Well, apparently according to "Fringe," I'm now one of the "Observers." I'm not quite sure what to make of it, although I do like spicy foods. Anyway, the rest of my self-description stands, except maybe the John Hughes quote.

On the surface I may strike you as goofy, geeky or otherwise superficial, but I have a deep ethical streak that is not immediately apparent. I get some of this from my spiritual beliefs (I joke that I'm from the non-meditating, non-vegetarian, non-compassionate school of Buddhism), but a lot of it has to do with my politics which are strongly leftist and emphasize social justice. That being said, I do like to have a good time. I tend to follow the maxim that "life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while you could miss it" (bonus points if you get the reference). For me, this translates into staying physically active (running and cycling); stimulating my mind; and enjoying good food, good booze, good music and good company.

In specific terms, I'm a big fan of punk, hardcore and other degenerate forms of music. I enjoy the visual arts (everything from Flemish painters, to early 20th century graphic design, to comic books); film (Akira Kurosawa, Terry Gilliam, Ang Lee and Spike Jonze, to name a couple of directors); food (cooking and dining out); and lots of coffee.

I tend to indulge my nerdier side with science fiction, Japanese anime and manga (although I tend to stay away from the pervier stuff), and books about relatively obscure periods of history.

Random list of other things (Go!): Tom Waits, Hayao Miyazaki, Belgian beer, Los Bros Hernandez, The Mekons, chili, Deadwood, Old-timey music, Colnago bicycles, Battlestar Galactica (the new one), scotch, pastries, ska, early REM, steak, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the smell of timber, Medieval Music, Firefly, animals with people's names, The IT Crowd, Sacred Harp singing, The Young Ones, not being hit by cars, football (the European kind), Arsenal FC, and gin martinis.

After surveying the ruins of a once-promising academic career, I decided my best options lay in marketing research, and found myself in the field of advertising (conveniently, I was living in Chicago at the time). Two years ago, I left the land of fatty foods, Old Style brand beer, corrupt urban government and batshit insane national politics to return to the place of my birth: Toronto!

I now reside in the West End and work in relative obscurity at a large media agency. It pays my way, and only slightly corrodes my soul. However, it does allow me to enjoy some of the finer things in life (regular punk shows, decent films in the theaters, excellent restaurants and relatively stylish people) while gradually improving myself (I'm currently taking classes in bicycle repair, and experimenting with more advanced cooking techniques at home).

Remembering obscure and useless trivia, figuring out mechanical things, making snarky comments (a family tradition), making chili.

My appearance is rather striking, and I have an eccentric sense of style. Once people get past my height, it's usually my smile that they notice.

Authors: George Orwell, Nelson Algren, William S. Burroughs, Virginia Woolf, Charles Dickens, Bret Easton Ellis, Douglas Adams, Karl Marx, Ian McDonald, Robert Heinlein, William Gibson, Susanna Clarke, Kim Stanley Robinson, Homer, Robert Graves, Seamus Heaney, Robert Howard, Frank Herbert, Howard Zinn, Orhan Pamuk

Music: Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Fucked Up, The Misfits, Mekons, Tom Waits, The Clash, The Slits, X-Ray Spex, Young Marble Giants, Tyrades, Wesley Willis, Dead Milkmen, The Magnetic Fields, Johnny Cash, The Carter Family, The Maytals, Desmond Dekker, Prince Buster, The Melodians, The Smiths, REM, David Bowie, Cowboy Junkies, The Organ, The Cure, Joy Division, Mission of Burma, Yo La Tengo, Pixies, Galaxie 500, Arcade Fire, Nina Simone, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Who, Iggy Pop, Will Oldham, Neko Case

Bikes: Colnago, Batavus, Pashley, Vanilla, Rivendell, Mariposa, Kronan

Comics: Love and Rockets, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Little Nemo, Scott Pilgrim, Uzumaki, Planetes, Berlin, Louis Riel, Gyo, Appleseed, Tank Girl, Maakies, The Ballad of Halo Jones

Movies: Bladerunner, Brazil, Spirited Away, Serenity, Seven Samurai, The Great Muppet Caper, The Producers, Throne of Blood, Princess Mononoke, Event Horizon, Ikuru, Topsy Turvey, The Limey, Let the Right One In, Blazing Saddles, Airplane!, Paths of Glory, Sexy Beast, Wet Hot American Summer, Zoolander, Red Dawn, Akira, Starship Troopers, Raising Arizona, The Last Emperor, The Royal Tenenbaums

Food: Chili, Curry Goat, Fried Chicken, Roti, Steak, Palak Paneer, Jerk Chicken, Choucroute Garnie, Rice and Peas, Bread Pudding, Smelly Cheeses, Cheeseburgers, Dumplings

A bicycle, a decent kitchen, music, beer, soccer, coffee

Coffee...really good coffee.

Going to see a band or a movie, drinking, hanging out with friends.

I'm rather shamelessly proud of my chili.

You don't have to be into exactly the same things as me (in fact, I'd prefer if you weren't), but if you think you'd like to meet someone a little different, go ahead and send me a message!