I am currently in the less glamorous stages of a plot of world domination. Specifically, I am studying for my PhD in horribleness... Er, communication rhetoric with a women's and gender studies certificate. Same general concept, right? I am a shy but charismatic, (over)-confident nerd who believes the world is his oyster, but isn't fond of oysters and isn't entirely sure how that metaphor got started. If you can't tell from that last bit, I'm somewhat also quite contradictorally a neurotic. I'm a Whedonite, a Whovian, a recovering Foucauldian, a kinkster, a gamer (tabletop and MMO), and an incessant drinker of soda pop, or "Coke" as they call it in these Heathen lands of the South. I hail from the great frozen Northlands, but I say "y'all" - English needs a second person plural.

I love languages. I'm trying to learn German,'partially for professional reasons (the works of Jurgen Habermas and Friedrich Nietzche are relevant to my academic work) and partially because I love umlauts and hearing the language spoken in general. I have no rhythm and I can't dance, but I love music, especially Scandinavian metal and Korean girl-pop. I read fantasy and science fiction and want to write it someday.

I'm a critical theorist, which means I like to take apart society and see what's wrong with it. As I mentioned above, I used to swear by the writings of Michel Foucault, but ended up dumping him for a younger, sexier Frenchman who believes in material reality. I am very interested in gender and am a strong believer in the rights of transgender people. I like talking about gender theories as a whole - I don't agree with lesbian separatism, but I can explain its theoretical basis. I think Judith Butler is ridiculously privileged and out of touch with the needs of gender minorities.

I love pastries way more than I should. I don't drink anymore because booze and I hung out one night, he gave me bad advice, and the rest is history.

I'm working on my PhD in communication at Texas A&M and teaching classes along the way. The next question I always get is, of course, "what do you want to do with that," and the answer is in all honesty research and teach. I love being in front of a classroom, and to do that professionally I also have to crank out some articles. So that's what I'm doing. I do believe teachers can change lives, even though I guess I probably don't change as many as I would like right now - that's the drawback of teaching mandatory courses everyone is forced to take.

I'm not a workaholic. I consistently find myself with more free time than many of my colleagues. As you may gather from the rest of this profile, I spend a lot of my time being generally geeky and/or a class clown. I am actively trying to learn German, set up a tabletop gaming group in College Station, and plan a novel for National Novel Writing Month (NaNo).

Horribleness! It is my academic vocation, after all, so I had better know my stuff! Outside of the academic universe, I'm good at overthinking things, which despite its drawbacks I find to be generally worthwhile. I am constantly "wired" to the Internet, so I like to think of myself as a burgeoning Cyborg. I certainly don't buy into the whole idea that smart phones are ruining society, or that having an attention span is a good thing. ;)

Opinions are split on whether or not I'm a good writer. I like to think that at the very least, if I have an idea I can express it. I've written some stories that people really like, but I'm not very good at staying focused on one idea.

My friends tell me that I am empathetic, and I really do try to care about the problems of others. I am very good at understanding how other people think, even if I disagree – BUT this does not mean I choose to tolerate all disagreement! I've been called intolerant because I actively choose to be intolerant of those who practice intolerance. I can understand how someone would, for instance, be an anti-LGBT bigot; but just because I understand the thought process doesn't mean I'm okay with it.

Well first off I'm probably one of maybe ten guys in Bryan/College Station with hair this long :p That aside, I think I often come off as nervous or scared to offend people, but I have an extremely distinctive personality once we've talked for any length of time. I am one of those people who is "known by reputation," both personally and professionally - and that can be for good or for ill.

This section could get insanely long if I copypasta'ed all my geeky interests, but instead, I'll try to list some things I find "iconic" or representative of me:

HOBBIES tabletop gaming - currently a fan of the New World of Darkness from White Wolf, and of Pathfinder. I love home brew campaign settings.

Writing - I have a space fantasy epic I'm planning to write for NaNo, sort of a George R.R. Martin in Space concept.

Video games - I used to love the MASS EFFECT games (FemShep all the way), until the ending fiasco. Right now I'm into GUILD WARS 2.

READING, FICTION I love political fantasy, like George R.R. Martin's SONG OF ICE AND FIRE series, or Jacqueline Carey's KUSHIEL series, especially the second trilogy. I am a "nostalgic" fan of the HARRY POTTER series, and would love to write fanfic about it, but haven't actually reread the books in years.

READING, NONFICTION I read a lot for school, obviously. My biggest interests outside of my research are in cultural history and in neuroscience.

MUSIC - I am obsessed with the Finnush symphonic metal band Nightwish. Listening to them (and a few other select artists) puts me into an almost trance-like state of spiritual fulfillment.

Smart phones - the world we live in can be insanely limiting, especially for those of us in rural areas. Always-on Internet access has been a huge deal for me in realizing I'm not the only weird, dorky person in the world. I spend a lot of time on web forums for this reason.

Supportive friends - I didn't always have these, being a dorky kid from another, not really any more tolerant or progressive part of America. If you are my friend, you mean a lot to me and I will support you no matter what.

Purposeful tasks - I need something to do besides busywork - teaching, research, hobbies. The few times I've had extended no-pressure breaks and done something like work at Wal-mart, the lack of pressure has been terrible.

Anti-depressants - I'm not afraid to admit that I get chemical help for my mind. I think the world would be better off if we all acknowledged that some brains work differently from the norm, and didn't stigmatize this.

An obsession - this varies and can be any number of things, but I need an obsession. Some obsessions are healthier than others.

A cause - I need something morally righteous and upstanding to fight for. Right now, I basically see this as the culture war against radical conservatism in Texas and the USA in general.

Politics. This doesn't have to be something we share though - it's just a passion of mine.

The contradictions between my kinky, heterosexual sexuality and my politics.

Who would win in a fight between The Doctor, Commander Shepard, and Tyrion Lannister.

I'm pretty introverted, so if there's not a professional event I'm obligated to attend (often there is, because graduate students aren't real human beings who are allowed to have personal lives) or a speech tournament to coach (I coach A&M college-level speech and debate), I'm often recharging at home. Don't get me wrong - I can and do recharge with friends, but bars/parties/large groups are not for me.

I once added "patriarchy fetish" to my Fetlife profile.

You think that anything in this profile makes the slightest bit of sense.
You think that the fact that I like to stay home to recharge is not a personality problem but merely an expression of introversion.
You understand why I think high heels are sexy but also understand why I feel guilty for thinking they are sexy.
You are as fish-out-of-water as I am in this strange world known as Aggieland.