Hello, guy reading this on the Internet. I am a professional handmaid of the Man, that is, I am a lawyer at a big law firm here in NY. I used to live in Washington, DC before I moved here for law school. I have BA in international studies; I used to say here that I never see celebrities in New York, but that's not so true anymore. I am one of those people that has to have seen someone a thousand times before I recognize his/her face, so unless it's my favorite actor or something (like in my picture!), I probably just don't recognize them. I would make a terrible witness. I sat next to Al Roker on a plane from DC to NYC once. You should have seen the flight attendants' faces light up.

I'm originally from upstate New York although I don't plan to move back. Ever. I love animals and can often be seen embarrassing my friends by running up to strangers to pet their dogs. I try not to take myself too seriously, and I'm not afraid of being silly occasionally.

I spent a semester in Brussels studying the European Union and have become a total EU nerd. I also studied in Beijing,China. China is nothing if not fascinating, but I don't have the same passion for it as I do for Europe. If you can't tell, I love to travel. I have visited 20 countries and counting, but only 3 continents, so I have a lot more to see.

I've become something of a theater nut since I moved here. However, it's an expensive habit, especially in New York, so mostly I just plan and plot about what I'd like to see when I have the money, which at this point will be very soon.

I'm taking a swim class. I love to swim, but I am terrible at it. I love the serenity of swimming. Recently my swim teacher told me that kicking is not for me. Then she complimented me on my buff arms (she loves the "cuts," she says). I'm taking that as a sign that I should persevere.

I'll try (almost) anything once.

I'm not that interested in politics, but I do have strong views (mostly left-leaning) on a lot of issues. I like to debate, but I don't like to argue.

I recently joined Match.com but have found that the people on OKC are way more interesting.

It's hard to find something to say that's not cliche.

Reading lots of documents, attending lots of meetings, taking notes on conference calls, during which I only understand about 35% of the conversation. I worked in New York and London last summer, and I think I've decided that New York is the place for me. I feel like Dorothy. It turns out what I was looking for was in my backyard all along. Aw, shucks. Now where did I put my ruby slippers?

Making people laugh, making friends and choosing good ones, sounding professional on the phone, school, video games, learning languages, 80's pop culture trivia, tripping over my own two feet.

My loud laugh emanating from a small body, my glasses (I think that I, and most people, look better with them than without), my big smile.

a) favorite books that I read as an adult: Red Dragon, Hotel New Hampshire, The Redemption of Christopher Columbus, Life of Pi, Earth Abides, Doomsday Book, The Time Traveler's Wife. Favorite books that I read as a child: the Wrinkle in Time series, The Westing Game, The Girl in the Box (scary!), The Wayside School Series, There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom b) Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Velvet Goldmine, Finding Nemo, Sixteen Candles, Labyrinth, The Big Lebowski, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Napoleon Dynamite, Time Bandits, 12 Monkeys, Seven Minutes in Heaven, eXistenZ, Ernest Goes to Camp (when I was 8), Brokeback Mountain c)anything 80's (for my 19th birthday my parents gave me the 8 disc set of Sounds of the 80's), 1990's alternative, dance music, and horrible pop music that I won't specify here. I need to break out of my music bubble because I haven't found anything new that I've liked since before college. d) Cosi Smores (as you can see from the picture), Houston's spinach dip, corn on the cob, peas, Moose Tracks ice cream, Chinese food (real Chinese and the Americanized version), Thai food, Belgian cuisine (ask me about a great Belgian restaurant in DC), Tapas. Bonus question: favorite TV: Intervention, Six Feet Under, Dexter, Oz.

Diet Coke (Coke Light in China and some of Europe is gross by comparison), Washington Square Park (the people-watching opportunities are unparalleled), an occasional sweet treat to eat, entertaining reading material (www.freshyarn.com), Olympic gymnastics every four years, CVS.

the news, the future, non-canonical theories of intertextuality (ok, I just threw that one in for fun).

I have a lot of friends in New York City since I grew up not too far away and went to school here, so if I'm not hiding away trying to enjoy some alone time, I'm probably out with them. I suppose my Fridays can be predictable, dinner and drinks, but there's something comforting in that. Sometimes I'll do something I more unusual for me like seeing a live music performance. I'm kind of frustrated by my lack of original ideas regarding activities in New York. I think I need some suggestions.

I think I have a problem with nostalgia. I've been listening to an internet radio 90's station, and suddenly I'm thinking to myself, "Wow, man, 1997 was IT. Those were the days." I wonder whether I will be nostalgic for today in 2013. Also, I like standardized tests. Shh....

Also, I was in a pantyhose ad when I was a kid. I've been on TV shows whose names I'd rather not mention.

the wind is blowing north by northwest. Seriously, message me if you consider yourself an intellectual. I don't mean that in a snobbish way, but all of my friends/boyfriends have been people who enjoy looking at the larger questions in life, if that makes sense. Also, I have noticed that a lot of people have height requirements, so let me just point out that I measure up at a tiny 5'0. I don't care how tall you are. The advantage of being a short girl is that I make everyone feel nice and tall. Also, I thought this went without saying, but apparently it doesn't. If you contact me with an eye toward dating me, you MUST be a man who is definitely romantically and sexually interested in women. This does not include men who hope they are straight but suspect they are not, or who think that dating women will make them straight if they want it badly enough, or that having a romantic, sexless relationship with a woman counts as being straight. This definition of men who are interested in women could include bisexuals, but only the real ones.

Editors

• bramboro