I'm currently in my fourth year of teaching music theory and composition at Northern Kentucky University; I have degrees from Indiana University, Bowling Green State University in Ohio, and Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. Obviously, music is my life. I'm also a bit of a math geek, I have to admit. Some other interests: movies, dining out, karaoke, poker, euchre and other card games, religion. I love good conversation and meeting interesting people.

I also was a high school and middle school band and choir teacher for two years... while I have some great memories, and had a positive impact on several kids, I don't think I want to teach that age level for my career. At least not in a rural community like the one I was in... yikes.

I am musical, passionate, and caring

Teaching at NKU, like I said. This is exactly the kind of job that I dreamed of having when I went back to grad school, so I count myself incredibly lucky.

Compositionally: band and choir music... although I write anything.
Instruments: piano, tuba, euphonium... and I sing a bit, although I'm not remarkable. I'm a Tenor II in the Cincinnati Men's Chorus.
Math: I was in chemical engineering before I was a music major.
Getting along with people... the chair of the department here is amazed that I got through my whole first year without pissing anyone off at all.
Making the best of bad situations.
Knowing exactly what the raunchiest line possible is in any given situation.
Making a fool out of myself, convincingly. :-)

*sigh* How am I supposed to know the answer to this? This really should be "the first thing(s) I WANT people to notice about me..." or "If I really wanted people to pre-judge me, this is what I'd hope they'd base it on." Sheesh.

Physically... I think my eyes, at least from what people tell me... which is funny, because I rarely notice people's eyes.

Personality-wise... tough to say -- I'll have to give this some more thought, and ask more of my friends.

(a) 1984, Brave New World, Stranger in a Strange Land, Genesis of a Music, "Goedel, Escher, Bach", "Bach, Beethoven, and the Boys", Sex Lives of the Famous Composers

(b) The Matrix, Kinsey, Back to the Future (first one only), Fight Club, The Birdcage, Donnie Darko (director's cut), Contact, What Dreams May Come, The Notorious C.H.O., Juno, Hard Pill

(c) Anything and everything under the heading of "Western art music"... especially from the beginning of the 20th century onwards. I also love jazz and new age. I like everything, though -- these are just my favorite genres, but I have favorite songs speckled all over the map. I mean, come on, I grew up on 80's pop -- my musical tastes are ALL screwed by definition.
Some favorite "classical" composers: Bach, Beethoven, Copland, Ligeti, Corigliano, Crumb, Barber, Gesualdo, Twining, Partch, Mahler, Rautivaara...

(d) I love food in general... I especially love trying new foods, so it's tough for me to say I have favorites. I love Indian and Italian, certainly -- but ultimately, if it's edible, I'll try it. You're talking to the guy who, the minute he saw "octopus" on the menu in a Korean restaurant, decided that was the weirdest thing on the menu, which meant it had to be tried.

(1) Listening to and discussing music
(2) Friends -- to listen, and to listen to
(3) A roof over my head
(4) Food
(5) Performing and teaching (two sides of the same coin, in a lot of ways)
(6) Good jokes :-)

This actually was a tough list to come up with, but those six are about right.

Music and math, and where they intersect (all things music theory -- I also have an unnatural obsession with tuning systems, microtonality, and just intonation)
Friends, present and past
The nature of God and the afterlife -- not that I get much of anywhere, but I think a lot about it.
Hot guys -- I'm not gonna lie. :-)

One of three things:

(1) Composing, or otherwise working. I have to be honest, I guess... I'm a workaholic a lot of the time.

(2) Hanging out with friends, at a live performance: play, concert, live band, whatever.

(3) Watching TV or a movie, alone or with friends.

Pretty typical and lame. I wonder how many people have truly interesting things here.

What do you want to know? I'm an open book, if I know you won't judge me for it... and even if you do want to judge me, you can take a hike.

My biggest flaw: I have a problem saying "no" when asked for favors. Most of the time this is fine, because I love helping people out, even if it puts me out a bit... but some not-so-good people have taken advantage of this.

-- You survived reading my entire profile, and are somehow interested in knowing more.

-- You are a unique and passionate person, with goals in life.

-- You would describe yourself as outgoing, and you know that the two biggest mistakes are not taking yourself and your life seriously, and taking yourself and your life too seriously.

-- You love contemporary music ... or can at least appreciate it.

-- You really care for your friends.

-- You have a sense of humor, and can sometimes be the life of the party.