I'm an occasionally serious person who tries not to take life (or myself) too seriously. I tend to use ellipses too often when I type. I won the perfect attendance award in third grade...for the first and last time. In high school my senior superlative was 'most likely to get proofed'...and it stuck, since i do still get proofed. I'm not very good at karaoke, but it doesn't stop me from occasionally doing it. I don't drink soda--and could tell you my theory about how i think it's bringing about the downfall of western civilization--but i still crave carbonation, and drink lots of seltzer. I think NYC is the greatest city in the world but, as a born-and-bred suburbanite, feel the need to escape all this concrete once in awhile. (Escaping to the mountains to snowboard when the temperature drops is a favorite pastime. And I'd love to do more hiking.) I had a major childhood crush on Alex P. Keaton, despite being a liberal. I make great mix CDs. I don't follow sports much anymore, but I'm pretty confident I could name the entire roster of the '86 Mets. I appreciate proper grammar but don't mind people using "i" in lieu of "I." I may be the only person in the world who thinks argyle can be sexy. (Refer back to Alex P. Keaton crush.) I love New England beach towns...and lobster dinners...but usually only the latter when I'm in the former. I enjoy the comedy stylings of people like Tina Fey, Eddie Izzard, Larry David and those two crazy New Zealanders on HBO. I don't play lotto but I do have a soft spot for those crappy scratch-and-win games. I've never won more than $5 from a scratch-and-win game.

Are we talking professionally? I'm a journalist and, for the most part, really dig what I do.

Aside from the aforementioned CD mix-making and useless sports trivia? I have a knack for making people laugh. I can quote a couple scenes from "The Breakfast Club" line and verse, and one soliloquy from "Hamlet." I rock the pink category in Trivial Pursuit. While I can't cook, I make a mean sandwich...and a pretty good omelette.

My sense of humor. (We're not talking physically, right?) If we are talking physically, I get compliments on the smile.

A few very short lists...

books: Anna Karenina; The Sound and the Fury; Into the Wild; The Great Gatsby; The Tin Drum; In the Lake of the Woods; From Hell; Goodbye Columbus; Dancer From the Dance; Random Family; Purple America; Death in Venice; Cold Mountain

movies: Vertigo; Strangers on a Train; Chinatown; Dr. Strangelove; Do The Right Thing; sex, lies and videotape; Fargo; Memento; Godfather II; The Sweet Hereafter; Blow Up; Mulholland Drive; Blade Runner; Body Heat; Goodfellas; The Age of Innocence; Risky Business

TV: The Wire; Friday Night Lights; Mad Men; 30 Rock; Gossip Girl; Real World Road Rules Challenge; It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia; Top Chef; The Office (British version); a bunch of crappy HGTV shows

music: Bruce Springsteen; Bob Dylan; Arcade Fire; Willie Nelson; Neil Young; Johnny Cash; Wilco; The Cure; Iron & Wine; Jay-Z; Kanye; Talking Heads; Dolly Parton; Rolling Stones; Radiohead; Al Green

food: A long time ago, on a family vacation, we ate in Sweden in Epcot Center. That wasn't so good.

Great reading material; great viewing material; my favorite jeans; and friends/family. (I think I could make do with just those, if I had to, but it would probably be better to throw in great food and drink...since I was alotted the room.)

A lot of things...

Meeting up with friends...probably for drinks and/or food. Or, if it's been a long week, crashing on the couch and enjoying the DVR.

I DVR a bunch of Bravo reality shows...including that really bad one about the obsessive compulsive house flipper. It's not good. I also really kind of enjoy Rod Stewart. (Um, his cover of "First Cut is the Deepest" is really pretty good. And yeah, ok, I like "Downtown Train," too.)

You can cook...and you're willing to teach me. You're gifted at making people laugh. You give up your seat on public transit for the elderly and the pregnant. You're kind, without being dull. You see live bands and/or like waxing poetic on music. You understand the time space continuum...and can explain it to me. (If you have a solid handle on the end of "Donnie Darko," I'd settle for that.) You know the difference between "to" and "too" and "they're," "there" and "their." You have a strong sense of direction (since I don't.) You know how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop. You like to snowboard and/or ski...or you're willing to let me teach you. You've won more than $5 from a scratch-and-win.