Your girl is single, 35, Caucasian, and about to blow up her stable life by quitting her crappy job and taking to the road. The final destination is unknown, but the goal is personal fulfillment and a place she can put down roots.

Third person gets old fast, so pronoun shift: Hullo! I'm home with the flu, too sick to do anything fun but not sick enough to sleep all day, and thought it might be fun to see who else out there is feeling friendly. Most of my good friends are preoccupied with spouses and babies these days, so it's time to cultivate new friendships.

As I mentioned, I'm about to give notice at my job, pack up the apartment, and hop in the car to try to find a path forward that fills me with joy instead of blah. Doing the "smart" thing over and over and over hasn't made me successful or happy, so I figured I'd try something different.

Salient details? I'm introverted but thrive on deep connections with people. Am very empathetic. My friends are small in number but high in quality; we go back years and decades. I've been involved with penpal communities in some form or other for over 10 years; some of those connections have turned into thriving in-person friendships. I'd give the shirt off my back and fight a bear for almost anyone who needed it. It's true I have definite opinions about injustice and fairness, but I've also lived in enough places across the world that I can listen to and learn from those I disagree with.

My fatal flaw? I can't have an intelligent conversation about video games. Truly, I've never even met Mario. The closest I've managed is Stardew Valley.

My hobbies include pottery, reading widely (from historical nonfiction to Brit Lit to sci-fi-fantasy to trashy romance), indoor plants and outdoor gardening, letter writing, and all manner of crafty endeavors I've done once and always thought I'd get back to. I've hiked and camped a little, and traveled a lot. I can listen to most music, barring screamy/foul/whiny stuff. Although I don't have a true ear, I really enjoy classical music and going to symphony concerts. Classical music calms my mind right down. Dvorak's Serenade for Strings is one of my favorites.

I've fallen in love once, a long time ago. Although the love didn't last, the experience was a gift because I had been thoroughly skeptical that it was a real thing. It would be nice to find again someday.

Screen-wise, old black and white movies are often favorites. I'll argue until the end of time that The West Wing is the best piece of television writing ever produced. Most superhero flicks are a fun romp. It's really hard for me to separate myself from the characters on screen, so I tend to avoid realistic violence. Big emotions on screen tend to strike particularly hard; I'm definitely a crier. Most recently I enjoyed (and cried at) Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Physically, I'm short, with straight brown hair past my shoulders, blue eyes, a small upturned nose, and freckled white skin. I believe the polite phrase these days is thicc, but to cover all the bases I could also be described as curvy, a lil chubby, and slightly overweight. I rock 50s style dresses and would fit right into a Renaissance painting.

Wanna be friends? If you got this far, put PRIDE in your message :)