After everything I wrote in the below questions, I'm a bit unclear on what the focus here should be... an ad trying to "sell" myself and what I'm looking for, I guess? I'm into full disclosure, so here go the good and the bad: I love to make people laugh, I'm outgoing, I'm emotional (sobbed for the whole second hour of "Hachi"--have you seen it?), I'm a bit OCD about the house (but am reforming in this area after getting a dog who sticks her whole face in the bowl and then drips all over) and I'm a pretty selfless person (a trait I get from my mother who is the best human being I have ever known), yet I'm not a pushover. I'm probably more assertive than the average person (what NY girl isn't?), but I hate confrontation. It's an interesting mix.

I'm a family girl and love to spend time with my folks (local) and sister and cousins (out of town) as much as possible. My dog is also a huge part of my life (she's a rescue that I've had for 4 years) and she's very protective of me (it's in her genes, but I'm a pretty awesome mom to her, too!), so you would have to be a dog lover (of big dogs, especially) with the patience and willingness to work at building a relationship with her if you're interested in pursuing one with me.

I love sitting down with a cup of good coffee, a glass of nice wine (preferably a raisiny Napa Valley Zin, but really I love many kinds), a cold ale, even just a glass of ice water with lemon in it--to share with a friend or loved one and just shoot the [stuff]. Put me outside in a screened-in deck with birds chirping and leaves blowing in a soft breeze and it just doesn't get much better than that. (I love the outdoors and fresh air and am not a fan of bugs--so really, what IS better than that? OK, maybe the beach in Grand Cayman, or the Mediterranean, or the South China Sea...)

What kind of guy am I looking for? You need to laugh at yourself, at me, at the world--humor is SO important in life. Other random things that I find important in a mate (as I find them important in myself): You need to have a good balance of intelligence and common sense; one without the other will drive me crazy. You need to be responsible about finances. You need to have a great relationship with your parents or at least the capacity to understand mine. You need to be outgoing and social. You need to be a dog lover (see above). Oh, and if you're not a good driver, I will relentlessly poke fun at and exile you to the passenger seat. Physical attraction is very important to chemistry, but personality can really boost your level of attractiveness to me. I wouldn't go so far as to say looks don't matter, but they're certainly not at the top of my list.

I guess this question is asking about my job? In a nutshell, I guess it's best summarized as health communications. I am currently employed as an editor at a pharma consulting company for the past 5+ years. Prior to that, I worked in public relations (mostly writing, publications development, and media outreach) for a medical research institute and large healthcare system up north for several years--loved that! But I wanted a lifestyle change, so I moved to NC and had to leave that job. Health communications is my second career--I'm also a registered dietitian (and maintain that credential), but working in the field didn't pay the bills very well. As writing had always been an interest, after working a few years as an RD, I switched gears with a graduate program in journalism with an emphasis in science writing. It was a good choice, but after 14 years of working in my second career, I'm starting to feel the change itch again. Not anything as drastic this time, though (I don't think)--perhaps just creative/fiction writing instead of non-fiction. We'll see. The thoughts are all still in the infancy stage, so ask me about this in six months and my answer might be completely different by then.

When I'm not at work, you can find me trailing behind my dog, picking up poop. Or playing frisbee fetch. Or watering my garden. Do I need a date or what?

Wrapping presents! Making coffee. Putting together photo albums. Loving my dog. Spending time with my parents. Writing and editing (it's how I pay the bills). I'm good at a lot of things, and as I told a boss when I worked for a nonprofit back in the late 90s (when I had to wear multiple hats and work incredibly long hours), "Just because I'm good at something doesn't mean I enjoy doing it." He couldn't understand that. I quit a few months later.

Usually it's my glasses or my smile. Sometimes, indirectly, it's both--when I get Tina Fey comments. Do you think we look alike?

In the summer, I'm a USA girl--White Collar, Covert Affairs, Suits, Political Animals. Also loved Rescue Me when the series was running. During the regular TV season, my favorite shows are The Good Wife, Criminal Minds, Elementary, Blue Bloods. Also love a good Nova Science show, the Investigation Discovery channel, and TruTV. (Big fan of TV, so any guys proud of living without a television who are bothered by this fact should move onto the next profile.)

Movies are not a high priority these days but I do really like them, especially when there's someone special to share 'em with. Some of my all-time favorites (there are many) include The Sound of Music, When Harry Met Sally, The Fugitive, The American President, Air Force One, Executive Decision, A Perfect Murder, Sleeping with the Enemy, Erin Brockovich, The Bourne Trilogy, Runaway Jury, The Shawshank Redemption, The Thomas Crowne Affair. Wow, I could keep going, too.

As for food, my mom's cooking, Thai, Italian, Mexican, NY pizza, burgers and hotdogs... any of those will make me happy.

Music tastes are diverse and I'm open to most types, especially if it's live. I like a lot of current music, but I'm also a bit of an old soul and love music from the 50s and 60s. My Pandora channels of choice lately are Sinnerman (Nina Simone), Buble, and Mraz, and I just created a Sam Cooke station a few days ago. Looking forward to that one!

My reading has waxed and waned over the years--when I last read voraciously, it was fiction and non-fiction that was mostly related in some way to forensics or behavioral analysis (i.e., FBI profiling); lately I haven't read any fiction and occasionally I still read non-fiction. I edit all day long, so on any given day I have read about a hundred pages or more at the office and don't particularly desire to pick up books at home nights and weekends.

I tend to be a literal person, so I find this question silly: food, water, sleep, human contact--these are the things I really could never do without. But playing along, I'd have to say
--The friendship and support of my family
--My dog
--Coffee
--TV
--The internet
--My car (well, not necessarily my car--any car would do)

...what the future holds for me. I had always envisioned having a family and since that hasn't happened yet, and may not at all, recently I find myself wondering a lot about what the next 25 years will be like and how I can make them productive and purposeful (as well as fun and exciting, which are equally important and luckily much easier!).

I've had this one empty since I created the profile and I guess that's because there just is no typical Friday night. I could be out with a friend; home with my dog, TiVO, and a glass of wine (or two); out on a date; out on a date wishing I was home with my dog, TiVO, and a glass of wine; having dinner with my parents; tasting wine with the owner of the local wine shop; grocery shopping (though I have yet to meet a man in the produce section!)... anything goes, really. It usually just depends on the options, how awful my week at work was (I deal with daily and sometimes hourly deadlines and the juggling gets exhausting), and my other plans for the weekend.

I have a lot of pet peeves. Like, if you think the word is "supposably," I can't be friends with you. Does this count as private?

(a) I haven't scared you away.
(b) You don't live more than an hour from Raleigh.
(c) A reasonable person would honestly, objectively say we may be compatible.
(d) You want children or, if you already have them, are willing to try for more.
(And no, that isn't meant to be multiple choice.)