Hello, you...

I've always found people far more interesting than things. That's probably why I can lose track of time in a conversation, why complete strangers tend to tell me their life stories, and why I spend so much time observing the world around me. I love people-watching. Not in a creepy way, I promise. More in a "how fascinating that two strangers can have an entire relationship dynamic unfold in front of me while I'm eating brunch" kind of way.

I also love browsing Zillow. Not because I'm planning a move, but because I've always been drawn to beautiful spaces. Architecture, interiors, thoughtful design, the little details that make a home feel interesting. A brownstone in Brooklyn. A cottage somewhere in New England. A loft with exposed brick that would almost certainly be freezing in the winter. I could spend an unreasonable amount of time looking through photos and quietly forming opinions about other people's renovation choices.

I also happen to be unusually enthusiastic about airports. I love the anticipation of them. The feeling that everyone is on their way to somewhere. The people-watching is excellent, the snacks are wildly overpriced, and somehow I still love every minute of it. I feel the same way about discovering a new restaurant, especially if it has great ambience and a dessert menu worth taking seriously. In my opinion, every restaurant should have a dessert menu, and I stand by that.

When I'm not studying, you'll usually find me painting, exploring the city, getting lost in a psychological thriller that leaves me thinking about it for days, or searching for French toast that actually lives up to the hype. Good French toast is surprisingly difficult to find. I'm not much of a coffee or tea drinker, but I'll happily order a matcha if it has enough additions to it that it arguably stops being a matcha and becomes a dessert that's trying very hard to convince everyone it's healthy.

The older I get, the more I appreciate the simple things. A beautiful meal. A conversation that takes an unexpected turn. Someone who remembers a tiny detail you've mentioned in passing. People who are unintentionally funny. Those are usually the things I end up talking about long after they've happened.