Oct. 2009 Update: I'm pretty busy with the last-minute details to prepare for my India trip. I will try to respond when I return in November.

I'm pretty much a city girl. I like being around my friends, stuff to do, and a vibrant culture. I like being able to walk or bike everywhere, although I do have a car to get around.

I love to travel and learn about the world. I have a little house in South Seattle and two cats, so even though I sometimes think about taking off for a long trip to France or Africa or wherever, shorter trips are more realistic. Right now I'm planning my first trip to India which I'm pretty excited about.

I try to stay informed about the world outside Seattle, usually through NPR and BBC News and documentaries.

It seems hard to believe that I just turned 40. I feel like I should be about 27 or so....although, when I think about all the things I've done in my life, I suppose 40 seems about right. Most of my friends and people I get along with tend to be my age or in their 30s, since I live something of a "young" lifestyle. I bike a lot and am very physical, and try to be active and healthy. I like to get out often and spend time with my friends at shows or other nightlife.

I used to think of myself as being pretty introverted, because I do spent quite a bit of time by myself and have usually traveled solo, but I've come to realize recently that I really do better when I have more interaction with my good friends. I guess I'm more social and less solitary than I used to believe.

Well, right now I am in between jobs. (Hey, thanks, economy!) I have been working in research at a couple biotechnology companies for the last 15 years or so, but I've had a number of different types of jobs in my life. I'm pretty open to what I do next, so I have been doing a lot of thinking and research about that lately.

Besides looking for work, I am enjoying the summer and planning my trip to India, and doing some volunteer work in Seattle.

Crossword puzzles.
Maneuvering through city traffic on my bike.
Appreciating time spent with my 96-year-old grandmother who has Alzheimer's.
Baking delicious yet hardly professional-looking cakes from scratch.

I smile a lot.
I bike a lot.
I don't look 40.

There are so many books and movies I like...I'll just list a few.

Favorite authors: Dorothy Parker, H.P. Lovecraft, John Krakauer, Vladimir Nabokov, Gogol, Dostoevsky.

Favorite movies: Secretary, Donnie Darko, Withnail and I, Velvet Goldmine, Rosemary's Baby, Bound, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Amelie, The River's Edge, Jacob's Ladder, Dog Day Afternoon, The Graduate, Deliverance, Repo Man, Midnight Cowboy, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Rock and Roll High School, Housekeeping, The Virgin Suicides, any David Lynch, Joss Whedon, Coen Brothers, or Alfred Hitchcock.

As for food: I love spicy Thai, Ethiopian, Italian, Mexican...green salads, dark chocolate, good wine...I'm vegetarian and tend toward healthy stuff, but I'm not pushy about my own preferences.

Black coffee (Okay, I could do without it, but I so enjoy having that morning ritual of making a nice strong cup of coffee first thing in the morning.)
My bicycle
My good friends
My two cats
The ability to constantly be learning/improving myself/trying new things.
My family

At home wishing I'd thought ahead enough to make a plan with my friends.
Or: Out with my friends seeing a live band or seeing my friends' bands
Or: Out with my friends at a neighborhood bar
Or: at one of their houses for a low-key social gathering.

You are smart, physically active, and interested in the world.

You don't smoke (anything) regularly.

You aren't heavily into professional sports of any kind.

You are perfectly comfortable around gay people.

You don't have young kids living with you most of the time. Kids are great (I love my nieces and nephews) but I am not interested in having a life that revolves around doing kid-oriented activities.

Chemistry is, above all, very important. If the chemistry isn't there, no amount of shared interests will overcome that. Meeting in person is the only way to see if that elusive chemistry might be there.

Oh, and I should mention that I appreciate people who have a certaindominant streak.