Hi, I'm a Kate. I recently completed my PhD work at the
University of Washington in Seattle. My dissertation work was rather interdisciplinary and touched on many subjects, including education, literacy, computers, and disability issues.

Right now, I'm still at UW wrapping up some research work that I've participated in over the years. I'm also on the job hunt for post-docs or faculty positions in education. That being said, I have no idea where I'll be a year. Still, I finally have some time in my life to be social again so I thought I'd give dating a try again.

I'm an academic. I am in a constant state of learning and teaching. Multiple books often clutter my bed, and it is a rare day that I do not engage in some from of trivia activity, be it a crossword, wikipedia binge, or intense discussion.

Sarcasm is perhaps my most natural skill. I often tell people to just assume sarcasm. Moreover, I am great at thinking and find pleasure in adapting ideas and approaches to make things work. I do this with everything that I participate in. When I'm teaching, I adapt my patter and approaches to help my students learn best. When I'm cooking, I'll innovate and substitute as the need or whim arises.

The freaky intelligence thing is usually what strikes most people's attention. If I have some random tidbit of information that is relevant, I bring it up... or I force it to fit. Suprisingly, I'm really good at doing the latter. Not everyone knows how to mention platypi in a discussion of circumcision.

(A) I love non-fiction. "Stiff" by Mary Roach and "Krakatoa" and "The Madman and the Professor" by Simon Winchester are three of the best books I've read recently. Oliver Sacks is another favorite author of mine.

I do read fiction at times, and I really enjoy juvenile fiction. Since I'm interested in literacy and literacy education, I try to read the books on school reading lists. There have been some amazing works produced since I graduated high school. "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman and "The Giver" by Lois Lowry are hauntingly good reads. If I want amusement, I often turn to Roald Dahl and James Thurber.

I'm also a comic book/graphic novel fan. I used to collect comics, but now I tend to read webcomics primarily. I have been amassing quite a few non-fiction graphic novels of late due to an interest in the applications of comics in education. It's fun to tell others that I own a comic novelization of the U.S. constitution.

(B) I tend to be picky with movies. I guess that some of my faves in recent years have been "Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit," "Little Miss Sunshine," and Fritz Lang's "Metropolis." Pixar movies are another favorite pleasure. A movie that I truly love but have difficulties with watching at times is "Proof." That movie hits home in many ways.

I also tend to really like documentaries, especially those made by the BBC.

(C) I tend to have TV or talk radio on in the background. I love NPR's programs, especially "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me."

On TV, I am often tuned into cooking shows. I am a big fan of "Chopped" and "Good Eats." While I loathe most sitcoms, "How I Met Your Mother" is my somewhat guilty pleasure.

(D) I tend to have eclectic music tastes. Josh Ritter and The Shins are often on my playlists. They Might Be Giants is also a long lasting love of mine.

(E) Sushi and pizza are my two biggest loves. Black beans, apples, cheese, and cereal are also major parts of my diet. I'm a huge veggie eater as well, and have begun to wonder and be concerned about the potential LD50 of celery.

1. Caffeinated diet colas (Coke Zero, Pepsi Max, Diet Pepsi, and maybe Diet Coke)
2. My silly calico cat, Susie.
3. Cheese
4. Rainy days
5. Books
6. Socks

Everything. Seriously. I wonder why dryer lint comes in different colors, and why mine is always this boring bluish gray. I try to remember how one can use calculus to derive the formula for the area of an ellipse. I come up with culinary thinking games like the Iron Chef 2000th dish challenge (ask me about it... it's fun!).

Essentially, I see connections between different ideas and concepts all the time. While some of the time I'm using these ideas in one of my imaginary worlds/storylines (some of which I've been toying with for years) to applying it to my research and teaching. I was the kid who played with paper towel tubes and cardboard boxes and legos and stuffed animals and... basically anything that I could imagine around. I just like to think, period.

At home watching TV and chatting online with friends. The excitement is excrutiating. Despite the dripping sarcasm, I'm mostly okay with that. I prefer a quiet life.

I really don't understand people. I just don't pick up on a lot of mannerisms and socalization cues. I can be cruel at times, despite my best intentions. I think I drive people away. I'm a social hedgehog.

You can tolerate a gal who speaks her mind about whatever she happens to be thinking about. Enjoying it would be even better.

You understand and appreciate the life of an academic. It's a major part of my own life and is a culture of its own. This includes going all geeky over a good data representation as well as more mundane issues such as a lack of a 9-5, M-F work schedule.

You are willing to take the risk that if something clicks between us, I might be moving away from Seattle in the coming year.

You think you can appease my humble feline master.