I'm a smart, funny, quirky, lady who likes to stay active. My life is best when it's a good balance of very hard work and (thoughtful) hedonistic indulgence, so teaching elementary school (with summers off!) has really worked out for me so far. I like to do all your standard spare-time things my demographic seems to enjoy: bicycling, hiking, camping, going out to see people play music, staying in to read something interesting, and hanging out in doorways so I'm neither going out nor staying in.

I'm nonmonogamous, or polyamorous, or whatever we're supposed to call it now. I'm currently in an open relationship with a man that I care about very much, and depending on what time of year it is (summer vacation vs. the rest of the year), there may be other arrangements with other people to consider as well. At the moment, I'm looking for friends with benefits. The "friends" part of that is pretty important to me, so if we don't seem to have much in common and we can't make each other laugh, it's just not going to be that fun. And isn't that the whole point?

I'm a first-grade teacher and I love my job. It's time-consuming, challenging work, though, so I try to balance it out with free-time activities like hiking, running, cooking, and bicycling. I also like dining with friends, listening to music, and yoga. These are just a few things I could think of off the top of my head.

Making analogies, cracking jokes, writing, cooking decent meals, working with kids, word games, untying knots.

People always say I'm funny after they've met me once or twice, but that doesn't mean that you'll find me funny. I once went on an OkCupid date with someone and I told him that people tell me I'm funny. He looked at me for a second and said, "Yeah, I don't see it." That may have been our last date.

Other than my sense of humor, I haven't gotten much feedback about the "first thing people usually notice about me." I'd say it's either because the first thing people notice is pretty much what you may have noticed from the pictures I have here--i.e., my general appearance--or that there's something so awful and horrifying about me in person that people are just too polite to comment.

What kind of question is this, anyway? I never know how to answer it.

(some incomplete lists)

Authors: Chuck Palahniuk, Irvine Welsh, Christopher Moore, Vonnegut, Vendela Vida. I was a lit major in college, so I know a little bit about literature and tend to lean toward early-to-mid-century American literature. I love/hate James Joyce. I love/love J.D. Salinger, John Steinbeck, and other writers who are economical but not stingy with words. I feel the way you would expect me to feel about Hemingway, given that I am a former lit major with feminist tendencies. Dorothy Parker! I also like reading nonfiction-y things that bring out my not-so-inner geek. I love going to my local bookstores and browsing the display tables at the front for things that look interesting and somewhat informative. Examples: The Murder of Napoleon (one of my all-time favorites), Girl Sleuth, and Coming of Age on Zoloft.

Movies: I can't really come up with a list that accurately reflects my super-awesome taste in everything, so off the top of my head, here are a few movies that I really like and which, objectively speaking, probably don't suck--The Usual Suspects, Heathers, Bring It On, Secretary, An Education, Rear Window, Tangled, the Virgin Suicides, Ocean's Eleven. The Graduate is probably my favorite movie. I like a good movie, but the way to my heart probably isn't in referencing a movie I've mentioned here. (For example, of course I like Ocean's Eleven. It's good because it's made with ample amounts of marketing genius. I like it because they designed it that way, not because it's a great piece of cinema.)

TV shows I tend to watch lately: True Blood, Weeds (though I kind of lost interest about a season or so ago), Bob's Burgers, Buffy, Firefly, Arrested Development, Community, Parks & Recreation, the Office, the Daily Show, New Girl, the Mindy Project. I can really geek out about TV tropes, which probably means I watch too much TV. I'm trying not to. That should be my "Most Private Thing You'd Make Public" or whatever, but that section annoys me.

Music - The way to my heart might be in referencing things from this section. There's probably a common thread that makes me seem way less interesting when you acknowledge it (hey, a hipster-ish white girl likes Neutral Milk Hotel and Sleater-Kinney?!) but here's the list anyway:
Andrew Bird, Rainer Maria, Arcade Fire, Viva Voce, Belle & Sebastian, Phoenix, Neutral Milk Hotel, Grandaddy, Elliot Smith, Air, Alan Parsons Project, The Animals/Eric Burdon, Chicago, Talking Heads/David Byrne, The Doors, Dreamdate, ELO, Thom Yorke/Radiohead, April March, Morrissey/The Smiths, Garbage, Jenny Lewis/Rilo Kiley, Johnny Cash, Kate Nash, Kimya Dawson, M.I.A., the Kinks, Ladytron, the Pixies, Quasi, REM, Shakira, Sleater-Kinney, Siouxsie, the Ventures, Weezer, the Who, Yo La Tengo, Tori Amos, Regina Spektor, the Zombies.

Food: fresh produce, farmer's markets, adventurous eating (sometimes). I love food and I keep it pretty healthy, but I still have a serious sweet tooth sometimes. I am an excellent cook by normal standards, fair to decent by Bay Area standards. You eat well when you're at my house.

Books
Music
Sunshine
Sunscreen
Family
Friends

Thinking gives you wrinkles.

I usually keep it low-key on Friday nights, so it's a good time for dinner with friends, seeing a movie or, if I'm totally honest, giving myself a pedicure and catching up on the Daily Show. (Look at that! If I still had a cat, I'd be one giant stereotype wrapped around a pint of Haagen Dazs.) Of course I like going out and doing exciting things sometimes, but you asked about the "typical" Friday night, and exciting nights are not typical. That's what makes them exciting.

You're an intelligent, interesting, driven person. You have a sense of humor, you're pretty active, and you take care of yourself. You like sexy nerds, long hikes, and good conversation.

Also, check our match percentage. I have had great luck with those who have above a 90% match, even better if it's above 95%. Check out the "Personality" tab on my profile, and also the questions. If we have a high match in the Dating and Sex questions, that's a good sign.

I'm proudly nonmonogamous, polyamorous to the more poetic. Currently, I'm in an open relationship with a man and have been attracted to and involved with both men and women in the past. My current roster is pretty heavy with the Y chromosomes, so I'm mostly (but not exclusively) looking for smart, interesting women who are definitely into other women at the moment. Curious straight girls, you're wonderful but frustrating and too complicated.

If you're into camping--no, real camping--let's talk.

Bonus points for people who don't offer bonus points for things like dietary choices, hair color, or weird MPDG quirks. Seriously, what is it with the bonus points? What can I win with all these bonus points you people are offering?

Bonus points if you know what MPDG stands for.

Just kidding.