My main Eps writing passion is music (mostly classic pop and rock - with releases after about 1986, I start getting disoriented and uninterested very quickly), so that's where you'll find the majority of my reviews. I'm proud to hold both Top Reviewer and Advisor hats within music, and I endeavor to write and rate as well as I can. That said, I've also made the occasional venture into movies, and I've been known to contribute to other categories should the inspiration strike. In addition to writing, I enjoy reading everyone's contributions, and have been guided to a number of excellent products through what I've read here. I hope my own reviews can prove equally useful. :)

Given my advisor hat and attempts to read and rate a wide variety of reviews and contributors across the site, I guess a brief explanation of my rating philosophy is in order. In general, my response to any given review is based on my perceptions of three factors: proficiency, informativeness and experience. Basically, I'll rate a piece 'Very Helpful' if I find it to be well-written and in possession of enough detail to enable me to make an informed purchasing decision as a consumer. By these guidelines and my own preferences/comprehensions, I often choose to read, rate and comment in the media categories, and am usually more selective about Cars and Computer Hardware (as I don't personally feel that able to make judgments regarding write-ups involving items and and terminology I'm unfamiliar with). I'm always happy to discuss any rating I've given, so feel free to contact me at my provided email address should the need arise.

Out in the offline world, I'm a grad student studying for a PhD in psychology, with a particular interest in gender, sexuality and stigma. As a result, these themes have been known to pop up in my reviews where relevant - and I'm equally likely to avoid things (products or reviews) I find sexist or homophobic (or prejudiced period, regardless of the author's intentions; although I won't necessarily down-rate unless I perceive a blatant attempt to degrade/offend or violate Epinions policy). As you may have guessed, I'm a political liberal, though I'm open to discussing different viewpoints provided there's mutual respect evident.

Personality-wise, I'm a fairly good definition of an introvert, and am definitely not fond of the concept that being socially reserved or shy is some kind of defect. Put it this way - I'll almost never be the person to initiate the conversation or suggest exciting new things to do, but those people I do click/form friendships with are valued and cared about very strongly. Whether that makes me cold and boring or calm and thoughtful is your prerogative, and I can understand either way. :-)

Elsewhere, I'm rarely found without headphones on, and can quite happily spend all day listening to music. I try and explore anything and everything with an open mind, and when I write a review I attempt to focus on the item at hand rather than my feelings about its creator (though I may not always succeed!) In addition, I usually only review things I have had a lot of experience with - for an album that's a minimum of six months of ownership (or sometimes 'borrowship'), but it can be much briefer depending on how I feel about its worth (so bubblegum ditties and no-brainer popcorn flicks are more liable to get rapidly experienced and reviewed than things I want more time to explore).

Anyway, I've gone on for long enough, but (once again) feel free to contact me at my provided email address should you have any queries about my ratings or reviews, or just want to chat. Thanks for your time!