IvyA

Hi there. Ivy is a nickname I have had since middle school, when on the fourth of july, I mistakenly sat in a patch of poison ivy. (In my defense, it was dark, and I didn't see it.) I'm a student of too many things - anthropology, history, literature, biology, political science, philosophy, good tea - and a collector of nice pens and miniatures. Most of this I do in my free time. I'm an atheist most of the time but religion facinates me. My family is scattered all over the world and visiting them has allowed me to grow up with a love of travel. I (try to) read books of at least some literary merit, but the television I watch is absolute trash. It's a guilty pleasure. The "about me" section always makes me feel like I'm writing a personal add. I'm always looking for that elusive species of People Who Write Back. They seem astonishly rare sometimes.

(Where do I begin?) I'm a classical pianist, have been playing since I was eight, and I like to listen to what I play. Mendelsohn, Chopin, Scarlatti, Brahms, Schubert, Lizst, Mozart, Schumann, etc, etc. Living in Atlanta has caused my tastes to mutate in the Flo Rida/Nicki Minaj direction, and I have a passion for indie music, metal and afropop. I'll listen to just about anything and love making playlists for people.

On a serious note - The Blind Assassin (Margaret Atwood), Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov), Middlesex (Jeffery Euginides), The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck), A Thousand Splendid Suns (Khaled Hosseini), Unaccustomed Earth (Jhumpa Lahiri), The Stranger (Albert Camus), The Red Tent (Anita Daimant), Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Jonathan Safran Foer), The Other Hand (Chris Colfer) And a not-so-serious one - Candy Girl (Diablo Cody), anything by David Sedaris, Choke (Chuck Palanuik), Sex, Drugs and Cocopuffs (Chuck Klosterman), Lamb (Christopher Moore)

Small things, Snow, Handwritting, Nice paper/envelopes/stickers, Pens that don't skip, Tea, Those pictures of cats with witty comments on them that float around the internet, Pets, Found-object art, Mix CDs, Doodles.