i'm a 44 year old woman  from washington, dc who loves to make new friends, especially internationally;​ i love music, cats, reading, cooking, crafting, trying new things, meeting new people, travel (even if i don't get to go myself!), and have been kinda England obsessed since i was a kid. coincidental​ly, my favorite television program of all time is EastEnders!
i wouldn't necessarily call myself shy, i'm definitely more outgoing that some of my friends, but less so than others. i'm the one to which my friends will say "jacki!​ no you didn't! did you just say/do what i think you said/did? oh my!" reserved might be a good description,​ kinda laid back while i kinda assess the situation, get to know someone, that sort of thing, then i open up more. i make it my duty not to be rude or to offend anyone, there is enough cruelty in the world nowadays, no need for me to add to it. i find that some folks nowadays will just say and do things for shock value, or just because they can, with no thought or care for the consequences​.

i think i have a pretty mischievous sense of humor, but i do *not* like practical jokes! not played on more, nor on anyone else. nuh uh.

i've always enjoyed having penpals. back in the 80s i had a few, obviously they were snail mail pals then (boy have times changed!), but i kept up with them, some of whom i eventually even met.

i hope to make some great new friends thru interpals!

note: i am looking for *friendship*​ **only**. please **do not write** to me if you are looking for "a relationship"​. not interested.

racists need not apply.

hatemongers should look elsewhere, as well. sure, there are people i may dislike, but if i don't get along with some, it's on an individual basis, not a blanket dislike because someone is a different race, or religion, or nationality,​ or sexual orientation,​ or they like a different baseball team, or load the toilet paper against the wall instead of away, or they leave the toilet seat up, etc... ;^P

i'm a good-natured​ person, and i hope you are too (or are at least willing to be converted to good-natured​ism!)

i don't ask a lot, now, do i? :^)

i am interested in learning a number of languages, whichever happens first, happens first, it can only serve to benefit me in the future. i did study French in school, but might that be a detriment?

music, reading, cooking, travel (at least reading about and watching programs on), crafting, learning about different countries & cultures, meeting new people

Depeche Mode, The Cure, Duran Duran, Def Leppard, all of the great 80s stuff!

Also love the Afghan Whigs, John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, Avenged Sevenfold, Disturbed, AFI, Gavin DeGraw, Motley Crue, much much more...

really love comedies, but i enjoy lots of dramas as well, esp. classics (see below). don't let the movies below fool ya, i love will ferrell movies as well as hitchcock and branagh.

top 25, err, give or take, not necessarily in order (plus two honorable mention series):

Rope, Strangers on a Train, Au Revoir Les Enfants, Murmur of the Heart, Jean de Florette, Manon des Sources, Rashomon, Diva, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, American Beauty, Love Actually, Como Agua Para Chocolat, Hope and Glory, Empire of the Sun, the Last Emperor, Farewell My Concubine, Much Ado About Nothing (Branagh), Hamlet (Branagh), Romeo + Juliet (Hussey/Whit​ing and Danes/DiCapr​io), the Joy Luck Club, Sid and Nancy, My Beautiful Launderette,​ the Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, My Left Foot, The Full Monty, Trainspottin​g, Moulin Rouge, Schindler's List, *anything* Shirley Temple! (and the great old Ray Harryhausen films!)

EastEnders, Battlestar Galactica, Absolutely Fabulous, The Tudors. ooh, Ninja Warrior! and, more recently, "I Survived a Japanese Game Show" on ABC. hi-larious!

The Stand, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Grisham, John Jakes, James Ellroy, Anne Rice, the Joy Luck Club, Memoirs of a Geisha, anything on Greek/Roman mythology

"There are two means of refuge from the misery of life: music and cats." - Albert Schweitzer

"A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely just rearranging their prejudices..."​--William James

"It is not only for what we do that we are held responsible but also for what we do not do..."-​-Moliere

“As you may have already noticed, you’re only going to need a half cup of that Champagne, and since you’ve had to crack a whole bottle, and it’s going flat anyway, you may as well start drinking. That’s what’s called ‘the chef’s prerogative.​’”--Anthony Bourdain, Les Halles Cookbook