Perhaps I've just started to notice it more, but I get really turned off by egocentric first messages.

Here are some I have received:

I would love to get to know you more.

Hi I would like to get to know you! Maybe we could meet sometime for dinner or coffee?

I love your profile. I think we need to hang out.

Are they nice? Sure. However, they're all egocentric, meaning they are coming from a place of THEM (no, this is not an insult - it is using it in a very literal way). In other words, my profile hooked them, but their messages didn't hook me. Okay, so YOU think I'm awesome. I do too. Why should I meet you just because YOU think I'm awesome? Tell me why I would think you're awesome, too.

Please engage with me and give me SOME inclination of why I would also think YOU are awesome.

If you have nothing on your profile then you know at least 50 more things about me than I know about you. If you write me, and want to connect with me as a human being, why not tell me things that I might find interesting about you? You've read my profile, make some educated guesses about what I might like about you, or let me know what we have in common.

I recently started weight lifting and I really love it! I'm lifting for strength, so I've been mostly doing a 5x5 routine with a little bit of variation.

It's really exciting to see actual progression every time I go to the gym. 

4 days before my one year anniversary of starting Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and I was promoted to blue belt. I am ecstatic.

Mark Twain wrote, "Substitute 'damn' every time you're inclined to write 'very;' your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be."

Lately I have been examining my writing and am aware every time I try to write "very," which is often. Grammar Girl wrote a post about misusing 'so' and 'very,' and I often refer to it. Rather than saying "I'm very happy to see you," you can write that you are thrilled to see the person. Rather than saying someone is very handsome you could say they are gorgeous. She states in her podcast,

Replacing two simple words like very hungry with one more descriptive word like ravenous makes your writing tighter and usually more interesting, too.

Which brings me to the word "interesting." After having been to the Ukrainian English Olympiads, I became aware that "interesting" is one of the most BORING words. Let me give you some examples:

"There are many interesting things to do in Kyiv."
"I like interesting movies."
"It is interesting to meet with friends."

Everything was "interesting" to Ukrainian high school students. They overused this word and it was BORING. Of course you like interesting movies--who DOESN'T like interesting movies? When my friend would ask me if I had any interesting movies I would say, "No, I only have boring movies."

Now, instead of saying someone's profile is "interesting," I would much rather say "Your profile is engaging" or "Your journal entry made me stop and think," or even "Your profile captured my interest." Notice the difference between "This is interesting" and "This captured my interest." One is static and BORING, the other more descriptive and INTERESTING ;).

These words are TOUGH to purge from your vocabulary, yet if you do, you will become a more dynamic speaker or writer. In short, you will be "very interesting."

Women, BJJ guys are where it's at. Seriously. Hip action, stamina, moving from one position to another, able to literally sweep you off your feet. Man. I wish I were dating a BJJ guy.

I believe that language is something to be used outside of the classroom.

I believe that the classroom is best used to practice language that can be used outside of the classroom.

I believe that students should be empowered to learn on their own, and that a teacher should strive to instill in them a love of reading/learning/language.

I believe that students should be taught how to learn on their own, and given strategies to know how to do so.

I believe that teachers can have a lifelong influence on a student, in good ways and in bad.

I believe that the best teachers are those who are still learning, both from students and from peers.

I believe that Teachers are not merely those who are teaching, but those who define themselves as teachers, regardless of what job they are doing.

I believe I am a work in progress and am constantly striving for improvement through collaboration and research.

My favorite uniforms just happen to be jedi robes and Star Fleet uniforms.

/swoon