Are you there, OkCupid? It's me, Nicholas.

What's my deal? Career-wise, I'm driven, passionate, and ambitious, and committed to doing work that embodies my deeper progressive values. Economic justice and environmental sustainability loom large there. But there's a lot I care about besides my work: friendships, community building, enjoying nature, playing music, writing, exercise and health (maybe you can help me care about sports?). I strive pretty restlessly for greater self-awareness and further self-improvement. And I never want to lose sight of the fact that life's a miracle. At the end of the day though, I also just want to be able to put it all down and have a good laugh. Maybe with you?

What am I hoping for out of this? Ideally, a relationship. No fixed type, but it's safe to say I value a combination of commitment/seriousness and light-heartedness/humor very highly. I care that I trust who I'm with, and that he trusts me. Physical chemistry's also key; I'm starting to realize I've undervalued it in the past. (Honestly, though, it's not just looks; a good heart is genuinely a turn on for me!). At the end of the day, I'm looking for love, and romance, but for me it doesn't always come all that quickly. So I'm game to start with something a bit more down to earth and see what happens.

I should also mention, by way of warning, that I'm kind of a big ol' Christian. Just a very progressive Christian. Yes, we exist.

Figuring that out. Former Harvard undergrad, now in my second of three years at Harvard Divinity School, afterwards looking towards getting a PhD (religion or political theory). "Religion and social change" is kind of my shtick. God willing I'll find a way to keep one foot outside of the ivory tower, since my academic work only matters to me if it's socially relevant. Before going back to school, I spent two years working in Boston as a faith-based community organizer, nonprofit staffer, and leadership development coach. Still gig as a coach to make money on the side, and moonlight as a pianist/organist. Also spent a year as a tango dancing fool in Argentina.

Overthinking, overscheduling, and overreacting (though sadly, never oversleeping).

Eyes or dimples. I say eyes, grandmother says dimples. Most men in my life seem to have agreed with her.

Books: For novels: Brothers Karamazov, Brideshead Revisited, Bridge of San Luis Rey, most stuff by Thomas Mann. For poetry, Neruda. For everything, Flannery O'Connor. For my inner sci fi geek, Dune. And lots of philosophy, social theory, and theology--dense, Deutsch dead dudes are usually a safe bet. Movies: Chinatown, In the Mood for Love, Ikiru, Tous les Matins du Monde, Gosford Park...and Hocus Pocus! Shows: Star Trek (all except Enterprise), BSG, Buffy, Big Bang Theory, True Blood, Planet Earth. Music: Classical (esp. Bach and Rachmaninov), jazz, tango, folk, world (Arab and Latin), anything upbeat and danceable in the top 40, and the gay usual suspects. Food: Depends on the season. For fall, soups. And Indian food.

Good books, my iPhone, a piano, a prayer space (with smells and bells), people to talk with, and time to myself.

which of the many stories that we tell ourselves we should actually believe.

Saturday's my party night. Friday's usually my introvert night to recover from a really busy week. Starts with after-work hot yoga, then a nice home-cooked dinner, then a book or a show and an early crash. Still, if you've got a good idea for Friday night, I'm willing to be persuaded...

I was a nerd, a geek, and a dork in high school--and yes, a pretty pudgy one to boot. These days I'm reasonably confident I'm down to a normal-sized nerd, though my nerd creds remain pretty serious. And I still remember way too much about Star Wars and dinosaurs.

If you think we might hit it off, give it a shot. I'll do the same. And don't be shy. I'm pretty easy to talk to.

[Also, don't be scared away by OKC's "profile" of my personality. I promise you'll find it wrong in a few places ;)]