Hi!

After many years of resistance, I'm finally starting to jump into the dating pool. Many people would see my life as simple, but it's mine, and I am learning to adore it.

I'm passionate about quality television, and couldn't imagine life with out my books. I live with many, many animals including 3 cats and 3 dogs.

I live for food. I went to the Culinary Institute of America, where I studied Pastry Arts. I may make desserts for a living now, but my heart belongs equally to the savory side of cooking as well.

Right now professionally I'm biding time. I work at two jobs, one that pays the bills and one that I actually enjoy. I work at a popular restaurant in Columbia as their Pastry Chef. I have the luxury of creating the dessert menu and changing it as often as I please. Lately I feel I haven't been creating anything special or spectacular, however I'm on a mission to rectify my mistakes, and once again am determined to set myself on a path back twords excellence.

I love trying to make people laugh and filling people up with the goodness of home-cooked wonderfulness. I'm good at cooking. I love cooking. I'm fabulous at watching television. I even do a decent job of washing the dishes.

I'm also very good at prattling on about nothing for a very, very long time.

Books... I am a voracious reader, however I'm hampered by my ability to read the same book(s)over and over and then four more times again. The Redwall series by Brian Jacques ended up defining me as the person I am today. Harry Potter makes me extremely happy. Jane Austen and Bridget Jones take me away from it all. His Dark Materials remind me of the world as it could be. Anthony Bourdain and Michael Ruhlman make me Hot thinking about Chefs, Kitchens, and Thomas Keller. Lillian Jackson Braun is my dirty, dirty, shameful little secret. Hugh Laurie makes me smile in all the right ways.

Movies...I have favorite movies, but I choose not to list them. I believe television is much more influential in life than movies, as it comes into my home and affects my day to day life. Television trumps movies.

(...okay. okay. Here is my list of frequently watched movies. Yes, they are girly. Yes they are oft very frivolous. Yes, sometimes I'm slightly ashamed. I still heart them, however.)

Bridget Jones. Notting Hill. About a Boy. Mansfield Park. Secretary. (Hot.t.) Sugar and Spice. City of Angels. Stranger Than Fiction. Last Chance Harvey. Sense and Sensibility. The Oceans Movies. Saved!.

Music...I love music. I played the sax and flute in middle school. (I played the Sax with some aplomb, the flute, very baddly.) I like to rollerblade to Yo Yo Mah, and pretend that I am prize winning figure skater.

Right now I'm in a very pop-y phase that I am dutifully ashamed of. You'd probably laugh at most of my music, but there's enough quality stuff in my playlists that you'd forgive me anyway.

Television...I know it's cheesey, but Gilmore Girls telivised my life to the public. Bravo has started rerunning West Wing, and I miss it so bad. I grew up on the X-Files and Will and Grace. The Office is crack, and 30 Rock its devilish older sister. House makes me giggle with glee, and No Reservations makes me kinda wet. Bones is my latest addiction, reminding me faintly of Mulder and Scully but throwing in the wonderful tidbit of Stephen Fry.

Food...I worship Duck. I don't think there's a more perfect animal out there. Everytime Duck Confit is made at work I eat half of it in sneaky litte bites. Crack. Duck is crack.

I could never live a Kosher life. Pork is my friend. My dear, dear friend. I love bacon. Pancetta is a wonderful gift. And Ham. Oh glorious ham, how you bring out the best in me. I've also been in and out of a love afair with pork chops.

I'm also partial to the odd (ok. pretty frequent) bowl of Kraft White Cheedar Mac n Cheese. (Or Velveeta Shells n Cheese.) I will say though, that I make a pretty satisfactory bowl of homemade mac n cheese, too.