So, who am I anyway?

What am I like? Other people have described me this way: friendly, polite, reserved, stand-offish, witty, intelligent, a bit of a twat, opinionated, nice, intimidating, reliable, weird, woolly-minded liberal, butterfly-minded, sociable, a lying vicious bitch. I have probably been all of these things at some time in my life; the only one I object to is 'nice' as it doesn't really say much does it!
If I was to describe myself, I'd say that I can be annoying, but I'm unlikely to get your back up unless you're a bloke who thinks women shouldn't hold opinions of their own. I talk too much, too quickly, though I'm also prone to long episodes of silent contemplation. I have a tendency to come up with trivial facts in conversation - I think they might interest other people; unfortunately other people think I'm doing it to show off.
I become interested in new things frequently, and for a short time will become almost obsessed - it's either all or nothing with me. Many people make the mistake of thinking that I lose interest completely after the obsessive phase has subsided. I don't, it's just that something else is taking up more of my attention.

I'm not religious - I would describe myself as an atheist. My family are atheists, so I've never really been exposed to any religion, except through school, though I have explored the possibilities myself; so far nothing has struck a chord with me. I'm interested in theology, and feel religious education is important both as philosophical debate, and as a means to widen our understanding of art, science, literature etc. I don't have a problem with other people's religious beliefs though, and don't mind too much if people try to convert me, with two provisos; a) they accept that they're unlikely to be successful, and b) they allow me to argue with them.

The Political Compass indicated that my political views tend towards the liberal left-wing. Actually, I tended quite far, and by their definition I'm an anarchist!
My views are moderate, but passionately held - I don't mind being a liberal, but object to being described as woolly-minded.

If everyone held views similar to mine, the world would almost certainly be more peaceful, but I would miss both the chance to argue with people with opposing views, and evenings spent with friends, setting the world to rights.