**I came home recently to find a squirrel sitting on top of my shower door. I named him Zim. I opened the bathroom window for him. He was gone the next day. He doesn't write. He doesn't call. So long, Zim! **

So my time online dating have allowed me to explore experiences -- good and bad -- with some interesting people. Firsts for me: surfing, Vietnam, snow (I know!), bouldering, Hawaii, Thai massage (receiving), trying conch and other stuff not to be mentioned online.

I'm obsessed with food. My adventurous palate means I'm not squeamish or too picky. I've tried (and sometimes liked) organ meats, ants, crickets, durian, scorpion, balut. But I'm just as likely to crave an In 'N' Out burger, a Jamba Juice or a red velvet cupcake. I love to marry my love of food with travel, experiencing another culture in the most basic and satisfying way and perhaps getting a bit scraped up in the process.

I like to stay active or get outdoors (but I'm not an athlete). My latest activities are the gym (yawn), yoga (om), hiking (yea) and getting back into snowboarding (yikes). Up next to try: water skiing/wakeboarding, scuba, kayaking.

I also adore animals (And yet, I'm not a vegetarian. Go figure.), domesticated or otherwise. Sometimes it's easier to communicate with them. Don't get me wrong: I'm still pro-human. I'm here after all. Humans can be very cool sometimes, like when they created words. I'm a bit of a word nerd and like reading, puns, crossword puzzles, palindromes (Wonton? Not now.) ... just tasting words.

Besides movies, I'm always up for any museum (art, history, science, media) and the last exhibit I saw was the 19th century Japanese art at the LACMA. I'm overdue for a return visit to the Getty. Live music: a local bar/lounge or the Hollywood Bowl with a bottle of good wine. Love most live theatre.

Chivalry and flowers are nice gestures, but romance to me is more personalized: random gifting, comfort-intensity, scratching their head in just the right spot, unexpected smiles, sappy text messages, silly insults and drive-by kissing.

I'm mainly a tomboy and quiet feminist (until you get me started), but I can be such a girl sometimes. I keep my hair long, have way too many pairs of shoes, like how I look in lipstick, swoon for "Pride & Prejudice" and enjoy being affectionate/adventurous with the right guy.

My family is in Houston, so every visit home is a somewhat repressed/genuinely loving reunion filled with food. My brothers (one 1.5 years older and my twin) are responsible for my tomboyishness and appreciation for things like The Transformers, H.P. Lovecraft and a well-honed blade. We'll get together with my numerous cousins (thanks Facebook) each year to make fun of each other and play Taboo, Guitar Hero or Wii.

So it's all been me, me, me so far. That's because I've had my whole life to study me. You, on the other hand, are a mystery. This is what I imagine though:

You don't have a temper, but feel passionate about several things in life like family, art, society, a point of view. You're quick to smile about random things, even your own thoughts, and although you're not an Eeyore, you're not a Tigger either. You're VERY brainy and can make mental leaps with me. A reader, a fellow traveler, a lifetime questioner, a joker, a whimsy-seeker, a hard worker, a kind and generous spirit, an adventurer, a true blue friend/family member, a teacher and student, a person who oozes integrity.

I know it's a cliche, but a complementary sense of humor is very, very important to me. It's a kaleidoscopic thing that can be high-brow or low- depending on my degree of silliness, irreverence or subversiveness at the moment. If you've ever laughed out loud at KCRW or giggled at a punny joke, this just might work out. Surprise me.

Okay, duh. Any date is good regardless of the activity as long as the company is good. So, let's just assume we liked each other enough after the first "getting to know you" drinks to meet again. Here are a few options:

- The ol' standby: dinner. I love food, so introducing me to a new place, especially a small, ethnic mom & pop joint with yummy food is ideal.
- Some light activity: A cool hike, roller blading, biking in Venice, go karting, mini golf, bowling (I suck!) ... nothing too strenuous so we can still talk and just enjoy being active.
- Cultural stuff: Love festivals (food, ethnic, etc.) that have lots of activities, booths, people watching, etc. The conversation feeds itself, and we can relax or seek out fun stuff throughout. Similar would be walking in Chinatown (or Little Tokyo, Little Saigon, etc., you get the picture) so we can look at local shops and stop in a place to eat.
- Museums: See a trend here? I like activity that stimulates my mind, body, conversation. Love to seek out exhibits on art, history or science. The odder the better. The last few exhibits I've seen: Body Worlds x2, Murakami, Frogs, Reptiles, Dali.
- Live music: Hollywood Bowl or small club as long as we can talk at some point.
- Doing errands. Seriously, if we get along, this can be very fun and enlightening. Costco trip anyone?
- Surfing: Okay, that might be a 5th or 6th date. Don't want to break out the bikini right off ...
- Meeting your folks. Hahahahahahahaha!