My name is Daniel. Some people call me Rocco. I always forget who calls me by what name. I like my absent-mindedness; it's endearing, damn it!

I'm big on personal honesty, so here's exactly what I think it'd be like to meet me for the first time:
If you meet me in a public, social setting, you'll get the idea that I'm an overly-charismatic charmer; that I'm witty and interesting, but too pleased with my own intelligence for my own good (unless you meet me while I'm at work, where my soul is dead, heh). My aggressively social facade is just that. It's a proactive defense against accidentally baring my emotional core in an inopportune situation. People are vicious, and view "opening up" as a weakness.

If I have the benefit of meeting you in a one-on-one setting, the arrogance recedes in exchange for a quiet honesty and smart (if silly) humor. Once the complicated social positioning is out the window, most people are at least a little more willing to be themselves if they see a genuine person talking to them.

I prefer being genuine with everyone, but sadly, that sentiment is not often reciprocated, or even appreciated.

I work customer service for a big-name wireless phone provider, and it sucks the nuts, even though I'm good at it and have a near encyclopedic knowledge of our products/policy. People who use cellphones are kind of insane. And that means you (and me, of course).

Also, I really need to swallow my pride, get off my ass, and go back to school. I was a Music Education (vocal) major for 3 semesters, then started over and put in another two semesters knocking out basic classes. That was mid 2007.

When I'm not working or gaming, I can be found composing music that no one will likely hear. It's my "hobby," but I hate that word. I don't like putting limiting qualifiers on things that are important to me.

Enthusiastically embarking upon grandiose endeavors. Finishing them, not so much. I talk about stuff real good, too. If you wanna talk about stuff with me, I like talkin' 'bout stuff.

It'd be nice if it were something poetic like my "piercing gaze" or my "overpowering presence of spirit", but it's probably something superficial, like my "big nose".

Almost everyone that I know has at one point or another told me I over-analyze things. It is literally sometimes one of the first things I hear from new acquaintances. But even if I come across as being too cerebral (which I usually don't actually. Mine is a very engaging over-analysis), I really resent OKCupid labeling me "less compassionate" than the average dude. I also disagree with the bit about me being "mathematically inclined," but I'll let that one slide.

Books:I'm not into reading stories. Not since high school, anyway (when I read voraciously, an entire book in a sitting). I'll occasionally pick up a good piece of nonfiction. Right now I'm devouring Richard Dawkins' "The God Delusion", and next up is his "The Selfish Gene". (Hopefully that scared away all the Jeezus freeks.)

Movies: I'm not a huge movie buff, but if I'm gonna pay for a ticket, the nerdier the movie the better. For instance, I squealed with delight when I heard about Forbidden Kindgom (Jackie Chan AND Jet Li??). I am, however, quite a big anime fan. Mostly old-school stuff. Some favorites include Record of Lodoss War, Rurouni Kenshin, Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Nodame Cantabile, Death Note (don't judge me!), Escaflowne (stop judging me!!), and anything by Hayao Miyazaki or Studio Ghibli EDIT: with the exception of "Ponyo". Bleagh!

Music: Most of my favorite music came from Japan in the form of video game music, anime music, and Japanese rock, but I do like a select few domestic artists. I'm also a huge advocate of Classical music (mostly from the Romantic period), and I've been opening up to Jazz lately (Hiromi Uehara!!)

Food: bleh. I eat cause I have to. I enjoy cooking, but mostly just for other people. I rarely cook for myself.

I'll try to keep this to material things, otherwise I'll try to be "profound" and list "hope" or something idealistic/cheesy like that.

1. An mp3 player with a large hard drive
2. A good pair of headphones
3. A really soft pillow [EDIT: and mattress!]
4. A camera
5. A car (or a city whose mass transit system doesn't suck)
6. Quiet when I need it

You name it, and I'd be willing to spend way too long thinking about it. And fifty other things, simultaneously.

I'm such a dork. I actually update this when my Friday night activities change. I just joined a small choral group of ex-classmates and friends. It's mostly cheesy music (Jazz-flavored Christmas carols, anyone?), but it does feel good to be singing in a group again. I haven't performed publicly with them yet, but you can see them on YouTube. We're called "Corpus Christi Choral Artists".

The first time I saw "The Skinny" listed on my profile, I thought OKCupid was calling me names. Also, whats up with my lack of personality traits? I HAZ A PERSONALITY LOLZ.

You can tell how awkward it is for me to talk myself up, and you prefer honest, pretense-free discourse.