Issuing supreme power to you...one moment.

My self-summary Propose an edit

I'm smart, well read, and have at least a superficial knowledge of just about any subject, so I can hold my own in most conversations. I know just how little I know in most areas though, so am eager to learn from someone who knows more.

I'm a quiet guy, not especially fun loving. My main love in life is reading and music. I have strange tastes in those, though. Mostly old books by people who are long dead and electronic dance music by people almost no one has heard of (in this country, at least).

I'm honest to the point where I'm sometimes inadvertently untactful. I do my best to keep a positive attitude towards most things, and when I can't, I usually know when to keep my mouth shut. Usually.

I'm fiercely loyal to people I care about. I'm largely self-sufficient, although I don't mind sharing my feelings when appropriate (I don't like burdening myself on others, though, either emotionally or in other respects). I usually learn from my mistakes.

I live in a rural area, but I dislike most rural activities. I walk a lot and stargaze, as well as play with my dogs, but that's about it. I don't look down on people who like to hunt or fish or ride ATVs back and forth endlessly (that would be my neighbors). But that's just not my cup of tea.

I like going out and doing things, but usually just doing something once is enough for me by myself. Unless I have someone to do it with, things just get old. Being with someone can make anything fun, at least the right person, because everything is always new.

I'm not a morning person.

I've got 170+ journal entries here, so I'm pretty much an open book.

What I'm doing with my life Propose an edit

Certainly not what I hoped or expected to be doing. But things could be worse.

Is it better to follow your dreams, or follow something more practical, more sure? I've pretty much always chosen the "follow your dreams" path, and unfortunately, failed miserably at it.

For instance, I probably shouldn't have majored in space science in college, but something both more practical and easier. But you never really know you can or can't do something unless you try. How was I to know that I would suck at advanced math (Boundary Value Problems and beyond), I was good at everything up to that. I probably should have majored in something boring, but relatively easy and lucrative, like law or business (not to say that those are easy, but they aren't, well, rocket science).

Still, most of my regrets are what I didn't try, not what I tried and failed at, though I've got some of those, too.

I'm doing some constructive stuff, like writing novels. I just started writing my second one (science fiction) and am working on revising my first (romance) and doing a sequel to that. I doubt I will sell any of them, but I'm having fun.

Even though it's still really a draft and not published or anything, sometimes I'll be editing my first one and it just hits me "I wrote that! I've written a novel!"

I'm really good at Propose an edit

Reading. Sort of a curse, actually, I read too fast. Takes me an hour or two to read a book, and that's just sort of my "cruise" speed, if I want to read faster, I can. Which is nice, but I tend to run out of things to read.

I'm also a very good listener, although this skill doesn't always translate well into an online environment

The first thing(s) people usually notice about me Propose an edit

I'm not a natural blond. Er, not that I walk around naked all the time, but my mustache is kinda a dead giveaway, even if the peroxide shade of blond my hair isn't. (Actually I'm considering stopping bleaching my hair, since it is thinning and being blond makes it look much thinner than it really is)

My favorite books, movies, music, and food Propose an edit

Books: I've literally read thousands of books. But my ten favorites are:

Candide by Voltaire (it really changed my life), King of the Grey by Richard A. Knaak, The Unwilling Warlord by Lawrence Watt-Evans, World Without End by Sean Russell, Revelations by Jacques Vallee,Darkness Weaves by Karl Edward Wagner, Kedrigern in Wanderland by John Morressy, The Nag Hammadi Library, Valis by Philip K. Dick and Federation by H.Beam Piper. Ooops, forgot The Princess Bride by William Goldman (good movie, great book). So eleven favorites. Though my Elven favorite would be The Elfin Ship by James Blaylock. (Sorry, geek humor)

My favorite genres are historical mysteries, pre-80s detective novels, noir, science-fiction and fantasy.

Other favorite authors are Agatha Christie, Dick Francis, Louis L'Amour,Isaac Asimov,H.P.Lovecraft,Robert E. Howard,Manly Wade Wellman,Josephine Tey,Glen Cook,Alan Dean Foster, Raymond Chandler,Erle Stanley Gardner to name just a dozen or so. I could go on and on (I've really read a lot of books).

Movies: Johnnie To and Ryuhei Kitamura are my favorite directors. Mostly I like action, sci-fi and horror (the suspenseful sort, not sadistic or gorey), as well as campy movies. Also love old movies in those genres, especially old serials.

Just to name my top ten: Sky High (the Japanese movie by Ryuhei Kitamura), Dark City, Amityville 3-D, Hard Boiled, Mothman Prophecies, The Thing from Another World, Prince of Darkness, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, The Trollenberg Terror, and The Fifth Element.

TV Wise, I like South Park, Supernatural, Emergency!, Perry Mason, Sledge Hammer!, the original Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Robin of Sherwood. And as you might guess from my screenname, The Simpsons (unlike DiscoStu, I do advertise. at least on dating sites). Also a big Dr. Zoidberg fan

I also watch the History Channel and Turner Classic Movies a lot. Most of the time though my TV is probably set to a music channel, The System (ch 860 on DirecTV, sadly killed by the recent merger, but still lives on in Zombie form)

Music: I mostly listen to trance. The Space Brothers,Armin Van Buuren, Solar Stone,Darren Tate, and Above&Beyond are my favorites. Also am fond of other types of dance music: Disco, House, Breakbeat (esp Florida) most notably.

I also love Classic Rock - Led Zeppelin, The Who, Queen, Rush and early 90s Alt-Rock (Faith No More, School of Fish, Stone Temple Pilots) and semi-Industrial stuff (Ministry, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Machines of Loving Grace), not to mention early 80s New Wave (Flock of Seagulls). And of course Joy Division.

My favorite songs are now in my journal:

http://www.okcupid.com/profile/DiscoJer/journal/75350553927711448/Favorite-Songs

Food: Pizza is my favorite. Pretty much about the only great thing about St. Louis is the style of pizza, which I love. Faraci's on Manchester is the best, I can't even imagine a better pizza.

While I don't mind trying new stuff, to a certain extent, eating is something I more do because I'm hungry, not a passion or anything, so I mostly cook simple stuff. When I cook something more elaborate, it's generally Swordfish or Mahi-Mahi.

Just to add my own categories:

Comics: Get Fuzzy, Drabble, Mother Goose & Grimm

Paintings: Et in Arcadia Eco by Nicholas Poussin, A Friend in Need by CM Coolidge, Flaming June by Frederic Leighton.

MST3K Host: Mike Nelson

Number: 37

The six things I could never do without Propose an edit

While it might sound trite, really just the basics: Food, shoes without holes in them (especially the sole), clean drinking water, a-c in summer, heating in winter, a bathroom (and ability to take a shower). I've spent a (fortunately) brief time homeless, and really, those are the things you really really miss.

Seriously, who cares about an ipod or computer when it's 30 degrees and pouring ice rain?

I spend a lot of time thinking about Propose an edit

Scenes in my second and third novels. I like to think about them and visualize them, then write them down when I get them worked out right. Almost always ends up different than I imagine in my head, though.

On a typical Friday night I am Propose an edit

In the Winter, outside playing with my dogs for as long as we can stand the cold. Or until they injure me. (Cold weather makes them quite hyper.)

The most private thing I'm willing to admit here Propose an edit

My personality awards below are actually quite accurate.

You should message me if Propose an edit

You love to read and your idea of excitement is finding a bookstore you haven't been to.

You found any of the 17 jokes in my profile at least mildly amusing.

And really, why not? It's funny, as I hit the "View Matches" button I realize I've been staring at some of the same people for years. Some I've mailed, some I haven't, some I came close. But then I wonder, why not? What is there to lose, really? Maybe waste a few moments of each other's time...

Tests He's Taken View all