I'm Merkaba7734, most commonly called Kari and occasionally known by a variety of other names. I'm female, and live in the Midwest (though I've never seen a tornado).

The mention of tornadoes may seem like a completely random tangent (and one too inconsequential to devote a whole new paragraph to) but one would expect me to have experienced a tornado- as living in the tornado capital of the country- but I haven't. Especially being localized in the Windy City for God's sake. In my view that's a pity as I think tornados are excessively beautiful in that destructive and all-powerful way. Whenever I tell people this, however I get weird looks... Still, seeing a tornado funnel cloud is one of those things I'd hope to do/experience in my life.

I sometimes tend to go on some rather strange mental pathways, I don't know how some things link to others. My mind is rather active and I can be a bit of an insomniac as I just can't get my mind to shut down. So if I really can't sleep I may come back to the internet. If a review of mine or something else is a little garbled or abstract, that's probably the reason. I apologize in advance for that. Following this train of thought, sometimes there is no one I envy more than our lovely elders who can lean back in a chair and blink out without a second thought. Of course there is the not-so-reassuring idea that I most likely will get there someday.

Oh I also can be a bit of a grammar or spelling freak. Especially grammar. Even if something is officially correct, I can't stand it if I think it could be worded better or if it seems awkward. It used to bother me a lot, but I've gotten that under control. I still abhor writers who don't use proper grammar or misspell words. There is a reason the computer gods created spell check. May not seem my place as I haven't published anything I've written, and at least they're trying... but still.

My favorite TV shows are X-Files, Supernatural, Veronica Mars, Bones, House, Gossip Girl, Heroes, Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, and Boston Legal. The only problem is that I am keeping up with only one show this season. I had an average of 1.7 shows every night last season, this year I am only consistently watching Supernatural. Still if my friends have anything to say about it I may catch up on Bones.

My favorite books include and are simply limited to my memory at present: Pillars of the Earth, World Without End (both by Ken Follett); The Bin Ladens (Steve Cole); The Monster of Venice (Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi); The Devil in the White City (Erik Larson); A Thousand Splendid Suns (Khaled Hosseini); Freshman (Mike Gerber); His Dark Materials (Philip Pullman); The Stephanie Plum series (Janet Evanovitch); The Stand, The Shining, Dolores Claiborne ect. (Stephen King); The Brethren, The Broker, A Painted House ect. (John Grishman); Term Limits, the whole Mitch Rapp series (Vince Flynn); Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune (Frank Herbert); Are You Afraid of the Dark, The Doomsday Conspiracy, Best Laid Plans (Sidney Sheldon); Dean Koontz's Frankenstein Series, Odd Thomas series, a lot of others by Dean Koontz; Angels and Demons (Dan Brown), and everything by Tamora Pierce. Twilight can be clichéd and very predictable, but is an amusing read as well. Of course I also went through the Harry Potter craze and still enjoy the books.

My latest addiction is the Kushiel books by Jacqueline Carey. I have read the first trilogy (Kushiel's Dart, Kushiel's Chosen, & Kushiel's Avatar) and have read the first book and second book (Kushiel's Scion & Kushiel's Justice) of the second trilogy. I'll be reading the last one soon. It makes me really sad that there is no fan fiction for them. Oh and I am discovering Tobsha Learner- very interesting writer. I'm going to have to look more into her.

Pairings wise, if I had been writing this a few months ago I'd have very different answers. Lately, the amazing writers here- especially in the Tamora Pierce fandom- have convinced me that I could love any pairing, provided it was well written. I am partial to:

TP: Evin/Miri, Gary/Cythera (I'm sad they weren't explored more, I want to know more about Cythera... but that's one thing fanfic is good for), Alan II/Lianne II, Aly/Taybur (I love Nawat too but...), Alex/Roger, Alanna/Roger (OTP?)

Bones: Booth/Brennan (obviously)

Stephanie Plum: Steph/Ranger (so amusing...), Steph/Morelli (so amusing...) Yeah so I'm both a 'Babe' and a 'Cupcake' kinda gal, but I prefer Ranger. Oh and I love Lula and Grandma Mazur in general, whoever they're with.

Kushiel: Delaunay/Rolande (the love that set everything off), Phèdre/Joscelin (perfect couple), Phèdre/Nicola, Imriel/Lucius (I was disappointed), Imriel/Sidonie, Melisande/Power...?

Vince Flynn: Irene Kennedy/Scott Coleman

Harry Potter: I don't generally care about pairing in this series at all, but I do love Oliver Wood and Katie Bell

Really, I will read any pairing provided its done well. Any pairing, but not totally OOC or unbelievable.

For us there is only one season, the season of sorrow. The very sun and moon seem taken from us. Outside, the day may be blue and gold, but the light that creeps down through the thickly muffled glass of the small iron-barred window beneath which one sits is gray and niggard. It is always twilight in one's cell, as it is always twilight in one's heart. And in the sphere of thought, no less than in the sphere of time, motion is no more

- Oscar Wilde De Profoundis

I am very fond of the smiley ':P' and use it far too often.