I'm a good listener, horrible punster, obsessive reader. Fun at parties (although not the dancing-on-the-furniture type, I'm more likely to stick around and help clean up!) I don't get out often enough but I'm working on it. I embrace paradox; I'm a cynical romantic, an idealistic pragmatist, a friendly misanthrope. If that sounds confusing, well, consistency is only occasionally one of my virtues.

I have three kids (single dad alert!) and like animals- have had lizards, snakes, cats, etc. I'm a technophile, prefer email to phone for many things (not all) but face-to-face is best. I guess philosophically I'm a Taoist agnostic, if that makes any sense. A little shy, I sometimes work up the nerve to make the first move but I very much welcome contact from others!

(Brainguy lures you into a sense of safety and peace by his fair, kind and gentle persona - but there have been several occasions when this persona has been exposed to reveal a mean, sharp wit. Watch out, ladies. He's a honey-trap.) -amy173

A sweet, gentle, sexy, smart redheaded engineer (my favorite flavor!) He can't possibly be for real... I mean, sure there's the mysteriously poor time sense and addiction to Hawaiian shirts, but he is male, after all. It must be a trap, there's got to be a dark underbelly to the man... cover me, women! I'm going in, and not coming back until I find it! CoreyCape

Editors

• CoreyCape

Trying to talk myself into getting back into fencing, taekwando or some other kind of exercise- I gotta get in shape.

I'm trying to strike a balance between work (which is actually a lot of fun for me, so I guess I'm in the right field), home life and time for myself. The first two have been taking top priorities lately and while that's not a bad thing it feels like maybe it's time to reassess a bit.

I've gotten to a very good place with my ex- she's on OKC as well, paradise68, go say Hi- after putting in some work; we've been friends for a long time and I'm glad we've been able to get back to that. The kids are still a major part of my life and I don't plan to change that- but I definitely need someone for me.

Lately I've been donating a little time here and there to Junipurr's Home for Abused Ellipses. I'm also doing pro bono work as a Locator of Misplaced Apostrophes (haven't heard from Bono yet whether or not he appreciates this.)
(And a better man for helping those poor ellipses feel safe and warm again, I've yet to meet!) -Junipurr

Editors

• junipurr

Good at a bunch of things- I'm a decent (albeit lazy and sporadic) cook, especially breakfasts. I've done computer support of one type or another for a while, so I can (probably) unscramble your system if you want. I can build and fix things- good spacial sense, fair design skills, use tools competently- although I'm not afraid to admit that plumbing throws me completely. I have good personal hygiene, spell fairly well and wash my own dishes. I've also got that wacky trivia-memory gene- factoids stick in my brain (far better than names or phone numbers, truth be known.) I give a mean backrub. I'm a good listener and (I like to think) a pretty good communicator. I also fence, although not competitively- epee and foil.

Things I don't do well- write Thank-You cards, evaluate wine, balance checkbooks, shop for clothes....

Depends on the context! Sometimes my dry sense of humor, sometimes my impeccable taste in tacky Hawaiian shirts, sometimes my friendly and approachable demeanor. I'm probably not the most objective person in this regard, so it's hard to say.

This could be a long list! I've been a literature junkie since I was a kid; fiction (sci-fi, fantasy, detective) and nonfiction alike. I love history- from the classics (Gibbon and Thucydides- in translation, mind!) to modern more pop-tinged stuff like Jared Diamond; natural history (Stephen Jay Gould) is also a fave. Urban fantasy- Charles De Lint, Mercedes Lackey et. al; Niven, Heinlein, Cherryh, Lieber, Delany, LeGuin, Tolkien, Moorcock, the list goes on & on. Mention an author, I may well have read their stuff!

Movies- I tend to enjoy quirky stuff, sci-fi (of course), comedy... not a big horror fan. Monty Python, Buckaroo Banzai, 'Lost in Translation', 'My Left Foot', 'Almost Famous', 'Spirited Away' etc.- a good soundtrack seems to help. Kurosawa ('Seven Samurai', 'Ran'), film noir, Godzilla flicks....

Speaking of soundtracks, my musical tastes begin with rock & roll (Ramones, Who, Foo Fighters, Clash, Living Colour, Zeppelin etc.) and swing over to funk and soul (James Brown, George Clinton, Booker T. and the MGs) and on to classical (Vivaldi, Holst, Ludwig Van B.), with a little jazz/fusion (Steely Dan, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong) thrown in.

Food? umm, yes, I like food. Definitely like food. Not a foodie, but I dig sashimi (no octopus please), Thai, Mexican, etc, etc....

Friends and family are pretty much a must-have. Even if I don't touch base with everyone every day, having the clan there is important. Particularly the kids.
I have tried, and I can't do without books. They don't have to be good- I've read more than my share of potboilers!- but it helps of course.
Mountains- or at least big hills- are a necessity. I've lived in the flats and it just doesn't work for me; having that vertical dimension just makes me feel more at home.
Music is another must-have. If nothing else I'll sing to myself (no guarantee as to quality there!) but I gotta have some music in my life; if I ever were to write an autobiography I'd call it 'Still Life With Soundtrack'.
That's only four things... hmm, oxygen? Indirect sunlight and moist soil, with a fairly low pH? I dunno, most things I need aren't really THINGS, as much as circumstances... can do without a lot, really.

Politics, unfortunately- I have a hard time getting away from that. I do try not to bore people with it! I put in some time on the Big Existential Questions... and then usually try to figure out what to make the kids for dinner. Work. Ideas for interesting Python scripts.

How to best incorporate pix and obscure references into journal posts.

Staying up late Netsurfing, mucking around in one or another 3D modeling program, or asleep- I'm pretty much a homebody these days. Reading, sometimes.

Heh! A challenge. I'll admit I'm an ex-Scientologist, how 'bout that for laughs? And I don't like salad dressing. Or mustard. Nervous about heights.

... if you like immediate electronic communication with someone who can actually type without misspelling every third word (OK, I'm a spelling snob, I'll admit it- I try not to impose it on others.)

... you're up late and see me online. If you've wondered why we'll say stuff over email (or IM) that we'd never say in person (and no, I'm not sure of the answer either!)

... you have the urge to poke people with swords.

... you read something on my journal that struck a nerve or prompted a question.

... you just gotta.