The New and Improved Montecristo Profile. Now with 43% less pretension, 5% fewer ludicrous spelling errors, and 26.4% more humor! There's not much to say about how I look but I'm inclined to be verbose here anyway. I'm 74" tall, with hazel eyes, straight, nondescript medium brown hair (length varies), and a short, crinkly van dyke with threads of blond and red (and gray, damnit!) running through it. I have a stocky build, and that's all to which I'm admitting with regard to my frame. I'm descended from French Canadians, Scots, Irish, English, and Native American (Blackfoot) strains, which means I look like the typical white, U.S. Mid-western, mongrel. Most of the time, I wear loafers, Dockers, jeans, and oxford shirts, with the top two buttons open and sleeves rolled up past the elbow when it gets warm.

According to the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator personality theory, I am an INTP, which means an Introverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, Perceiver. We're a rather scarce breed, representing only about 1% of the population (although we're over-represented online due to our attraction to computers and technical fields).

As for philosophy, I'm an individualist with a good dollop of Objectivism thrown in. Politically, I'm a libertarian -- specifically an anarcho-capitalist but I don't believe in participation in coercive politics -- education is better than voting. I'm a very curious person. I ask lots of questions about anything and everything. I usually read moderately, and voraciously when I have the time and opportunity. I have very ecclectic tastes in quite a few things like movies, music, art, and literature. I am a diligent dilettante and an incorrigible inveterate verbivore (one who enjoys words and wordplay of all kinds). I love quotes, le mot juste, anagrams, song lyrics, and poetry. I like travel, hiking, and camping and very amateur photography but I don't get nearly enough chance to indulge. I am a creature of habit, but my curiosity precludes me being very disciplined about it. I love movies, but only watch television if the company is good. I'm an introvert but I love conversation.

I've been divorced since Spring of 2004 and was previously married for twelve years. I have two wonderful teenage daughters who live with their mother but visit me frequently.

I'm an embedded firmware engineer working in the electrical distribution automation industry. I also have a couple of side-projects with some friends with whom I am attempting to start a company.

assassinating arachnids, investigating strange nocturnal sounds, reaching the top shelf in the kitchen cabinets, writing software, explaining things, problem solving, and thinking outside the box.

is the collection of small pornographic figurines adorning the brim of my fuzzy, day-glo orange, zebra-striped, ten-gallon hat. On second thought, maybe it's just my sense of humor they notice first.

As I said, my tastes are very eclectic.

Books: I like both fiction and non-fiction. I'll read almost anything if it appears interesting. I like history, Austrian Economics, philosophy, poetry, novels in a variety of genres, plays, various technical topics, travelogues, kinky smut, etc. My Amazon wish list looks like the inventory for a small public library, but with better selections. Okay, I wish. Anyway, I like reading to others or listening to someone else read -- it's kind of a distant second favorite indoor sport.

Movies: If the story is good, I'll watch it. I'm a self confessed addict. Of course, I have a Y-chromosome predisposition to be attracted to powerful machinery, spaceships, people shooting at each other or sword fighting, and noisy, fiery explosions, but I will also watch, and love, old movies, romantic comedies, "serious" dramas, (sans shooting even) historical pieces, documentaries, and have even been known to risk being caught dead viewing "chick flicks." Movies with good company are the best.

Music: I'll listen to almost anything but tend to shy away from country and western and rap. I'm partial to jazz and classical. I like both old and new music. I love good or interesting lyrics. I sing, but only for my own amusement/entertainment.

Food: I tend to enjoy a variety of things and will try a lot of things at least once. I tend not to cook for myself but will indulge eagerly if it's a cooperative effort. I favor spicy stuff. I am un-apologetically carnivorous and a conscientious user of condiments. I like Mexican, Chinese, and Italian cuisine in particular and I have an addictions to barbecue, lasagna, and good pizza.

1) a tongue of newt
2) 3 scruples of dried or evaporated bats blood
3) a lock of dead man's hair
... oh, wait, actually, I *can* do without those things, really. Honestly, I poured the entire last batch of that formula down the drain without touching a drop ...

Okay, for real: an aggressively curious imagination, a sense of possibility, music, good conversation, my ability to reason well, my sense of humor.

damned near anything and everything. I'm opinionated and principle-centered but open-minded. I speculate freely and revise often as I get better informed. I have an insatiable curiosity and an active mind is never bored.

nowhere near the scene of the crime! ... er ... probably going to stay up later than I do through the week.

is no, it really wasn't like that when I found it. It would probably not be fit reading material for the eyes of small children. It's hardly private if I'm willing to admit it here, is it. How about if I admit that I lied about being superconducting -- I'm cool but but I've never been cold enough to actually superconduct! All right, I relent: in a fit of introspection once, I accidentally identified my Secret Super-Hero Weakness, that being: I suspect that my imagination is the one unguarded avenue to my heart. I'm also fascinated by creativity of all sorts. For anything else, there's blogging/online journaling. If I won't put it there, I won't tell someone I don't know well.

you find my house on fire when I'm not home or if it's a day of the week whose name ends in "y" or if you've the inclination. I write back (unless I haven't been online here for a few days) but I rarely bite unless it's a full moon, I'm outrageously provoked... or inspired.

Do people really use this site as a means of arranging convenient hook-ups? If you're into that then I'm probably going to come off as horribly slow and reserved. On the other hand, if you want an interesting and potentially fun e-mail conversation with a nice guy which could turn into a meeting for a cup of coffee or perhaps an evening of dinner and a movie sometime, if we subsequently become disposed to do so, then by all means, drop me a line. As I said, I don't bite.