I'm pretty much a big little kid. I have an unusual sense of humor. I'm not easily embarrassed. I'm certainly not easily summarized in a few paragraphs, but I was once described as "the most interesting blend of a 5, 15, and 50 year old." I assume that was because I have a child-like joy over simple things (like putting mentos into coke bottles), a perverse sense of humor, and a stubborn seriousness that can be a bit surprising to people that haven't seen me be serious or practical before.

I've worked a lot on self-improvement over the past decade. I'm an introvert than has learned how to feign extroversion. I'm a deep thinker that is working on being better at small talk. I'm a teacher that's working on being a better learner. And for those that are into personality types, I'm an INTJ.

I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. I've tried a variety of things: medical school, teaching math, teaching high school, teaching anatomy, etc. I've enjoyed them all and found personal rewards from each, but none really have given me that sense fulfillment I'm seeking. However, each has taught me things about myself and provided me with knowledge that has helped me in the future, so I don't feel like I have wasted any time during my journey.

My sensible plan is to pursue a PhD in biology; probably ecology and evolution. My less sensible plan is to shed my worldly possession and move to Costa Rica, learn to surf, and see what happens. If you asked me where I was going to be or what I was going to be doing in 5 years, I honestly couldn't even fathom a guess.

A variety of other useless things that are neither impressive nor lucrative. I'm a giant dork, but in a fun way.

I'm a pretty big biology geek. I like to think I'm a pretty awesome teacher (but I'm open to disagreement). Sometimes I'm not sure my passion is entirely infectious, but I seem to be pretty successful at educating the masses.

I'm also getting better at cooking. I'm not sure I'd say I'm really good at it, but I can certainly make an impressive dish or two. I'm not living on microwave dinners and things that come out of a can.

I like to play bar trivia. I guess the fact that I win more often than not must mean I'm good at it.

One of my biggest quirks is I incorporate random quotes into conversations. It's not that I don't have my own thoughts or ideas, but rather that others tend to phrase things more eloquently than I do. "Originality is merely an illusion." -MC Escher Also, it's a fun game to see who will recognize the reference because there are very few people that are going to know a Winston Churchill quote, a Spiderman quote, and a Chris Rock quote.

Hopefully, it's something charming and flattering like my wit or my intellect, but I'm sure there are others that find me loud and arrogant. I've gotten a few comments about my eyes, but I also got a few comments about my hair (or more specifically the lack thereof from my high school students).

Books: Ender's Game, Slaughterhouse 5, God Delusion, 1984, Brief History of Time, Song of Ice and Fire, and a lot of pulp fiction. I'm actually surprisingly well-read for someone that rarely makes time for reading. Having a roommate that teaches English probably helps.

Movies: Saved, Identity, Superbad, Full Metal Jacket, Spaceballs, Boondocks Saints, High Fidelity, Super Troopers, Godfather, Star Wars (the holy trilogy in their original format, but not the new ones) and a lot of others depending on my mood.

TV: House, Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Burn Notice, Castle, Weeds, Dexter, How I Met Your Mother, MythBusters, Sons of Anarchy, and a lot of random shows that have been canceled by Fox (Firefly, Dollhouse, Terminator, Futurama).

Music: I like most music. Seriously, my college roommate was always confused when he heard B.B King followed by Mozart and then Nirvana. My playlists were always filled with randomness. My high school students got confused when I contributed to their Lil Wayne vs Drake conversations (or oddly Biggie vs Tupac).

Food: Steak, Thai, and Sushi. I'm an avid meat eater, but I've gotten into exploring meat-free dishes. I've rarely found a humus that I didn't like. Personally, I prefer meat-free dishes that were designed to be meat-free. I've always found dishes that added soy (or another protein) as a meat substitute to be sad comparisons to the real thing.

While I'd like to think there are few things I couldn't live without, even clean water and electricity, I've grown to appreciate the luxury.

I'm also rather attached to my dysfunctional family and my even more dysfunctional friends. "Traditional" and "normal" people are often the people with the most issues, they just work harder to hide their issues. People that embrace their flaws tend to be much more honest about themselves and more accepting of the idiosyncrasies of others.

However, in the spirit of the question, the 6 items I rely upon heavily: 1) internet access 2) trustworthy friends 3) intelligent conversation 4) reliable transportation 5) a project or challenge 6) my family.

I think too much. And about far too many different things.

I love a good intelligent discussion about politics, religion, science, philosophy, or human relationships. I don't expect most people to agree with me, I just expect someone to be able to support and defend their position rationally. But I'm not always so serious; I can also spend hours discussing tactics and strategies (yes, there's a difference) in various video games and defensive scenarios in case of the zombie apocalypse (or the much more likely real apocalypse).

I'm not sure what's a typical Friday night anymore. All of my Friday night drinking buddies have grown up and settled down. We'll still go out for special occasions, but I'm much more likely to be found on a couch (mine or otherwise) watching a bad SciFi movie, playing video games, or taking a well-deserved nap.

You think we have something in common, you're intelligent, you amuse easily?