A long time ago, in a profile not too far away, I started off by saying "I'm a hard working geek who needs a break from the daily grind..." yadda yadda. Truth be told, I still work hard, but the stress is almost completely gone... I do what I love for a good company, the people I work for are great, my boss is awesome... It's challenging and anything but monotonous... and they pay me well! Hard to beat, right? Ok, well, I guess in the world of love & romance, it IS a bit of an anchor... so if you have some burning desire to get away from DFW, look elsewhere!

My idea of "the perfect woman" is a beautiful stand-up comic who moonlights as a rocket scientist. However, if I can find somebody that can just make me laugh, that's a good start. I'm pretty good at making people laugh myself... maybe AT me, but a smile's a smile, right? I've got a job that keeps me very busy, a mortgage and all the usual domestic responsibilities, but I'm still a kid at heart... and I'm looking for the same. Of course being 37, the thoughts of marriage & family aren't buried so deeply anymore, but I don't want to rush into anything like that... when I do find true love (twooo wuv!), I'll be ready! I may be a pragmatic, logical geek, but I've got a healthy dash of spontaneity & a romantic side.

I'm very honest, open & direct. Not to say that I don't sugar-coat things sometimes, but I find most of the whole "dating game" annoying... If I like you, you'll know... if I don't, you'll know that too. It's safe to say I talk too much, but I'm a good listener too... so if you have lots of opinions & like to talk, we'll get along fine. We may not agree on everything, but that's ok.

Like everybody else, I'm a mix of contrasting bits...
*logical & analytical yet pretty open with my emotions.
*I'm a planner, I make lists, I look before I leap and I do my homework before I make up my mind.. yet I have an impulsive streak that comes out around people or things I'm passionate about.
*I'm pretty laid-back and try not to sweat the things I have no control over but I yell at slow drivers in the left lane.
*emotionally, it takes quite a bit to make me angry and insulting me is a big waste of time, but I cry during sappy movies or moving songs.
*I'm pretty opinionated (i test out as an INTJ on here sometimes), but I believe in very few absolutes and always leave myself space to be wrong.
*I'm a dog person but I like cats too!

Expanding it...

I've learned some valuable lessons the past few years and am trying to apply it to my life.

One of those lessons is to embrace who I am... I'm a geek, and to enjoy time with me you'd have to accept that. Yes, that means playing on the computer and watching lots of sci-fi stuff... don't worry, though.. I'm not entirely one-dimensional & have plenty of other traits that break me out of the stereotype.

Dusting off some hobbies & interests that I had before & seeking out new ones. Traveling more, meeting new people, trying new foods. Questioning my own beliefs... sometimes I feel like I'm morphing from a conservative republican into a hippie & back again. In the past year+, I've lost my father & broken off an engagement... I guess it's sad that it sometimes takes these kinds of events to make you pause and ask yourself "where am I going?" or "am I really happy?". So far, my answers are "forward" and "most of the time"...

I've done a bit more traveling recently (Hawaii, skiing @ Jackson Hole, running around France & Italy), but I need to start planning my next trip. Japan? Scotland? not sure yet...

Recently, trying to work on my photography skills (hmm, that implies that I have some to begin with...) and playing with HDR stuff.

In the more conventional sense, I'm a database administrator (if you've met any other DBAs, don't run! I promise, I'm not the typical grumpy one!!) in the petroleum business... I work with some fun, awesome people, it's challenging but not overly stressful, I enjoy what I do and I get paid for it. In other words, I'm pretty damn lucky!

fixing things.

rationalizing.

smoking meats.

making up portmanteau words.

starting projects.

I don't know... my eyes I guess?

I don't read nearly enough these days... but I like Palahniuk. Working on Game of Thrones at the moment (can't wait for the 3rd season to start!!) I just did a Netflix marathon of Breaking Bad.... what an awesome show! Big Bang Theory & How I Met Your Mother are some of the few sitcoms I watch... although I fell behind. Mostly stuff on DIY network, Food network (DD&D anyone?) or HGTV.
As far as movies, I'm a huge fan of David Fincher (ie: The Game, Seven, Fight Club). Aliens, Forest Gump... Usual Suspects, Snatch are some of my favorites.

Not sure if I qualify as a foodie or not, but I love good food. Thai (esp. green curry stuff) is one of my current fav's... Indian, mexican... I love sushi and will try just about anything.

Music - mostly everything. Not a big fan of pretentious hiphop, redneck country or over-produced pop-40. I've been in a musical rut, but as an industrial kid that cut his teeth on Front Line Assembly & Skinny Puppy, I'm really digging this electronic resurgence sparked by the likes of Deadmau5 & Skrillex. But my list of favorites includes Beck, NIN, Dave Matthews, Depeche Mode, Chemical Brothers, Afro Celt Sound System & Bon Iver, Orbital, Peter Gabriel, Sneaker Pimps, Wolfgang Press, Rob Zombie.

(aside from the usual friends/family/air/water)
Cajun seasoning
Dr. pepper
Google maps

I have ADD, so probably something shiny that caught my attention.

whatever NPR puts into my head in the morning...
How to balance the desire for Torchys and Smash Burger and for my blood to circulate regularly.

happy hour... although probably chilling @ home, recovering from a busy week.

I have webbed toes.

you know what you want, or more importantly, know who you are. I love common ground, but I'd rather be with somebody who has real opinions and won't hesitate to voice them!
* intelligence is sexy... over-confidence is annoying!
* If you classify yourself as "religious" or go to church/whatever weekly, we're probably not compatible.
* politically, if you lean VERY far to either the left or right, we're probably not compatible... or at least I'd probably ask you "but why!?" a lot :)