I try not to take anything too seriously, including myself. For the most part, this means that I'm usually a pretty happy person, and I'm usually having a pretty good time, whatever I happen to be doing. I also try not to overthink things, like self-summary boxes. Pain in the neck this box is, really.

I never really wanted to be a doctor, but I always found biology interesting. When you're younger, you don't really think there are any other options, so I sort of assumed I would go to med school. I have now decided that that is something I categorically do NOT want to do. I also discovered that I freaking LOVE me some infectious diseases. God the little buggers are fascinating, and they totally kick our asses. I'm going to figure out some way to do something with them, and that's all I really care to do with my life. Everything else I seem to enjoy somewhat, but nothing gets me going quite like infectious diseases, so I'm sticking with it. Starting a PhD in Epidemiology soon, and it'll be all malaria, all the time.

Minesweeper...along with other mindless addicting games. Massages, kissing, and memorizing lines to movies and Jack Handey quotes and other such pointless information. I can spit gum and sunflower seeds like nobody's business, and when I want to I can charm the pants off about anyone older than 40 and younger than 8--not quite my target range. I'm also incredible at making more stuff fit into a suitcase than you would think is possible, which is actually a bad thing for your average vacation, because I can bring way more than I'll ever need.

In terms of actual legitimate skills, I'm pretty good at tennis, ping pong, and foosball. And Taboo. So that's...fun?

...that I look just like that person they used to know...who was it? Oh wait, it was EVERYONE. I get this all the time.

Also, an Italian woman once told me I had "the face of the Madonna" right before accusing me of stealing and kicking me out of her hotel. This was all a big misunderstanding, but I'm still not 100% clear on what she meant. I look so innocent that I think I can get away with anything? That's pretty much true. I blame the freckles.

a-I'm an Agatha Christie addict. Also, The Great Gatsby, Rebecca, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, anything Fitzgerald, His Dark Materials trilogy, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Lolita, lots of things I can't seem to come up with right now.

b-Serenity, Igby Goes Down, Blazing Saddles, the Professional, Lost in Translation, Garden State, Labyrinth, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Just Friends, I Heart Huckabees, Waitress, YPF, The Celebration, 28 Days Later, Cinema Paradiso, Malena ...etc. I love movies in general, and this list is not especially representative. Given the opportunity, I probably wouldn't have a difficult time doing nothing but watching movies in my spare time. At least, for a little while. Although I'll be extremely angry if I get stuck watching too many mediocre movies. I prefer terrible movies to mediocre ones--at least then you can laugh with your friends as you make fun of them together.

c-Arrested Development, Firefly, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Buffy, Doctor Who, Coupling, the first season or two of Lost (the downfall of that show was sooo depressing)

d-I'm ashamed of my musical knowledge. I always spend all my free time looking up and watching obscure movies instead of finding obscure and awesome music, but I love hearing all the good shit that my friends find after doing the leg-work and wading through all the horrible stuff that's out there. If you are one of those people, enlighten me! I also tend to be a bit flaky and change my tastes a lot. Lately I've been into Of Montreal, The Blow, Santigold, the Bird and the Bee, and Nouvelle Vague. From the more mainstream, I got mad love for Incubus. They were big at my high school, so it's kind of a nostalgia thing.

e-Frozen peas, salmon sashimi, paella, almost anything Italian.

Assuming we're excluding the things I actually couldn't live without, like air and all that...I don't know that there's really anything I couldn't do without except good company and something to discover or share, be it a new place, something online, a book, a tv show, a movie...I'm flexible.

Useless shit. But it's never anything that's going on around me. I tend to be fairly oblivious when it comes to details about my surroundings.

Infectious diseases, and the ways human behaviors affect their spread.

Dirty jokes. In a very puerile way half my brain is pretty much always occupied with how to make a dirty joke out of whatever is being said or happening around me. I'll probably never grow up.

Sometimes watching a movie, sometimes partying with friends, sometimes something completely random. I like making plans in advance, but I'm also a fan of ditching said plans and going for the totally spontaneous.

I seem to be totally incapable of taking criticism. I'm working on it.

you're pretty uncool, but you're cool with that. I love things that border on (or dive head first into) geeky and have no shame about it, so it's good if you do too.

I love receiving messages, but hate responding to them. You have been forewarned. But you should message me anyway. Whenever people look at my profile but don't message me, I assume it's because they're not interested. So if you are, go for it! I only bite in a nice way.