Take a red-furred sasquatch with an overgrown sense of curiosity. Shave about 2/3 of its fur off. Give it glasses, a driver's license, and a lot of plaid flannel clothes. Make sure it's an only child so it's very shy and socially awkward deep down, but let it learn to at least pretend to be normal by the time it's all grown up. Give it a couple of guitars. Give it a very twisted sense of humor. Enroll it in a local university.

That's me.

I just came back to WWU as of this fall, and I'm working on my BS in geology. This is after four years that I spent living with my parents and working as a cook when my mom was sick (she's doing much better now). I'll probably graduate in 7-8 more quarters, at which point I'll hopefully get into a PhD program somewhere to go into astrogeology/planetary science, and ultimately teach somewhere as a professor.

Outside of school, I'm trying to write a fantasy epic, restore my old Land Cruiser, make some progress with the two-man band I'm in with my roomie (currently called Plaid Bastard), ride my bike more, and get in some traveling wherever possible.

Writing. Playing guitar. Cooking. Fixing cars. Solving math/engineering/physics problems. Teaching/explaining difficult concepts. Reaching things on high shelves. Coming up with unforgivable puns.

I'm way taller than just about everyone; that's the first thing most people notice. Then the red hair.

Books: sci-fi and fantasy of all stripes. I recently powered through the Dresden Files. I also really like Tahir Shah and Bill Bryson.
Movies: the Big Lebowski, Lord of the Rings, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, the Avengers...just to name a few.
Shows: Community, 30 Rock, Firefly, It's Always Sunny, Myth Busters...those are just some of my favorites.
Music: I like all kinds of stuff, but I've been listening to a lot of Darren Hanlon, the National, and the Decemberists lately.
Food: No favorite kind; I like just about everything.

My guitars, my chef's knife, good coffee, good beer, and my glasses.

Science/math/engineering problems that pop into my head, ranging from practical to completely whimsical. Characters and settings for sci-fi and fantasy stories. New things to try cooking.

At home, surfing the internet. Or reading a book. Or out on a pub crawl with my friends. Or maybe doing pizza and a movie with my roomie. So, I guess it varies a lot.

I grew up as the little boy with bright red hair. Every trip to the grocery store between about age 1 and 10 was a circus of middle-aged women complimenting my 'beautiful hair.' Then when I got older I started getting a lot taller than everyone.

I got really self-conscious about both, so now as an adult I actively avoid drawing attention to myself, because at some deep level I don't want to be the one everyone's gawking at. But, y'know, it's kinda hard to avoid when you're a red-haired giant. I'm pretty sure I'd instantly be hired to do TV commercials if I ever went to Japan.

You're geeky and awesome. Or you love to be outside, even when the weather is outright hostile. Or you need a partner in crime for trying out some bacon-whiskey-cake recipes. Or you need something that's on a high shelf. Whatevs.