Who am I?

I have many interests including local politics, Eastern philosophy, foreign languages and reality television.

I am 6′0″ and have dark brown hair and my Grandma’s blue eyes.

I have a partner, Shawn, who I will take to Canada and marry in September 2007, and a dog, Gaia, who makes me smile every time I lay eyes on her.

I worked as a journalist for four years, covering politics and features in Montgomery County, Md., a suburb of Washington, D.C., where I primarily covered Takoma Park, Md., known as the “Berkeley of the East” for its uber-progressive take on life, politics and all things social.

I now work in public relations (again) for a small agency in downtown Washington, though I’m not the type who lets my job drive my personal identity.

I am a vegetarian.

I can read, write and speak (to varying levels of first-grade proficiency) Spanish, Japanese and Arabic.

I was raised Roman Catholic, but become borderline agnostic, though now I have studied Tibetan Buddhism for three years and have, for the first time in my life, found true spiritual satisfaction.

I have a slight Southern accent, except when I drink, talk about South Carolina, visit Georgia or watch daytime talk shows. Then I have a thick Southern accent.

I lost my Mom and Dad in May 2003.

I lost my Grandma, the person I loved more than any other in the world, in June 2006.

I grew up in Rock Hill, S.C., which must be among the top 1,000 most unpleasant places on Earth.

I spent three weeks in 2004 in Cambodia, where the picture above was taken.

I used to like reality television, though now I like Lost, Grey’s Anatomy and Battlestar Galactica, and my other favorites are Real Time with Bill Maher, South Park, Drawn Together, Globe Trekker and Iron Chef.

I try (struggle, really) to meditate (hence the theme of this site, embracing the beast that is Monkey Mind), and I really like yoga.

I tend to be an optimist, striving to see the positive aspect of any situation, and I honestly believe that one single act of random kindness has the potential to create a chain reaction that could change the entire world as we know it.

I have several heroes, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Rosa Parks, Piggy from Lord of the Flies, and my Grandma, the only person I’ve ever known who actually found the serenity to accept the things she could not change, the courage to change the things she could and the wisdom to know the difference.

“I” don’t exist. And neither do you.