As you read my profile I know what some of you are going to say. "I read that/have been into that/have been doing that waaaaay before you" which to me translates as "I did that first, so I'm better than you". Shut up, no one cares. What difference does it make if someone reads Nietzsche (for example) at age 11 or at age 91?

My name is Ashley. I am twenty four years old. I will turn twenty five on the fifteenth of January two thousand and eleven. You'll probably hate me because I don't watch really obscure anime or play MMOs.

I love challenging my own beliefs (as opposed to enforcing them on others under the pretense of an 'intelligent debate'). I myself enjoy intelligent debate and enter any such discussion with an open mind, wheras some deliberately provoke others into a debate so that they can belittle them behind a mask of enlightened intelligence. I used to let people get away with this, but now I know better.

I try to keep up-to-date with current events through NPR. They have a broader range of articles than most other news outlets and some really interesting podcasts. I try to catch Real Time with Bill Maher (even though he can be a bit of an ass). I love the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and it's sister show The Colbert Report because they offer me a funny view on world news.

I'm very left-wing, but do not refer to myself as "liberal". I find that the term "liberal" is used for people who are apologists and too scared to be genuintely left. I'm becoming something of a socialist.

I work full-time in libaries as a Library Assistant. Which suits me. It's a very fulfilling job. I sit in on the reading groups, the creative writer's circle (they're very inspiring) and read children's books to the cradle club.

I love books. I buy a lot of books second-hand, but still use libraries a lot. I still love reading fantasy and sci-fi novels (I'm currently in a love triangle with Haruki Murakami and Margaret Atwood), but recently my tastes have expanded to other genres. I've also recently discovered the joy of the short story. Non-fiction books have slowly started creeping their way into my collection, and they couldn't have come sooner.

I'm an atheist, but with a keen interest in religion and mythology.

I get most of my music second-hand. Either recommended to me or enforced on me. All genres welcome.

I'm an artist. I have a batchelors degree in Fine Art. I work mainly in 2-D media, mostly with watercolours, pencils and acrylics. I like experimenting.

I quite enjoy films. My favourites are Amadeus, Kenneth Brannagh's Hamlet, The Hours, Baraka and Reds. My favourite TV shows include Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (Carl Sagan is a hero), Planet Earth, This American Life (and the more popular radio show version), The West Wing, Battlestar Galactica (only the miniseries, season 1 and parts of season 2), Deadwood and Carnivale (a complex, intelligent and visually stunning show that never got it's deserved ending).

Tea is a way of life for me. Chai, earl grey, lady grey, assam, white tea, peppermint, lemon 'n' ginger, english breakfast and irish breakfast are some of the tastey varieties that grace my cupboard.

My favourite haunts are libraries, car-boot sales, charity shops, museums and art galleries.

I'm married and live with my partner. He's my best friend. We talk about anything and everything. We're complete geeks. Our house is littered with stacks of books. We have a cat (who's name is cat).