The first thing you should know about me is that I hate writing self-summaries. It just feels way to much like boasting for my taste. If I absolutely had to summarize myself in a single thought though, it would be: a nice guy. That's right, I'm one of *those*. Contrary to popular belief, we do in fact still exist, though I believe we may be considered an endangered species. Regardless, I do consider myself 'a nice guy'. Why? Well, I guess its because I try to be. That is, I try to do things that I believe a nice guy should. I strive to be honest, kind, compassionate and respectful. I make a point of not being rude or offensive. I do my best to help others when I can. I passionately love my friends and family and value them above everything else. I work to be humble and true to myself. I hold a number of outdated notions, like chivalry and being true to one's word. I keep my mind open and do my best to reserve judgement. I respect all life as much as I can and avoid violence whenever possible (though I would fight in an instant to protect those that I love). I believe that friendship is the bedrock of any relationship and don't want to rush into anything.
For all these reasons, I consider myself a nice guy. That's not to say that I don't have my faults. I have a tendency to be a little odd and quirky at times, though I feel that helps improve my sense of humor. I can be a bit overbearing at moments, though usually I am probably too quiet. I'm maybe a little more forward with my emotions then most guys, but only because I freely admit to having them and don't try to keep them locked up in some deep, dark corner of my heart. Oh, and I have this habit of being too wordy. But, if you haven't caught onto that yet...you will if you actually make it through my entire profile. Anyway, I think I've probably said enough here. If you have anything specific about me that you want to know, just shoot me a message.

Right now, I'm a graduate student in the Molecular Virology and Microbiology program at the University of Pittsburgh. I spend much of my time between classes working in the lab. Its nerdy, I know, but what can I say; I watched way too much Bill Nye when I was a kid. Besides, our lab does HIV research, so I really feel like I'm getting to do something worthwhile and what could be more important than that?

I consider myself to be a very good conversationalist. That is, of course, if I've got someone to talk to and not just talk at. I am also a really good listener. When someone is talking to me, there is nothing more important at that moment to me than what they are saying. Except, perhaps, if for some odd reason I happen to be on fire; then, that would probably be more important. I'm also really good at exploring! Since moving to Pittsburgh about a year and half ago, I've managed to cover quite a bit of the city. In particular, I know most of the local parks like the back of my hand. Oh, and I'm pretty good at growing houseplants. I think the last time I checked I had about 100 in my apartment. Its little different, I know. But, everyone needs a hobby. I like to think of it as collecting living works of art!

I apparently have incredibly distinctive hair. On multiple occasions people have being able to pick me out of crowd by my hair alone. People probably notice my beard right away as well. If you happen to suffer from pogonophobia or simply aren't fond of beards, don't let that deter you from contacting me. Beards, like politicians, are removable with a little time and effort.

I must say I haven't watched many movies that I haven't liked. As long as it has a good story, explosions or (preferably) both, I''ll probably like it. To just name a few of my personal favorites: Jaws, Silence of the Lambs, Alien, Aliens, Terminator 2, Little Shop of Horrors, Saw (only the original), any of the Pixar films (especially UP and WALL-E), Schindler's List, Forrest Gump, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (the old Disney version), Fantasia and Fantasia 2000, the new Star Trek, the ORIGINAL Star Wars trilogy, Batman, Batman Begins and the Dark Knight, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Big Fish, Edward Scissorhands, LOTR, Sin City and 300, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Dead Poets Society, What Dreams May Come, The Diving Bell & The Butterfly

For me, books are essential. Like air. I just couldn't live without them. But, I do have some that like more than others. A couple of my all time favorites include: The Things They Carried, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, all of the Harry Potter series, The Naked Ape, Les Miserables, East of Eden, Frankenstein, Dracula, A Brave New World, A Clockwork Orange, Shōgun: A Novel of Japan, Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, Confessions of an Economic Hitman, Ender's Game, Lord of the Flies, The Jungle, and anything by Ray Bradbury, Issac Asimov, Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens, Edgar Allen Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Kurt Vonnegut, Bill Bryson or Stephen King

When it comes to food, I definitely don't have a picky palette. With the exception of brussel sprouts and very spicy food, I can enjoy eating almost anything and, let's be honest, who really likes brussel sprouts? I also love trying new food; the more exotic, the better, within reason (I draw the line at Rocky Mountain oysters). I am also a total geek for sushi and never miss the opportunity to go out for some.

As far as my taste in music goes, it can be defined in one word: eclectic. This is reflected by the disorganized mess that I call my iTunes library. If you were to randomly pick a song from it, you'd have as much chance of getting Beethoven as Ozzy Osborn, or John Lennon as Miles David. I really can't name all the different musicians and types of music that I like. Pretty much the only music that I usually don't enjoy listening to is country and rap. That doesn't mean I won't listen to it though; just that I don't actively seek it out. My policy with music is the same as with food, books, movies and pretty much everything: the only way to know if you like it is to try it at least once. But, if I really had to name a few favorites musicians, I'd probably go with The Beetles, Bill Evans, Stan Getz, the Seatbelts, Philip Glass, Daft Punk, the Blue Man Group, the Decemberists, the Eagles, Bon Jovi and Howard Shore (I own all three LOTR soundtracks).

(In order of importance)
1) My family
2) My friends
3) My health
4) My work
5) My dog
6) Gravity

Everything and nothing. Actually, I can really only attempt to think about nothing, because its actually quite difficult to do (seriously, try it sometime). I feel like I'm getting better at it though.

Working, studying, relaxing, hanging out with friends, or visiting my family back in Michigan.

I was raised Catholic, had a bit of a spiritual falling out , and then settled on being an Agnostic (because you never really know, do you?). Now, I enjoy studying Eastern forms of spirituality, particularly Buddhism and Taoism.

~ you want to go out for sushi
~ you like words that end in "-ology"
~ you think H.P. Lovecraft is the best thing since sliced bread
~ you need a hiking buddy
~ you have an interest in mediation, Taoism, Buddhism and other forms of Eastern philosophy
~ you want to go exploring in the city
~ you collect plants (somebody out there has to besides me)
~ you want to talk about anything or nothing
~ you just feel like it