I'm spending my spring/summer in Los Angeles! I have such a love/hate relationship with this city... but my heart is aching for Atlanta and I can't wait to be home in my sweet humidity. I'll be "home" August 1st! I realize it's a city of (primarily) transplants, but I can say without a doubt in my mind that Atlanta is absolutely my heart. It is full of good people, good food, good weather, good things to do... if you were to add decent public transit, it would be my utopia. Moved there and don't like it so far? Just spend a couple of days letting me show you around. I will change your mind. :)

MBTI: INFJ (if you find any sort of worth in that kind of thing)

More about me: I refer to myself as a "reluctant Republican", mostly with regard to our fiscal future. I'm geeky as all get-out. Pop culture makes me giddy, and my regular TV lineup leaves me as stressed out as if crazy TV events were happening to people in my own life. If I think you will just fall-down flat-out LOVE a show, I *will* bully you into watching at least three episodes. If that show happens to be Supernatural, I will make you watch through to the middle of the second season before giving up. (It takes a bit to find its stride. It gets awesome. Promise!)

I love getting dressed in the morning.

There are a couple of topics about which I get really, really, REALLY passionate. I tend to go on about them a lot. You're welcome to re-direct me at your leisure as long as you've let me touch on them for a couple of minutes, because they truly define me as a person.

I have great people SKILLS, but terrible people INSTINCTS. It breaks my heart all the time, and it's something I'm trying to work on.

Breakups I have accidentally initiated without meaning to: 2. (Whoops.)

At this point, I have a pretty good idea of what I'm looking for, and I'm willing to be patient to find it. I have a real heart for service; right now, I'm directing that energy towards doing a lot of volunteer work and writing grants in my spare time. In the next 5 years, my plan is to be either a) working at a fairly well-paying job and planning out a non-profit, or b) being broke and actually making that non-profit happen. That being said, I find myself attracted to people who are actively working to make the world a little kinder. Whether it's through philanthropy, volunteering, or whether it's your 9-5... I connect most easily and most deeply with people who are committed to positive change. Not a requirement, though! Just something I know about myself.

I realize this is terribly unromantic, but I feel it needs to be mentioned because it's a dealbreaker for some: I can't have kids. I love kids, and I'm "Auntie Maggie" to every single one of my friends' kiddos, but if you're hoping for biological children of your own, I'm unfortunately not your girl.

Conversation prompt: what is your favorite restaurant in the entire world, ANYWHERE? In Wisconsin, in Hong Kong, on Mars... name it!

Retail manager until January. Then, it's part-time work and finally finishing my degree in something that will make an actual difference in people's lives. Finally.

Talking. Listening. Shopping. Finding lost objects. Identifying musical tones with my eyes closed (I have perfect pitch). Making weird and super unattractive faces. (Pretty Girls Ugly Faces could have been created by me!) Baking, but not cooking. Making a case for the underdog and the downtrodden.

My robot tattoo. I get a lot of "oh my gosh, is that a tattoo?" NO, IT'S A GIANT ROBOT THAT JUST GREW THERE ON ITS OWN ONE DAY. A lot of people also ask to take a photo of it. What can I say? I have good taste, and I know some truly amazing tattoo artists.

If I gave you my book list, or even my author list, your eyes would glaze over.

Movies: Uh. Um. I actually don't know.

My favorite TV show is Supernatural. Other shows I really like are Revenge, Once Upon A Time, Nashville, Arrow, Grimm, Downton Abbey, Suits, 30 Rock, Happy Endings, The Following, Fringe (RIP), and I just started watching Community. It's great. I hope. I am also a proud Browncoat and general Whedonite.

Food: LA has gotten me really into ethnic food, haaaaard. I haven't met a dumpling I don't like, and pho is quickly becoming my newest comfort food. Rice pudding (Indian, not South American) is my go-to favorite food ever. A really great steak is probably in second place. HOWEVER. I am an FFK (Former Fat Kid), so it's been ingrained in me to watch what I eat.

Music: All over the place. My Pandora stations are as follows... Flying Lotus, The Weakerthans, Tool, Massive Attack, Kontakte. I love Copeland. I love Tegan and Sara more. I listen to NIN when I work out. I listen to Nickel Creek (and their many side projects) on road trips. I always turn up Catherine Wheel's "Black Metallic" whenever it comes on the radio.

(Weird. I know.)

1. Android. I judge iPhone users a little. Well, I judge a lot of people a little... but especially them.
2. Yelp. I'm Yelp Elite now!
3. Water. Favorite Drink of Ever.
4. Perfume. I don't swim in it, but it's an essential part of my wardrobe (really) and it makes me really happy.
5. Dresses. They are super-flattering on me, easy to wear, I love them, and who in the world doesn't love a dress on a girl?
6. The internet. Redditor for life.

... what the actual hell I'm going to do instead of being a parent. I guess I always imagined myself being a mom, so finding ways to occupy myself for the rest of forever without offspring is pretty daunting.

How to help government-dependent families work towards self-sufficiency.

Family equality.

Why I, of all the people on the planet, ended up with this enormous dream/task of trying to save the world...

Playing board games at a friend's house, getting delivery, and trying to avoid traffic. I prefer going out during the week so I can avoid the crowds. This might just be me, but I actually enjoy being able to hear my dinner companion talk...

Part of the reason I worked so hard to lose almost 100 pounds is because I'm an "on-call" organ donor for a family member.

... you like quirks.
... you have a slightly morbid and very ironic sense of humor.
... you need restaurant recommendations.
... you need fashion advice, love advice, or someone to pat you on the back and give you a cookie.