Penguins
 
Gray-Gray and Thesis
I am the proud parent of two adopted African (a.k.a Blackfooted) and Magellanic penguins--Gray-Gray and Thesis (pictured above), and one Emperor penguin. "Gray-Gray" (his name at the aquarium where he lives) was adopted for me for by my family. "Thesis" lives in the Falkland Islands and was adopted for me by two of my honors students (the sweetest gift ever!), and my Emperor penguin was adopted for me as a christmas gift from two very wonderful friends of mine and lives in Antartica. Neither of my "babies" are very good about calling or writing. . . .
I think penguins are the coolest animal around--literally. I developed my love (. . . or maybe more accurately my obsession) with penguins when I was 8 during a visit to Seaworld. When I was 10, I, without being prompted, would recite facts about all 20 types of penguins to every poor sap I met. I can spend hours in front of the penguin exhibits at any zoo or aquarium (and I usually have to be pulled away by whoever is impatiently standing with me). The best exibits I've seen are at the St. Louis Zoo (this zoo is FREE to the public), Moody Gardens in Galveston, TX, the Biodome de Montreal in Montreal, Canada, and of course the Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, CT (here you participate in a program where you can actually interact with the penguins--one of the highlights of my life!!) One of my dream trips is to visit Antarctica.
Traveling
Another love in my life is traveling--I love exploring new places, new foods, and new cultures. One of my personal life goals is to see as much of the world as I can. I am slowly obtaining this goal, sticking pins in my world map, and crossing off places from the 1,000 Places To See Before You Die 
I've Explored:
37 of the States (Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington DC, Wisconsin, Wyoming)
Argentina (Iguacu Falls)
Austria (Salzburg, Vienna)
Belgium (Brussels, Bruge)
Bermuda
Brazil (Iguacu Falls, Salvador, Fortaleza (Canoa Quebrada), Manaus (Amazon), Rio, Sao Paulo)
Cambodia (Siem Reap)
Canada (Montreal, Tremblant, Vancouer, Whistler/Blackcomb)
China (Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Suzhou)
Colombia (Amazonas, Bogota, Letecia, Medellin)
Costa Rica (basically the entire country)
Czech (Prague)
France (Paris, Loire River Valley, Nice, French Riveria)
Germany (Munich, Bavaria (Neuschanstein), Koln, Rhine River Valley, Berlin)
Gibraltar
Hong Kong, SAR, and even took 23 WPI undergraduates with me!
India (all over the North and South--such as Dehli, Agra--where the Taj Mahal is, Amritsar, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bharatpur, Indoor, Bombay, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Chennai, Goa)
Italy (Rome, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Pompeii)
Macua
Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)
Mexico (Puerto Vallarta)
Netherlands (Amsterdam)
Nicaragua (Granada)
Panama (Bocas del Toro)
Portugal (Lisbon, Porto, Aveiro, Lagos, Faro)
Puerto Rico (Vieques is an amazing island off of Puerto Rico--well worth the trip!)
Singapore
Spain (Salamanca, Seville, Toledo, Avila, Madrid, Granada, Malaga, Barcelona--one of my favorite cities)
Switzerland (Lucerne)
Thailand (Phuket, Ko Pi Pi, Bangkok)
U. K. (London)
Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City)
Next Stops (Hopefully One Day Soon. . . in no particular order):
Antarctica
Australia/New Zealand
Japan
Hawaii
Greece
Ireland
Books, Movies, Music
I also love reading, watching movies, and listening to music. My love of books started when I was little--there are numerous pictures of me reading books upside down when I was 3, and my parents still have my three favorite books memorized. I love watching movies and listening to music; however, I don't know the sophisticated facts of movies or music (e.g., I don't know producers, I occasionally know song names, and matching song names with artists is not my forte), but this doesn't stop me from reading, watching, listening (or more appropriately dancing).
I'm Currently Reading (I can never read one book at a time) :
Some All Time Favorites :
A Sample of Some Favorite Things to Watch: :
Music You Can Find on My Ipod (I listen to an ecclectic mix): :
I'm also addicted to pandora.com and grooveshark.com.
Other Random Tidbits
I am a huge fan of anything athletic. You name it, I most likely to do it. I swim, run, lift, do yoga, rock climb, ski, etc.
Last October, I ran my first half-marathon.
I swim 2 miles almost daily
My nickname at yoga is "gumby"
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