I'm a Carolina girl transplanted to the Bay area by way of Salt Lake City and Boston, living my dreams and embracing the power of "and" on a daily basis. I'm here mostly to keep up with friends. I'm in an open relationship with the love of my life (we just celebrated 9 years together), and that plus a close network of amazing partners and friends keeps me pretty busy (and very happy!). That said, I'm always up for exploring potential new connections and new experiences... when I can find the time.

I'm a hedonist and a capitalist, but ethical about both. I love life and all its pleasures. I'm easy to satisfy, but hard to sate. I'll give anything new and interesting a fair try, and I appreciate people with similarly open minds.

I love people, but I tend to prefer spending time with the people I like on a one-on-one or small-group basis rather than being part of a large crowd. Large crowds can be fun in their own right, but they're not so great for getting to know each other. I can be kind of quiet and reserved and a little nervous around new people, but once I've gotten comfortable with you, I'm a lot more open and talkative.

I recently returned to school to pursue research in linguistics, cognitive science, and education (and the intersection thereof), with the eventual goal of getting my PhD and teaching (not necessarily in that order). I volunteer as a sex educator with a local non-profit and on campus. When I'm not in school or working I spend time with the people I care about, read voraciously, listen to an eclectic variety of music, spend an awful lot of time on LiveJournal, take lots of pictures to improve my photography skills, and try to learn everything I can about anything that interests me. I also love playing games (board, card, and video), and am a sucker for a Scrabble challenge.

Writing. Teaching. Listening. Learning. Seeing patterns. Solving problems. Herding cats. Kissing. Giving massages. Wooing people with food.

I get the most compliments from strangers on my hair, which I don't think is anything special but is apparently eye-catchingly shiny (and currently streaked with purple), and my breasts, which you'd think strangers would be too polite to comment on but you'd be wrong.

I'll read anything you put in front of me (including ketchup bottles!), but I lean toward sci-fi, fantasy, comics, webcomics, and nonfiction (generally related to food, sex, and language). Neil Gaiman, Christopher Moore, Tom Robbins, Jonathan Carroll, Matt Ruff, Douglas Adams, and Lewis Carroll are among my favorite authors.

I watch a lot of movies. I don't have favorites so much as I have movies I can happily watch over and over again: O Brother Where Art Thou, Boondock Saints, Arizona Dream, Donnie Darko, Tank Girl, Magnolia, The Princess Bride, Heathers, Army of Darkness, Dune, Clue, T2, Fight Club, Kill Bill, Buckaroo Banzai, and more...

My taste in music is incredibly eclectic. I was raised on a steady diet of classic rock and if I had to pick a favorite genre that would be it, but my massive mp3/ogg collection ranges from bossa nova to zydeco and includes almost everything in between. Lately I've been listening to: David Bowie, The Pixies, The Mountain Goats, Kaki King, Tuscadero, CocoRosie, Warren Zevon, Gillian Welch, John Prine, A(labama)3, Howard Jones, and Information Society.

Food-wise I am a great lover of sushi, soul food, Sichuan, and all things spicy. I am a carnivore but I know the best places to take vegetarians to eat. I believe cheese is a food group and garlic is essential to almost any dish. I am a staunch defender of eastern North Carolina-style pulled pork barbecue, and will good-naturedly argue its merits with you until the cows come home. I can be bribed with Dr Pepper, jalapeno poppers, and anything made of sugar.

Being something of a survivalist (growing up in hurricane country and living in the land of imminent earthquakes will do that to you) I can live with just the basics and I'm well-prepared to do so, but for a happy and fulfilled life, I need good friends, good food, love of all kinds, sex, my mp3 player, and my Treo 755p.

How and why things work. How I can help people communicate better. The naughty things I'd like to do to my current lust object(s). My ever-filling calendar. Why most of the interesting people I meet live at least an hour away.

Catching up on the TiVo backlog. Cooking for friends or eating at a favorite restaurant. Reading one of the three or four books I'm in the middle of. Playing video games. Reading or posting to LiveJournal. Attending a class or play party at the local dungeon. Recovering from the week.

It takes a lot to shock or embarrass me, but I still blush far too easily. I will pretend it didn't happen; point it out at your own peril.

You like curvy girls. You're open-minded and enthusiastic about life. You kick ass at Scrabble (but aren't an ass about it). Your book, CD, and DVD shelves are overflowing. You speak more than one language. You proudly identify as a geek or nerd. You enjoy touching, kissing, and cuddling. You're just as happy staying home and watching a movie as you are going out to a nice dinner and a show. You aren't easily offended (but don't go out of your way to offend others). You believe in something but you have a good grasp of the balance between idealism and reality. You want some target practice. You want to be target practice. You know what you want and you aren't (too) afraid to ask for it. You have something to say besides "Hi" (Woos are appreciated, but send a follow-up note so we can chat!).