I am a social creature that loves getting out and doing things. I work very hard, but I love to balance it with relaxation and play. I like doing a wide variety of things, from going to museums, going out to listen to live music, such as jazz and the symphony, going out to eat delicious food, attending lectures, and exercising outdoors. I am often getting tickets to events and love to bring along companions. For instance, last year I went to a couple of the most amazing lectures and performances by the legendary jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. I was absolutely floored, in total awe.

I've only lived in Boston for 2.5 years, so I'm still looking forward to exploring the area. Its a pretty cool place to live with lots of things to do. The past couple of summers, I made the beach a priority and managed to make it to Cape Cod and Nantucket both summers, and to Martha's Vineyard, South Beach in Miami, and the Outer Banks of NC the summer before. Now that winter is here, though, I look to the mountains. I cannot wait for the Killington trip that I have planned for this weekend!!

This year, I'm looking forward to doing more hiking around the area and to trying out the Hub bikes around town. I'd also like to make it out to kayak again on the Charles River. I have a few books on day trips around Boston, walks within Boston, and seaside walks near Boston. Looking forward to finally cracking them open!!

Working in Boston. I have one year left of a residency in neurology. However, I have taken this year out to do research (pretty much a postdoc) under a grant I managed to win.

Using "dude", "totally", and various expletives in my everyday conversations. The breadth of colorful language has only expanded since starting a residency program in Boston!

Making cats purrrrrr. I recently lost one of my dear cats (14 years old) to cancer. My other one, Georgie, is still marching right along!

Recycling. Kinda goes with my not wanting to swim in brown water and to gaze at yellow skies.

I'm not really sure...

I'm told from time to time that I have an accent, but noone's ever been able to pin down where its from. Probably because its a mixture of influences. I do tend to take on the local parlance after having been somewhere for awhile....I've lived in North Carolina, Maryland, Finland, Chicago, England, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, and now Boston! I haven't yet taken on the Boston accent, but I do find myself using "wicked" quite a bit!

In LA, I used to get called out for dressing really "East Coast", with a little black cashmere scarf in winter and a black leather jacket most of the year. Might be cause I'm from the East Coast. It wasn't hard to pick up laid back Californian style. In Boston, its kinda hard to have style when you need to dress in the bulkiest down coat and warmest boots around in order to survive those lovely winter months!! But damn it - I try anyways!!

(a) Proust - A Remembrance of Things Past (I've been to Proust's grave in Paris!); Bertrand Russell - Conquest of Happiness
(b) City of God. Classics such as Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (family watches every Thanksgiving) and A Christmas Story (family watches every Christmas). Also partial to Ferris Bueller's Day Off and the Big Lebowski (been digging it before it became such a crazy cult classic!).
(c) I'm addicted to HBO and Showtime series...I've seen every episode of the Sopranos, Sex and the City, Six Feet Under, Dexter, Deadwood, Carnivale, Nurse Jackie, Flight of the Conchords, Boardwalk Empire, The L Word, The Real L Word, and the list goes on...I also like 30 Rock, the Office, the Graham Norton Show, and Arrested Development (which I see is quite popular on here!).
(d) Interpol, Radiohead, early Modest Mouse, U2, Morcheeba, Portishead, classic rock, jazz, and classical music.
(e) reindeer - YUMMY!!, cabbage casserole, salmon casserole, pickled herring, tongue. These are all delicious Finnish foods.

1) family
2) friends
3) my brain
4) supposedly high brow, "liberal bullshit" such as NPR, the New York Times, and the New Yorker - LOVE 'EM!!! (Hmmm...I just consider them intelligent and informed...). Fox News seriously gives me the heebie jeebies and sends chills down my spine.
5) the outdoors...beach, mountains, hilly places in between
6) damn good food, including Mom's home (Finnish) cookin', sushi, Mexican, Indian, yadda, yadda, yadda...

The beach, the mountains, my fam, my friends, sunny places, road trips, longer travels, hmm...

Out and about!!

I'm not a nerd!

You like a unique girl