Native New Yorker. I moved to California in 2008 to attend grad school at UC Davis, and moved to the Bay Area about a year ago after getting my M.S. Now I work as a geochemist for the national labs, where I contribute to a wide variety of research projects, mostly related to the remediation of radioactivity in the environment (groundwater contamination, etc.).

In my free time, I can be found riding my road bike through the Oakland hills or working out at the Oakland YMCA. I thoroughly enjoy exploring the natural world, so I'm always up for hikes in our wonderful parks, or road trips to most anywhere. Otherwise, I love having drinks with friends, watching soccer matches (specifically, my beloved Tottenham Hotspur F.C.), and playing my guitar. On quieter days, I love playing board games. Also, I try to see as my live music as I possibly can.

My musical tastes tend to fall in the indie rock and bluegrass genres. The National, Bjork, Built to Spill, Los Campesinos, Wye Oak, Radiohead, and Okkervil River are some of my favorite bands/artists, to name just a few.

John McPhee, David Mitchell, Bill Bryson, David Foster Wallace, and Chuck Klosterman are among my favorite authors. I read a lot of assorted nonfiction as well, when I'm not reading scientific papers.

I'm not a big TV person, although I was a massive fan of Lost. I do follow Community and Parks & Rec regularly. I'm certainly not above watching a Rick Steves travel special, or some NOVA.

My favorite movie is most definitely O Brother Where Art Thou, which I've probably seen 15 or so times.

I assume we're talking about top of the Maslow pyramid stuff, right? If so:
1) Silly banter with friends/family
2) Wine
3) Free time to travel/explore the outdoors
4) New, interesting, and exciting music
5) My road bike
6) Chocolate (I have an uncontrollable sweet tooth.)

Do I want to go back to grad school and get my Ph.D.? (quite possibly)
Where do I want to travel next? (I've got a Hungary/Croatia/Slovenia trip in mind)
Will the mighty Tottenham Hotspur F.C. ever win the Premier League? (probably not)
I think about lots and lots of other things too, including but not limited to: isotopes, basketball, nuclear nonproliferation, ways to improve Oakland, volcanoes, etc. etc.

you're deeply engaged with the world and all its splendor, but don't take yourself all too seriously.