I'm a bit of a geek, I chartered the gaming club while at my college, and I teach karate there. I'm really passionate about politics and economics (my majors), and about stuff going on in the law. Not too surprising being a lawyer, but when I say "passionate" I mean both passionate about issues and stuff going on in the world, as well as in dating and love.

I can be a bit of a romantic, sappy even... ok, a lot of a romantic. My ideal dates are things like snuggling up on a rainy day and watching a good show together (maybe Doctor Who or Arrested Development), or maybe going to a karate class together, or the prototypical dinner and a movie/show.

Last spring (2010) I came out of a long-term relationship, 7+ years, so while I'd like to find someone for long term love and companionship, I'm not in too much of a rush at the moment for those who want to take it slow. Edit: Feeling comfortable with moving on now, had time to get to know myself on my own again.

I grew up in Hawaii (thus the profile name), but escaped back to the east coast. It's a beautiful place to visit, and to grow up in, don't get me wrong, but there were those fond memories of snow - I'd just forgotten how cold it was. BRRRR!!!

Seriously though, the cuisine there was... less than good. Hawaii is the Spam consumption capital of the world, and while working at a book store there, I had the privilege of selling a book entitled, I kid you not, "Yet Another 101 Recipes for Spam."

Dissect that title with me.

Not "101 Recipes", or "Another 101 Recipes", but "Yet Another 101 Recipes".

Sigh.

I keep moderately kosher, so now being relatively near Brookline is a treat, and I love going in and seeing if they have some kosher buffalo on hand.

There's also some of the other cultural/social stuff as well, but suffice to say I like the pace and people out here better. I do occasionally miss the ocean not instantly freezing me when I go in, but that's a sacrifice that's well worth it. On a side note, I like being able to go out in the sun here and not instantly burning in 15 minutes or less.

I'm notoriously bad with computers/email and such, so please don't take it personally if I don't get back to you right away if you message me. I'll get back to you eventually, probably sooner if you make me laugh/smile/grin when I read your message.

I am caring, nerdy, and passionate

Very happy to have finally found some full-time employment, for a long time they really weren't kidding when they said it was a jobless recovery.

But, I teach Karate, I help run a Live Action Role-Playing Game - or LARP - in the area, called Future Imperfect, and I'm trying to get into better shape. I have my black belt and am hoping to go up for my next black belt rank either some time this winter or maybe in the spring, if I can. Edit: FI fell apart, sadly, but such things remain on my nerdly radar. Nerdar? Edit-Edit: It's Back! Hooray! I got to model for the photoshoot to put together pictures for the rule book. I look very dashing, if I do say so myself. (If I get my hands on them I'll post one).

Also, I have a secret wish to be an FBI Agent. Not a closely held secret, obviously, but more sort of a dream job wish. I'm a big nerd on national security issues, and - I kid you not - the week before 9/11/01 I was discussing a paper topic with a politics professor about the problems of weapons of mass destruction in the hands of non-state actors. Not claiming to be prescient, just that I've been interested in it since before it was "cool", so to speak. The FBI has some pretty steep physical requirements, at least compared to my current fitness level, and I have to admit it can be pretty daunting. But even if I don't get in, it'll certainly be healthy to try.

understanding and discussing issues and current events, being loving and affectionate, snuggling, listening, convincing kids that behaving themselves is fun, making friends with pets, stringing together long run-on sentences, fixing grammar and spelling, writing beautiful poetry and prose (although I can be nervous about sharing it), karate and teaching karate, playing games (i.e. board games and card games), running games (i.e. D&D [although really I prefer Spycraft/Fantasycraft and you get extra bonus points if you know what that means], and White Wolf games [prefer their old World of Darkness games, shame on you if you prefer new Vampire, kudos if you like the systems for new Mage or the stuff in new Changeling, don't worry about it too much if you have no idea what those are as long as you're willing to smile and nod]), and making people smile.

I think I'm pretty good at making people laugh, but not as consistently as I'd like. I'd like to think I'm good at sparring and grappling as well, but those I know I need to work on. I'm better than the people just learning, but that's not the most useful method of measuring, it's good to have people who will push you.

I have a very loud laugh. I am unabashed about it, and enjoy the funny stuff, so fair warning has been given. It's not like I can't control it, but if I'm not paying attention it's my default.

Other than that I'd like to say I have rakish good looks and a stunning physique, but I'd also like to be able to say I'm a billionaire. I do know I look very sharp in a suit, and I'm in decent shape, and am employed once more (hooray for an economic recovery no matter how small!) which definitely helps the old self-confidence.

I'm talkative, and care about things, but I think people would say I'm a very friendly person and nice to hang out with. A real mensch.

Arrakis, Dune, Desert Planet. Frank Herbert's Dune spoke to me on a fundamental level when I was kid, about 8, as I was moving from New York to Hawaii and I really sympathized with Paul. Plus it's an awesome book to begin with.

Starship Troopers. Reread it more times than I can recall, it's sci-fi and political theory rolled into one. If you care to look for it, it draws a fair bit of inspiration/parallels from Plato's Republic while being much more enjoyable to read.

I, Robot. I look forward to them making a movie about this wonderful book by Isaac Asimov. The one they did make was not about it. Period, let's move on.

The 9/11 Commission Report. I have both the soft back and the abridged comic book version which was officially approved. If you haven't read at least a summary of the findings, you're doing yourself a disservice. It's an example of a government commission actually reaching helpful/useful conclusions. And provides no justification for the war in Iraq. Sigh... let's move on.

For fantasy, I'm a fan of George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" but I do wish he would stop being quite so horrible to the characters I care about. I suppose it's part of the series' shtick, but still, he seems to delight in their misery. Not the reader's mind you, the books are incredible, but his poor, poor protagonists.

Of course Tolkien, although it's much more fun to have read aloud than to read yourself on paper, in my humble opinion.

I would say the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and I still will, but I was shocked when it was pointed out to me that it was a Christ parable. And I also felt extremely oblivious considering just how ridiculously obvious it is once you notice. But they are still good children's books.

I am going to touch on Harry Potter to say that I liked them, but they were overrated. The world she, JK Rowlings, created was incredibly vivid and amazing, but the plot was... less so. Fun, but not great literature.

Movies:

Princess Bride. My favorite Romantic Comedy ever, and yes I am guilty of quoting it from time to time.

The Graduate. I have actually used the "_________, are you trying to seduce me?" line. And "Plastics".

The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Kind of similar in feel, and both amazing.

The Usual Suspects and Fight Club. I lump these together because they both left me speechless for a few moments at various points (not that I talk during movies, but you know what I mean).

I love Casablanca, and it truly bothered me to hear someone say that they didn't like it because it was full of cliches. I wanted to smack them upside the head. Oy.

Music:

Latest fun musical obsession would be Jonathan Coulton. My housemates and I nicknamed the last place we lived Skullcrusher Mountain and nearly called our current place Chiron Beta Prime.

The Beatles have been and will always speak to me on a basic level. Don't speak ill of them in front of me, I'll feel hurt, and not really understand why you don't like them. Better to just agree to disagree then argue it.

Playing Brutal Legend caused me to rediscover some music that I had forgotten or never really pinned down the name of, so I'm also kind of rediscovering metal to a certain extent.

Little bit of a Gilbert and Sullivan nerd, not a huge one, but a fan of the more famous ones.

Some people are surprised after talking with me that I sing bass, as I guess I have a relatively high (compared to singing 2nd bass) speaking voice. Not squeaky or anything, but not my sonorous bass voice when I'm singing, if I do say so myself.

Food:

I'm a little bit of a stick in the mud when it comes to food. I keep semi-kosher, that is I don't follow all the rules but I do try to stick to the ones that I do keep. For example, I've yet to meet a chicken I could milk, so I don't really bother with the chicken and milk shouldn't mix idea. If that doesn't matter to you, don't worry about it. I won't hold whatever you're having against you. I used to be non-kosher, and I know just how delicious that bacon tastes, but it's something I've chosen to do for myself and my own spirituality. Not to make life difficult for other people.

I'm a HUGE fan of PB&J, ok, bad phrasing there, but I like them a lot.

Also, my favorite three meals of the day are breakfast, brunch, and midnight brunch. Mmm pancakes, hashbrowns, scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, waffles, croissants, pastries, maple syrup, french toast... well the list goes on. But I'm starting to gross even me out with the thought of all of that at once.

I could probably eat Italian food, or at least American Italian food, for dinner all the time and be perfectly happy, although I'd probably then be in need of a heavier exercise routine.

I like chocolate, particularly strawberries dipped in chocolate, and in other sweet things I have a weakness for sour patch kids and Starburst. Especially Starburst. Want to earn bonus points on a first date or if there was a misunderstanding? Can't go too far wrong with that.

I like baking and cooking, but am not as good at it as I would like to be. It's tough getting everything to come out ready at the same time! I'm getting the hang of baking, slowly, and just wish I had more time to bake things from scratch more often. Baking is also a sure way to get brownie points, literally and figuratively. Mmm brownies.

This is also part of why I try to hold myself to a strict exercise routine, as I know I enjoy food too much, and to have a good diet you need both calories in and calories out. The other part is that depending on what I'm doing, exercise can be a lot fun. If you've never tried grappling you have no idea how hard a workout it is to go for three minutes. It will definitely keep you in shape.

Karate - I teach Uechi-Ryu during the week, and practice on my own. I've been doing it for roughly ten years at this point, and plan to continue with it in the future. I also cross-train a little with Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu and Eskrima/Kali to get some grappling experience and to add stick and knife drills. Recently have been learning some Kendo and Iaido forms too for sword work. Fun stuff, but another thing where just smiling and nodding is acceptable as well.

The Internet - Because I absolutely hate when I can't recall something but I know that I know it. Wikipedia is particularly useful for that.

Family - Every now and then I realize just how lucky I am to have such a good relationship with my folks and my siblings, and at the risk of being sappy I have to include them here.

Gaming - Board games, card games, table top games, live-action games, video games; what can I say, I like a good game. I can be a little competitive, but it's not with the other players, it's with the game or to come up with an interesting story for the evening. I like to GM RPGs, but I admit sometimes it's nice to have a game to relax in and just be a player for.

Cute things - I am a complete sucker for babies, puppies, kittens, bunnies with pancakes on their heads, and assorted saccharine things. Cute Overload is a dangerous site to visit... it can lead to severe smile-cramps. ; )

Books - Whether Dune and Starship Troopers, the 9/11 Commission Report and the latest Richard Clark national security book, or Tolkien and A Song of Ice and Fire, I like to have a pair of books that I'm reading at any particular moment. I tend to devour books, then read them again and digest them. I honestly can't recall how many times I've reread Starship Troopers, but I know it's not a single digit number. *Having written about this in my favorite books section, let me add a little bit. If you've never read the book "Albion's Dream" and you enjoy modern fantasy ala Pan's Labyrinth or the like, you should track it down and give it a read.

Good food - I don't claim to be an excellent chef, but I do appreciate good home cooking, and have been trying to get better at it myself. I'm doing some forays into baking, but so far it's pretty rudimentary. My guilty secret: I love PBJs.

Crap, that was seven things. Well, I guess you all got one extra for free.

national security issues, economic and legal justice, what I'm going to do for the plot of my next gaming session, politics, and love & relationships and what goes with that.

I'm not sure I have a typical Friday night. Sometimes I go to services, sometimes I hang out with friends, sometimes I go see a movie, sometimes I hang out with my brother online, sometimes I read a book, sometimes I go for a run, sometimes I do karate.

Some "typical" things I've seen that I don't really do: clubbing, "partying" that centers on alcohol, and randomly picking people up. I have nothing against a little to some to even quite a bit of alcohol, but it's the binge drinking that's a major turn off. I have only ever been drunk to the point of throwing up once, and it is an experience I hope to never, ever, ever go through again. A cup of wine / mixed drinks / a beer and a bit of tipsiness? A-OK by me; I'm a very happy, silly and affectionate tipsy person.

I am a complete sucker for snuggling up under a blanket.

Though I get the feeling that was obvious from the rest of what I've said, so...

When I was little, the movie All Dogs Go to Heaven gave me reoccurring nightmares for years. That scene with the freaky little devils and the lava was scary!

[Seeing a wonderful woman I am immensely happy with. I will need to update this to be friends seeking, if you are interested in a conversation, cool, otherwise have found bliss, happy hunting elsewhere.]
Drop me a line if you find me interesting, you might want a relationship, and you would wear a shirt that says "Talk Nerdy to Me" and mean it.

On the other hand, much as the idea of casual sex is intriguing, I'm really looking to date, so... thank you, I'm flattered if that's all you want, but I'd like to find someone I can get to know and have fun with before jumping into bed. Once we've decided to take the relationship to that level I'm all for it, but it's not the end in and of itself to me. I'm ok with casual friendliness and snuggling until things are more figured out, but ultimately I'm not looking for flings.

Sidenote: I recently took a moment to look at how OKCupid describes my personality and was highly amused/surprised. It's not really sure I'm that "geeky" while being really sure that I'm very "conventionally moral". In particular... it identifies me as "less progressive"?!?!?!? I'm not a bleeding heart liberal, but if you want to talk progressive policy, whether economic or social, I'm your man. I can explain why unions help mitigate the problems inherent in a monopsony dominated labor market - and hopefully you find the fact that I just used that word in a sentence sexy. Because I'm good at it. ; )