughty, Motion City Soundtrack, Phil Wickham, Marvin Gaye, Guster, Green Day, Joe Purdy, Spoon, Regina Spektor, OK Go, Ingrid Michaelson, Yo-Yo Ma, ZZ Top. I just went to a Seryn concert that seriously changed my life.

Shows: Just so long as it's not reality tv... Actually, I don't really watch that much. I'll probably like it if it's funny or it makes me think. Or if it's the Rangers.

Food: I love to cook if I have someone to share it with. Good food makes people happy, and that makes me happy. I'm a sucker for good Mexican, though.

Bible
Sketchbook
Music, especially the soundtrack in my head.
DSLR camera. It's been everywhere with me, which is how I have proof of everywhere I've been.
Without my iPhone, pretty sure I'd wander around wondering what day it is, and I'd never be able to call...
Family and friends.

Why is it that "refrain" as a verb means "to hold back," but "refrain" as a noun is the part of the song where you let it all hang out?

Depends - am I working Saturday morning? Actually, that still wouldn't keep me from taking a brilliant idea and a group of friends and running with it, no matter where we end up.

I went to middle school in North Sumatra, Indonesia.

you don't mind me judging your grammar.