I was born and raised in Chicago, I brush my teeth in the dark (the lights are just too bright) and I am obsessed with sushi. One of my main motivations for moving to Japan after undergrad was food, although, once there, I found teaching to be a supremely rewarding experience. I love to travel and I am always planning my next escape. I love exploring obscure and out-of-way places and I'm always down to sleep in a hostel or tent, but equally enjoy fancy hotels. I appreciate wit and sarcasm, and practice both daily.

I am extremely curious about the world around me and always love learning new things. I have a strange obsession with old paperbacks and love exploring used book stores.

I am a big believer in not sweating the small stuff. My friends would have a hard time recalling a time I've lost my temper. I am really laid-back and always look at things in a positive light.

I work for Whole Foods, with plans to get an MBA in the near future. I also have a small side gig creating and maintaining vegetable gardens. I make plenty of time for exercise, good food with friends and time outdoors, and I always love to experiment in the kitchen.

Making delicious food and sweets
Eating and talking about food
Learning new languages
Ping Pong and Raquetball
Growing vegetables
Organizing things

My curly hair. My smile.

Food: There is nothing I don't like, except hakarl, a fermented shark eaten in Iceland. Literally the WORST thing I have ever tasted.

Music: Ratatat, Bon Iver, Phoenix, Miike Snow, Crystal Castles, The Xx, Thievery Corporation, Wolfsheim, The Roots, De La Soul, classical Baroque, Art Tatum, Ahmad Jamal, Oscar Peterson, etc... Extremely varied taste in music.

Movies: Wes Anderson movies, Paul Thomas Anderson movies, Random foreign movies on Netflix, documentaries of any kind, Let The Right One In, Vitus (really good Swiss film), Pedro Almodóvar movies, The Usual Suspects, Shutter Island, Densha Otoko. But, truthfully, I love pretty much all movies. They're a fun escape, no matter how good or bad they might be. Just saw The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Master and was very impressed.

Books: One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Fountainhead, Elective Affinities, Death in Venice, The Idiot, The Odyssey, Hamlet, The Botany of Desire, The Omnivore's Dilemma, The Jungle, Snow Country, anything Kurt Vonnegut.

Magazines (had to put this one in here because I love them!)
Fine Cooking, Lucky Peach (amazing food journal put out by David Chang of Momofuku), Popular Mechanics, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Cook's Illustrated.

TV: Game of Thrones, Fringe.

Good Food
Sound machine
Books
Sushi
Dogs
A comfy bed

How to not spend my life sitting behind a desk.
Slow-smoking pork shoulder, brisket, and ribs, and all things food.
Why I have so many magazine subscriptions.
What to plant in my garden this year.
How to use my passport more often.

Spending time with friends, either at someone's house or out at a restaurant. I love going out to dinner in this city, the options are endless. I also enjoy hanging at home watching movies/reading. It all depends.

I love my bed.

You are easy-going, curious about the world , enjoy interesting and diverse conversation, and can teach me something new.