I've spent a good chunk of my adult life living and working overseas, so I guess you could consider me somewhat "worldly" and well-traveled. While I may come across as bookish (and sometimes painfully shy), I do thoroughly enjoy new experiences and am always looking to try new and different things.

My days of jumping out of airplanes, running rapids, slogging though jungles, and other 'thrill-seeking' activities are pretty much behind me. Been there, done that, got a huge stack of t-shirts. Nowadays, my idea for adventure is a bit more sedate - walking around to explore a new part of town, discovering restaurants I haven't tried yet, and of course - people watching. "....laughing on the bus, playing games with the faces. She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy. I said be careful, his bow tie is really a camera....."

I do not drive. I haven't gotten behind the wheel of a car for over twelve years - and damn proud of it as well. If I need to go anywhere, it's by public transport, bike, or electric scooter.

I'm a complete smart ass, and have a quick wit and a sense of humor that is generally described as acerbic, snarky, and irreverent. I will often take the opposing view just to keep an interesting debate lively. I've been known to sometimes break out in song - with the sole purpose of embarrassing the person with me.

I'm one of those mindless drones that works for the government, happily sucking on the teat of Uncle Sugar.

My spare time is spent reading, doing 3d computer art, and designing - and sometimes building - electric vehicles.

And let's not forget eating! Love food, and am always on a quest to find great restaurants - be they Michelin starred or mom-and-pop holes in the wall.

Finding holes in rules! I've got a lot of respect for them, and believe that they are absolutely necessary for maintaining a civilized society. However, I truly despise stupid or poorly defined rules/regulations/laws, and take great joy in poking holes in them. When I was in the military, I intentionally shaved one sideburn to the minimal regulation length, and the other one the maximum length - because the rules didn't say they had to be symmetrical.

Other things I'm good at:
- Concocting completely unhealthy - yet delicious food
- Eating said food, and that of others
- Submitting to the demands of my masters (my two cats)
- Procrastination (why put off today what you can put off tomorrow!)
- Humility (I'm better than anyone else at it!)

My laugh. Even though my 'neutral' facial expression looks pretty serious, I'm a consummate 'straight-man' - always ready with a quick quip.

Most people notice that I don't have a lot of tolerance for idiots, nincompoops, and morons.

I devour sci-fi/fantasy - in all its forms. For movies, I tend to gravitate towards darker, dystopian environments: Blade Runner, Dark City, City of Lost Children, Brazil, Alien, Children of Men, Clockwork Orange, Lathe of Heaven, etc. I also enjoy quirky off-humor flicks: Mystery Men, Holy Grail, Badass, and any MST3K.

Books: Dune series, The Postman, Ringworld series, Honerverse, Pern series, Darkover series, etc. As much as I admire many of the great Sci-fi masters - such as Azimov, or Heinlen - they don't make me cry (meaning they don't draw me in emotionally, which is important to me).

Musically, I'm very diverse: REM (when you couldn't figure what the heck they were saying), Dire Straights, Lincoln Park, Metallica, Korn, Pink Floyd, Moody Blues, Crosby Stills & Nash (& Young), ELO, Depeche Mode (primarily because I can sing in their range), and of course Elvis Costello.

Having lived overseas so much, I tend to watch TV series via DVD: Star Trek whatever, Firefly, X-Files, Fringe, Burn Notice, Dexter, Midsomer Murders, Cracker (the original UK series), Lovejoy, etc.

Food: if it's bad for you, I probably like it. Ambrosia on Mount Olympus was actually pizza. And let's be honest - everything tastes better with bacon!

Tough question. Over the years - and living where I have and done what I've done - I have discovered that there's not really anything that I cannot live without. While I like my 'stuff,' I've found that nothing is absolutely critical to my existence or sanity. There are a few things that I have 'missed' due to lack of availability however.

- Good food (I'm still craving good pork products after living in Turkey a few years)
- Common curtesy
- Common sense
- Tap water that's safe to drink
- Pets
- Intellectually stimulating conversations
- Books

If Sherlock and Moriarty were gay (or one of them was female), would they show up on the top of each others "enemy" list on OkCupid?

What would my cats be up to if they had opposable thumbs?

Why don't we ever hear any news stories of 'gruntled' postal workers?

Are women really that much into kayaking - as this site would lead one to believe?

What new dish I can come up with that has bacon?

More than likely, not going out. I do eat out as much as possible during the week, but I'm not a big fan of going to places that are really crowded. If I do go out on a Friday night, it will be somewhere off the beaten path where I can relax, enjoy some good food, sip my beer, and read a book.

In the fifth grade, I had a crush on Liz Cheney - daughter of Dick. She lived a couple of blocks away from me, and we went to the same elementary school.

Who'd have thought that a sweet girl would turn out to be such a Republican.

......you can guess the number I'm thinking right now.....