I'm offbeat, independent, laid back, and a little too smart for my own good. I'm a big mess of oxymorons, but I kind of like it that way.

Telling stories and making friends and obscure literary references.

A story: I'm from Alabama originally, a fact that surprises the people who have encountered my carefully measured speech and fierce liberalism. A childhood spent in the South made me hypersensitive to certain cultural features--among them racism, poverty, an appreciation for a good dry rub, fried okra, barefootedness, and the song Sweet Home Alabama.

Being so finely tuned to the twang of Sweet Home Alabama, regardless of my like or dislike for the song itself, I find it worthwhile to note the incongruent and unlikely places I have heard that song spring up. The two most surreal instances were both abroad. The first was in crowded tent full of Bavarians in lederhosen. The horns and accordions of the oompah band in the middle that suddenly broke out into this instantly recognizable song was so unexpected that it almost made me dizzy.

The second was at the tail end of a months long trip I had spent riding a horse across Mongolia. I was tired and grimy in a way that's difficult to fathom. On the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar, it's possible to hitchhike across parts of the countryside. In the van that had picked me up, made for 9 and seating 14, someone's cell phone rang. The ring tone? Sweet Home Alabama. Unfortunately, my Mongolian wasn't quite good enough to explain the long laughter that followed.

The internet, asking awkward questions, traveling, playing with kids, getting myself into ridiculous situations, telling stories, figuring things out

My critical and radical view of the world around me.

My height, my beard, and on occasion my laugh.

I read like a fiend. This list could go on and on, but some great ones are: A Tale of Two Cities, Stranger in a Strange Land, the Tao Te Ching, American Gods, Roald Dahl, Great Expectations, The Republic, The Odyssey, Sandman, Slaughterhouse V, Kafka on the Shore, Siddhartha, 1984, A Brave New World, A Confederacy of Dunces, Michael Chabon, Omnivore's Dilemma,

Movies: O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Amelie, The Lord of the Rings, The Iron Giant, Wall-E, Y Tu Mama Tambien

Music: Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists, Sigur Ros, Beirut, Andrew Bird, RJD2, Ratatat, chamber pop, gypsy rock

Oh food, how I love thee... Good food, hot chocolate, waffles, truffles, olive oil, fresh fruit, salads

My friends
Food
Water
A good laugh
A good book
A sense of humor

How to fix the world, extra spatial dimensions and complicated math, places to travel, new things to try, weird esoteric ideas, how to make things, how to change things, what would happen if Sutro Tower were suddenly an angry, sentient robot and other absurd apocalypses, and food.

Fridays are all over the place. Some are for dinner with friends, or dancing, or late night bike rides, or sneaking into abandoned buildings, or protesting, or even just a bottle of whiskey and some wanderlust.

Wow, all sorts of stuff. Just ask if you really want to know.

Also, I'm shocked that I have never been arrested.

(update: no longer true, but I'll leave it be while I consider something to replace it with)

Just do it.

Or if I've stalked you more than twice. I'm clearly interested and just trying to get up the cajones to humiliate myself in an online fashion.