Surrealism, not idealism.
I believe in simplicity of life. Taoist philosophy and Epictetus' Enchiridion are chock full of good things about this.
I believe honesty is very often the best policy, some variant of my name and initials has replaced almost every screen name I have. You'd be shocked how many xXShadowKatt79Xx's there are on the internet; there's only ONE IanJSpalding. Except for where there isn't.

I come from a big Ohio river valley family but grew up here in Dallas. I'm a student at Collin College.

I'm always meaning to get more sleep than I do. I tend to get caught up in things and forget where I am, especially when it's conversation.

I think I'm terribly guilty of abusing tags on this website. Things I like are highlighted in blue. For the lazy, you may look at them and see what defines me.
Just trying to make it easier, you see. Internet age, inundation of data, blah blah blah.

Silver_Berries is my hetero life mate. There's a Jake and Elwood, possibly Otter and Bluto thing going on there.
((Ben's dad, after playing Gears of War 2, said we were like Fenix and Dom. I don't think there's quite that much homoeroticism, but your mileage may vary. Also, we don't carry guns everywhere and have better writers.))

While I spent the last year studying music, I've decided steady employment and stability is more for me than fame and fortune.

I participate in a daily ritual of trying to out talk my professors. This may be a relic from the very conversational way I was instructed in the music program. It may be less appropriate in a thirty-student class. Screw 'em.
I plan to study history when I transfer to UNT at the end of this semester. After I graduate I'd like to teach at a small college, which means I'll need at least my master's.

Trying not to get strung up by a mob.

I use periods and semicolons in a world where capitalization is going the way of the dodo. I'm a decent cook, I've rolled up some simple, tasty sushi and make a delicious hearty vegetable soup and brown curry. I'm empathetic and a good listener, and I can usually draw a laugh out of someone when they've been feeling low and it's time for them to come back and join the rest of us. I write love poetry, and I think it can be pretty romantic after a few revisions. I can throw together an awesome mixtape.

After studying opera for a year I can sing decently well, and I still play piano with a vague grasp of the underlying mechanics. I also once took a ragtag group of garage band nobodies and got them to sound somewhat decent. That was pretty cool.

I have taken a two-week intensive Shakespeare course and not only survived but had an audience rolling in the aisles with a scene from Taming of the Shrew. I know more about Shakespeare than the average bear.

I've also been a good student lately, which is weird, because I never used to be.

There are heads more full of trivia than mine, but I still have a head that's full of a lot of useless crap. A lot of the juicy bits in history, philosophy and government sort of *are* a collection of trivia, and my future awesomeness teaching them is based on how well I know them. What I'm trying to say is that I'm pretty good at understanding these things, and I'm not bad at not being a dick when I'm wrong.

Laughing until I cry.

When I grow my beard out I look uncannily like a young Claude Debussy

I drink a lot of water. There are a lot of very simple and important health benefits to staying properly hydrated. My old scoutmaster used to say 'Why is there no peace in the middle east? Because they're all dehydrated!'

I'm hooked on public transportation. I try and take it whenever I can.

These are hopelessly outdated. I request your assistance in updating them.

Three Kingdoms stands as the greatest book ever written. Its unrivaled dramatic pacing, reflection of simple life truths and illustration of grand cause and effect cannot be matched by any other work by any other culture in history.

I've read my share of pop sci-fi. While I've never played its founding tabletop wargame, I'm secretly a huge fan of the Warhammer 40k setting. It's probably some sort of guy thing, but usually when I try and sum it up for the opposite sex I refer to the fact that it has robot space zombies.
Say it with me. Ro-bot Space Zom-bies.
Awesome.

I've been listening to a lot of Philip Glass and Red Hot Chili Peppers; Radiohead and Black Crowes; Flaming Lips and Neil Young.

Johann Sebastian Bach is more metal than than the hell-bred baby of Dragonforce and Yngwie Malmsteen

Did you know that those chilling opening chords during the bar scene of A Clockwork Orange are from Henry Purcell's Music for the Death of Queen Mary? The more you know.

I've decided I also love dub and reggae. The Rastafarianism attached to much of it is pretty cool, too.

My copy of Bluegrass Essentials is starting to wear out.

Have I mentioned Wilco rock and roll up and down the block?

You can't beat Daft Punk! They're programmed to rock perfectly!

I read the Tao of Pooh awhile ago. It made a lot of good sense.

I love chopsocky movies. They have this great boundless enthusiasm limited by lacking budget, talent and skill.

Oh, hi The Room!

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is the funniest thing I've seen in a good while. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is beautifully in touch with the nature of relationships. American Psycho is pure manic brilliance.

My single favorite Broadway show remains Jesus Christ Superstar, chiefly because I'm in love with Webber's portrayal of Pilate. There are more layers to the portrayal of his character and conflicting, subtle undercurrents to his primary "duty vs. personal values" conflict than almost any other I'm familiar with. Also it makes the Passion funky. Screamin' Ian Gillian of Deep Purple fame plays Christ on the original concept album, I think that sends a strong message on the show's degree of funktitude.

Star Hood Trek is a vulgar, cheesy, badly produced piece of YouTube trash that has to be the funniest thing this side of the internet. It has the single best reading of the Enterprise monologue ever.

In that same vein I'm watching the whole of The Original Series episode by episode when I have time. I've finished season one.
There was a great interview I was told about, a retrospective of William Shatner from the people that have worked with him. And while 'commanding presence' and 'natural charisma' came up a lot, the words 'good' and 'actor' never seemed to make it into the same sentence.
And finally one very honest man said, "William Shatner is a great actor. In his head."

ANYTHING WITH BRIAN BLESSED, LORD HIGH KING OF HAM ACTORS! HE'S FROM DONCASTER. THE FACT THAT DONCASTER IS NOW ALSO HOME TO AN EXTENSIVE SCHOOL AND COLLEGE FOR THE DEAF MAY NOT BE COINCIDENTAL.

I'm rewatching old episodes of Sealab 2021. Freaking hilarious.

I seem to be getting farther and farther away from the time I actually read all of my famous books... I need to change that. Someone make time run backwards.

I love indie games. Dwarf Fortress is a thousand times more captivating than the big-budget, hot-graphic mass consumption Mass Effects of modern video gaming.

Also, I'm playing the crap out of Empire: Total War. It almost makes me want to learn the words to Rule Brittania. And possibly the tune, if I have time.

Blood Bowl is something I'll play more of again someday.

You know what's badass? BRUTAL LEGEND is freaking badass!
Great game. All the trappings of a good game. I've grown up on Tim Schaffer's games, great to see he's still got it.

Sushi is delicious. As is curry and good pasta. Corned beef hash is totally underrated. Broccoli is my favorite green vegetable.
I also usually enjoy whatever comes out of my slow cooker. Vegetable soup tastes like a rough approximation of heaven.

Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Ben Franklin didn't actually say it, but that doesn't make it less true.

Do you know what's awesome? Street art is awesome. Neo-graffiti. It occupies that rebellious spirit rock and roll used to. It's like punk rock in visual form. Why are you still here? Go look at Wooster Collective.

These are not 'Things I'm Really Good At' so they don't go in that section. But I enjoy both go and ping-pong. I got into go shortly after I decided to look it up and see what it was, and my father played ping-pong in college and taught me how to play it as soon as I could walk. You must be willing to accept these parts of me for us to relate as human beings.

Tea, walks through green places, finding that spot on someone that makes them melt, having a designated 'my' mug for filthy roommates to not touch ever, podcasts of This American Life and Wait, Wait... Don't Tell me!, a pinch of change in my pocket so I don't have to get 97 cents back.

What to have for lunch. It's a quiet and enjoyable mental exercise.

Homework. It's what you do.

Study study chores chores work work game game sleep.
Possibly a little beer or wine is drunk somewhere in there. Trying to lose weight means I've got to slot drinking nights carefully.

Now, one of these TUESday nights I'm planning on hitting up the open mic at Cafe Brazil or karaoke at the Cadillac. I really need to get out more.

I'm a big softie at heart. I tend to tear up at happy endings when I see movies and plays.

In this same vein I'm also a shameless cat person. My baby boys are my babies, there are two of them.
Their destructive, selfish, capricious habits are good practice for having five-year-olds somewhere down the line, I should imagine.

You're the yang to my yin.

You are a woman who loves beer, and will set me to conquer the world.

You don't mind talking to an individual whose brain is a masterpiece of the dada period.

You are intelligent, spiritual and pointless.

Also, you should message me if you see I'm online past 11:00 CST. Tell me to go to bed.