This online dating thing is both crazy (and secretly a little fun). But there are questions I am dying to ask:

Do you really care if I own a car?
Why am I not allowed to check more than one ethnicity?
Where can I indicate that I am politically liberal?
Is there a checkbox for me to tell you that I have no baggage?
What is the scale for my image rating?

How do I tell you who I am in this little white box?

I believe:
- in celebrating all that the Bay Area has to offer, from Fort Funston to Santana Row, from the Mission to Monterey;
- that my children will grow to be strong and healthy;
- that a great day involves sunshine, a used bookstore, physical activity, and dim sum;
- in multiple modes of communicating - social networking, IM, email, and of course, long discussions over a good cup of coffee;
- that my work is challenging and makes me a better person;
- that astrology is nonsense;
- that the number 4 can be unlucky;
- that the DH should be outlawed altogether;
- in the power of social idealism combined with practical reality.

I love:
- words like “babbling” , “gurgling” and “whisper”;
- Starbucks mocha;
- the way the 280 banks and turns, with the fog fingers reaching over the edge;
- movies like “The Princess Bride”, “Love Actually”, “The Shawshank Redemption” and “No Way Out.”
- the way my daughters cheer for Melia and Sasha;
- tunes from Coldplay, Jewel, Eoin Harrington, and the soundtrack from the musical Chicago;
- how people in my neighborhood assume I speak Spanish;
- to read everything: Entertainment Weekly, Freakanomics, Shantaram, San Jose Merc, Anne Tyler, Michael Connelly.
- the fact that I can see four generations of YMCA community members from my vantage point on the elliptical machine.

I am a girl who:
- can change a tire and cook a gourmet meal;
- can launch a kite in 3 minutes or less but is hopeless at throwing a Frisbee;
- knows the difference between an A380 and a 747, but doesn’t know the state capitals;
- can remove a splinter from my child's thumb without a tear falling or hose running;
- can identify almost all of the American Idol finalists as well as most of Shakespeare's plays. But couldn't tell you the names of more than two or three professional golfers;
- can order lunch in a taqueria, dim sum parlor, and dosa house;
- can swim from one end of the pool to the other without taking a breath;
- can open a bottle of wine without flinching and can give you a backrub you will never forget.

A GOOD first date is low-key, offering the opportunity to chat and laugh. A GREAT first date might even involve exploring a used bookstore together.

I live in San Francisco and I work in San Jose, so I socialize throughout the Bay Area.