For the convenience of those not disposed to reading an interminable block of text:
Hi, my name is Daryn. I'm a pretty dorky guy. I've just graduated from UCSC and I'm taking off a year before I go to grad school. Intrested in science fiction, real science, Charles Dickens, Ray Bradbury, video games, toy collecting (I prefer to call them action figures...), biking, hiking, swimming and geeking out at L33t 5tUph.

And now the long version:
Oh God. Not another essay...
I say that because that's basically my thing, having been a student of literature and all at the University of California Santa Cruz. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life until some praise and support from my high school English teachers made me realize that writing was where my talents lay. Beyond providing my career path though, writing has helped me to come to terms with my sexuality and defeat my obsessive compulsive disorder. And I plan to return the favor by becoming a teacher myself, as well as writing fiction on the side, hoping to strike it big like H.K. Rowling.

Which tells you something else about me: I'm a dreamer, and I sometimes have my head stuck in the clouds. Which explains my interest in science fiction, of which I am an unabashed nerd (and you can go ahead and call me a Trekkie; I want none of this "Trekker" nonsense). But I've learned to come back to Earth when I need to, and I have become very methodical in dealing with challenges. And if things get a little tough, well, any excuse to be sarcastic...

I'm a very inquisitive person by nature and tend to absorb information like a sponge. Unfortunately this applies to just about any information, no matter how obscure, so I tend to be a wee bit scatterbrained as well. I am slow to judge and to anger, but I let people know if I think they've crossed me (there's no sense fuming about something that may be a misunderstanding) and I strive to be reasonable. A few years back I made a vain attempt to be accepted in high school, so I've discovered that I'm most definitely not a social butterfly and see no reason to be one. I have a small circle of close friends and I like it that way. And, despite my predilection for intellectual pursuits and a sedentary disposition (and my sesquipedalion loquaciousness), I'm very energetic and set out on random hikes when the mood strikes me. (I'm also rather fond of parenthetical comments.)

The kind of guy I'm looking for would be similarly afflicted with sarcasm (or at least have an appreciation for it) and be able to geek out over the things that interest him. He'd be someone that can hold his own in a conversation and not be afraid to speak up and assert himself when he feels something is wrong. He'd be comfortable enough in his own skin to demand things of the relationship, within reason. I desire neither doormat nor drama queen.

He also needs to cuddle... a lot. No arguments. No excuses. When it's cuddle time, everything stops and we cuddle...

Working on becoming an English teacher. Right now I divide my time between writing fiction in my apartment in Santa Cruz and taking care of my mother in San Jose, which unfortunately doesn't leave me much time for stable employment.

Writing, reading, navigation (I've always loved maps), conversing about esoteric things, turning a phrase around, and explaining myself (which is usually necessary after I've turned a phrase around).

My goatee which is much redder than my head hair.

Books
The Martian Chronicles
The Canterbury Tales
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Freakonomics
Bleak House
The Autobiography of Malcom X

Plays
King Lear
Macbeth

Composers
Aaron Copland
John Williams

Films
Ghostbusters
The Empire Strikes Back
Brazil

Energy
Mass
The Force of Gravity
The Electrostatic Force
The Weak Nuclear Force
The Strong Nuclear Force

Where the bathroom is on the USS Enterprise.

I have to admit I'm a little apprehensive about revealing this since I'm sure some people won't understand, but I wouldn't want to be with somebody anyway if they wouldn't make an effort to understand, so here goes...

I've had obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) since I was four years old. In short, it's not the cute little quirk portrayed on TV and in films. It's an anxiety disorder like generalized anxiety, social anxiety and Tourrette's. Crazy, as in "insane", would be dementia, untreated schizophrenia... something that causes you to experience something different from reality. Having OCD means you are perfectly aware of what's real and that the rituals are unreasonable and unpleasant but the anxiety you feel is disproportionate. You feel compelled to do rituals only to relieve the crushing anxiety that something bad could happen, not because you think it will.

My case was considered moderate to severe which meant that I spent so much time worrying and doing rituals that I could barely function. Eventually I was diagnosed and started getting treated for it. I still become apprehensive about seemingly small things but I've become better at telling what's reasonable and what's not. It's been only a couple years, but in that time I've really come out of my shell and I feel better than I have since, well... since almost before I can remember.

...you believe drama belongs in the theater, are passionate about collecting (something, anything, I don't care), have a sense of humor and/or don't mind having your grammar and spelling corrected.