I am an atypical science nerd and hopeless romantic with a deep sense of wonder about the Universe and all that exists within it. I have an insatiable curiosity about the world around me, particularly how anything and everything works, from the mathematics behind the fundamental laws of nature to just how the heck my cell phone knows if it's getting a call. I love nature and the outdoors, and am equally pleased by both rain and sunshine.

I know way too much about a lot of different things. If it has something to do with science, I am a fountain of information, and I will not hesitate to share with you my sense of wonder about the world around us. If we go for a walk in the woods, I will tell you what species all the plants are and which ones we could eat. If we are enjoying pleasant conversation over milkshakes at Steak n' Shake, I will save the cherry for last and then comment on how much I love the flavor of benzaldehyde. If we are cuddled up in a sleeping bag under the stars, I will point out for you all the constellations and planets and share with you my deep connection with the Universe.

I am not religious but you could say I am spiritual, in a very broad sense. I believe there is something greater than all of us but I do not wish to assign it a name. Whatever it is, it pervades all that exists and connects you, me, and everything in the cosmos across all of time and space. I don't know what it is, but when I gaze up at the stars on a quiet night I know it's there. Perhaps it is just the beauty and grandeur of the Universe and the perfection of the physical laws that define it.

This pretty much sums up my spirituality:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VOzkEwaMnaE

My personal heroes include Benjamin Franklin, Galileo Galilei, Antoine Lavoisier, Richard Feynman, Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, David Attenborough, and Mr. Wizard.

I have a complete Periodic Table of the Elements collection.

"Curiosity is the very basis of education and if you tell me that curiosity killed the cat, I say only that the cat died nobly."
- Arnold Edinborough

Science!!

I am a computer programmer at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, so yes ladies and gentlemen, I exist in the nether-zone where I may be considered both a hippie and The Man. I have bachelor's degrees in biological science and chemistry. I like science, all kinds of science. I'm still trying to figure out which one I like best.

Science, of course, and knowing quite a bit about a lot of random things. I also play drums and dabble in piano and guitar, and I have been known to bake and decorate delicious cakes on occasion. That is not a lie.

I love kids, and I am great with them. Honestly I'm still a five-year-old at heart, in that I have never lost my sense of childlike wonder. I can't wait to have some kids of my own someday so that I have someone to play LEGOs with. Also dinosaurs. rawrrr

I have a real gift for recognizing patterns. I will destroy you in a game of Cranium.

That I am a nerd, and proud of it. Also my beard. I can sometimes get rather loud without realizing it, but if you remind me I'll pipe down again.

Books: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Calvin and Hobbes, Flatland, Sphereland, Spaceland, Uncle Tungsten, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!, How the Universe Got Its Spots, The Secret House, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road, The Complete Stories of Flannery O'Connor, The Odyssey

Movies: Jurassic Park, The Abyss, Contact, Back to the Future, Primer, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Clerks, A Beautiful Mind, Requiem for a Dream, Donnie Darko, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I <3 Huckabees, Being John Malkovich, Amélie, High Fidelity, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Garden State, Sideways, Office Space, Napoleon Dynamite, Juno, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Innerspace, Flight of the Navigator, Labyrinth, Avatar, Ratatouille, WALL-E

TV: The Sifl & Olly Show, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Star Trek (all series, particularly TNG & DS9), Doctor Who, Red Dwarf, Battlestar Galactica, Stargate, Lexx, Farscape, Firefly, Six Feet Under, Breaking Bad, Dexter, The Mighty Boosh, The IT Crowd, The Big Bang Theory, Scrubs, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Boston Legal, Monk, The 4400, Good Eats, MythBusters, Connections, Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Moral Orel, The Venture Bros., The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Futurama, Family Guy, The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Malcolm in the Middle, Seinfeld, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report

Music: Balinese gamelan, rock, jazz; Jonathan Coulton, They Might Be Giants, Rush, Depeche Mode, System of a Down, Coheed and Cambria, Darlahood, Collective Soul, Incubus, Eve 6, Dragonforce, The Postal Service, Jason Mraz, Lifehouse, Vertical Horizon, The Mountain Goats, Modest Mouse, Medeski Martin & Wood, Pat Metheny Group, Dave Brubeck

Food: Ice cream, cake, ice cream cake, cake ice cream. Real food is good too I guess. Topping that list would probably be tacos, Thai and Indian food (even better, Indonesian, if you can get it), crab and shrimp. And let's not forget pizza. Honestly I like all kinds of food, I'm not picky.

Love
Wonder
Understanding
Epiphanies
My Droid
Oxygen

The future. I mean that in both a "what will the future hold for me?" sense as well as a "will we have hoverboards in two years?" sense.

The shape of the Universe. Personally, I am rooting for finite but connected.

Why there appears to be no English word for "auditory vantage point".

Why it is considered wrong to place punctuation marks outside of quotes.

Either hanging out with friends, going out to karaoke bars and singing my lungs out, or staying in and watching science fiction shows or cartoons. Yeah, I live a pretty exciting life.

I have a constellation of freckles on my right arm that sort of looks like the Big Dipper. Does that count?

I intrigue you.

If you get misty-eyed watching this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGK84Poeynk