I am rewriting this now, realizing that the summary I wrote just a year ago no longer describes me accurately. Funny, how much we can change when change happens a little at a time.

The word I want to use to summarize myself is 'seeking'. Seeking knowledge, connection, mastery, peace, excitement, contentment, groundedness. I am passionate about many things - psychology, music, writing, justice and equality, food, anusara yoga, mindfulness, conversations, mountains. I strive to learn a little bit more, do a little bit better, focus a little more clearly, and enjoy a little more fully.

At the same time, though, I don't take things so seriously. Smiling is my favorite activity, and do it often - coffee, sunshine, naps, silliness, good jokes, bad jokes, good days, bad days, all result in a smile. Too much seriousness seems to me to be bad for the heart.

I am in a graduate school, working toward a degree in clinical psychology. Trying to understand how things go awry in the brain that leads kids to develop all sorts of problem behaviors and difficulty managing emotions.

Listening to and playing (guitar and piano) lots and lots of music. I mostly listen to indie (whatever that means!) but like to pick up random world music from the library.

Spending time with good friends over good meals. Spending time alone reading, watching movies, trying new recipes, practicing mindfulness.

Being outside. Hiking. Camping. Backpacking. Eating swedish fish and mike and ikes at the tops of mountains. Taking pictures of beautiful places. Traveling. Writing about traveling.

Mostly, though, grad school. Getting a Ph.D. takes up even more time than you would think.

Smiling.

Silliness.

Being friendly.

Being quiet.

Books: Rising Up And Rising Down. How Brains Make up Their Minds. Brain and Life. Shaking Hands with the Devil. Infinite Jest. Einsteins Dreams. Blindness. Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. On Beauty. Second Sex. Snow. How to Cook Everything Vegetarian +

Movies: There Will Be Blood. Persepolis. No End In Sight. Royal Tennenbaums. Amelie. Pans Labyrinth. The Princess Bride. I Heart Huckabees. Into the Wild. Lots of Documentaries +

Music: a comprehensive list would be impossible. Currently: The Gossip. The Walkmen. Andrew Bird. Grizzly Bear. Thao and the Get Down, Stay Down. Bibio. Regina Spektor. +++

Family
Friends
Coffee
Music
Learning
Outside

What my life will look like when I finish my program. How to stay motivated on difficult and mundane tasks day after day after day when I really want to be outside, hiking a mountain, reading a story, talking to a person.

Other times I think about how lucky I am to get paid to learn things that are so essential to being human. Yes. I am lucky.