I have a much easier time with bullets and lists than essays, so brace yourself :).

- I guess I'd describe myself as a hybrid of the following movie characters: Peter from Office Space, Lester from American Beauty, and John Rambo. If that doesn't make sense, or you'd rather fill your Netflix queue with something else, I'll explain by saying I'm an adventurous guy who takes a lot of pride in who I am, enjoys surprising myself and discovering new wrinkles in life, and only takes seriously my resolution not to take very many things in life seriously.

- I'm a Tar Heel born and bred. I've been in this area more or less continuously for the last seven years, and while I hope to get out and experience a different part of the country at some point in the future, there's probably nowhere else I'd rather be "stuck" indefinitely.

- I'm somewhat of a sports junkie and have developed a pretty fierce loyalty to my alma mater over the years. I make Carolina athletics a prominent priority for my "free" time. That said, I'm secure enough in my fanhood that I can tolerate most dook and State fans without being overtly obnoxious. I presume that you guys suffer enough already ;).

- I'd summarize my sense of humor as irreverent, so sensitive and easily offended temperaments tend to tire of me quickly. However, I do my best not to cross the line, and I only dish whatever sarcasm I can take (and actually enjoy) in return.

- Paradoxically, I'm also the quintessential nice guy. I enjoy performing all the cheesy gestures and saying the occasionally sappy but heartfelt things that nevertheless make someone else's day infinitely better. It's one of the few demerits on my man card that I'm comfortable owning up to.

- I think I've more or less outgrown the club scene, but I'm always up for a night at the local dive bar, especially if there's live music or comedy for entertainment. I also love to people-watch and try to incorporate it into most of my weekend studying at Weaver Street, Open Eye, or Southern Village.

- Physical activity is another favorite pastime. Usually it happens at the gym, but I have a blast playing just about any sport or doing anything outside - hiking, ultimate, soccer, flying a kite, whatever. Dancing in the rain is just about as fun for me as soaking in the sunshine.

- I only try to nurture a few close relationships with others, but I tend to be quite dependable to the people I cherish. I have a terrific immediate family on whom I can count for absolutely everything.

- I'm a pretty avid traveler and usually make it out of the country at least once a year. Peru and Japan currently top my bucket list. I'm also a sucker for road trips to Carowinds or the mountains for skiing and camping as well as the beach. I'm ashamed to say I've never been to the Outer Banks, which I hope to change in the next year or so.

- I love animals and really miss my pets from home. I'll probably get one of my own when my career is fairly stable and I can provide it with a good quality of life. If you have pets, it's definitely a plus, as long as you don't mind if I use you to get close to them :).

- When it comes to personal aspirations and struggles, I tend to be pretty self-reliant. However, a lot of the things I enjoy are best with good company. Good company itself tends to be fun for me regardless of what I'm doing. What's my idea of good company? Definitely someone with similar passions and priorities in life, who appreciates my qualities as well as my idiosyncrasies, who supports unwaveringly in the things that are most important to me, yet isn't afraid to let me know when I'm full of shit. The rest is all pretty flexible.

Embarking on my last year of medical school. I might finally be sensing a light at some distance down the tunnel. I've gotten to do everything from deliver babies, play ping pong with schizophrenics to fix penis pumps in the last year. What it sometimes lacks for leisure it more than compensates for with intellectual stimulation, drama, entertainment, and the reward of taking care of people. Right now I'm leaning to doing a residency in internal medicine and psychiatry, but if you ask me next week, the answer may very well change.

- devising goals and sticking to them
- eating (lame, but absolutely true)
- finding secret ways to facilitate the chores and unpleasantries that make life what it is
- Connect Four (though I probably haven't played in 5+ years)
- seeing the good in people
- making myself seem a lot dorkier and more complex online than I really am

- physically, probably my deep voice, thick hair, and propensity to wear t-shirts and gym shorts at almost any function
- the rapidity with which I go from talking about something completely frivolous to something a lot more sobering and/or profound
- that my emotions, for better or worse, tend to be pretty transparent.

- Books: 1984, Frankenstein, Brave New World, King Lear, Blue Highways, Watership Down, Lost Horizon, the Odyssey, Babbitt, and can't go wrong with a lighter Stephen King paperback.
- Movies: Robocop, American Beauty, Office Space, Hangover, Alien, Terminator, Rambo, King Kong, Idiocracy, and plenty that are too embarrassing to mention by name
- Music: Industrial/synth-pop, 90's grunge, 80's new wave, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, electronica, pretty much any genre except country
- Food: I could eat Kraft Blue Box every day and be blissfully happy. Cottage cheese and chicken-flavored rice are more healthy and delicious alernatives that my culinary acumen can handle. Homemade tacos, chili, and shrimp and grits are also to die for. I've always struggled with vegetables. My mom was so desperate for me to eat them when I was a kid that she even tried spinach cookies. Eventually she gave up and just let me eat twice as much ketchup and french fries so I could fill that part of the daily food pyramid.

- Diet Coke
- the world wide web, especially wikipedia
- snow at least once a year
- Roy Williams
- the Maury Show
- my iPod

- the passage of time and getting older
- my career
- how I can fit 7 hours of sleep into the night
- when it's okay for me to be selfish, and when it's best for me to give
- how I can enrich my life
- the riddles of life that I know lack meaningful answers

likely Fridays on the Front Porch, then maybe Southern Village for movies on the green, and likely calling it an early night after accumulating a huge sleep deficit during the week.

For reasons that mostly elude me, I'm not very good at dating. By instinct, I'm a pretty open, uninhibited, and trusting person, but I've been working on taking a more cautious approach to dating with tempered expectations. You're less likely to get a complete snapshot of me until I feel we're a pretty compatible match.

With that being said, I'm as real as it gets. If I suggest meeting, I'm definitely interested, but not unless both parties are truly excited about it. If you're willing to bear with me, it yields pretty nice dividends, in my humble, completely objective opinion.

you're still awake and reading. If you can laugh at my lame jokes, dig Carolina athletics, and don't mind if I let you beat me in tennis, so much the better.