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Biography

I'm 20-something and live in Alexandria, Virginia (that's just 5 miles out from Washington, DC for those not familiar with the area). Specifically, I live in Old Town Alexandria and I'm proud of it. It's a very unique spot in the greater DC area, more of a folksy small town of its own than a piece of sprawling suburbia commonly associated with the DC area. It's quirky and quaint and sometimes too cute to stand.

I live on a brick street lined with trees and colonial-era townhouses. My home is at the bustling street level of one of these houses-come-apartment buildings. I live with my faithful felines Penelope and Toby, my library of books which seem to breed like bunnies whenever I leave the house, my collections of all things old and unusual (vintage cameras, antique maps, old stamps, vintage playing cards, board games...), and my ever-growing collection of Smith College epherma.

I moved here with the ambition of becoming a political staffer, but after a few years of non-starts and tough breaks, I decided to go for a career overhaul and become a librarian. I gave up on the idea of ever working on Capitol Hill and enrolled in the Masters of Library Science program at Catholic University and the next thing I knew, I had my long-sought after Hill job, just as a librarian. Funny how life works. So I spend my days in the Senate, organizing information for a living and loving it.

I'm (almost) car-free and ride one of my two bikes everywhere, as often as I can (my other option is the Metro, which I really very strongly dislike, which is great motivation to keep the bike commute going!). The bikes are now a frequent topic of my posts here, and a focus of my blog-readings too.

I'm a travel nut and could possibly be described as an adventurer, but I think that that's a subjective term. You won't catch me scaling rock faces or jumping out of airplanes but when it comes to travel, I like to go far, remote or obscure and I like to go it alone (not meaning without a travel partner but meaning no tours) with something that only vaguely resembles an itinerary and which is subject to constant change. I've got five continents down (if you consider Oceania as part of Australia) and I'm not stopping any time soon. The next big trip is either a tour of Central Europe, or back to SE Asia for a second round!

I'm not all about travel and adventure, though. I have a hidden domestic diva in me and while I'm no expert in the domestic arts, practice makes perfect and I have a blast with it. I'm a huge fan of all things public radio, I read a lot but not as much as I'd like, and I'm just ever so slightly obsessed with the television show Lost. I also watch entirely too much of Turner Classic Movies and I think I might be in love with Discovery Channel's Mythbusters.

You could probably run into me in any of Old Town's many fine Irish establishments, in karate class on St. Asaph Street, singing along with the piano at Bistrot Lafayette, at the farmer's market or in the stacks at the library. I also take dance classes at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop and if I ever get more free time, I want to get back into weekend pottery at Old Town's Art League. I like to keep busy!