I am: neither a hipster or a frat boy. . . an unapologetic dork. . .and a cynical idealist. . .

Most days. . . I feel like all the world is a tuxedo, and I’m a pair of brown shoes. This, I’ve decided, is generally a good thing. If this metaphor makes sense to you, let’s talk sometime. . .

In many ways the biggest lesson of the last ten years or so has been how to err on the quirky side rather than the neurotic side of the line. . .the results have been pretty good so far. My mind is always racing and making random though--oddly enough--consistently salient associations. I'm an excellent story teller, digresser, and occasional rambler. . .it'd be nice to meet some kindred spirits.

I guess one might say that I've developed a dark and dry sense of humor. A healthy sense of irony and an appreciation of the absurd keep me sane (and entertained) most days.

Probably very similar to what you're doing. Getting more comfortable with not knowing myself completely, learning how to not take myself seriously (in a more adult/mature way), and getting used to having people think of me as a grown up.

Oh. . .and there's definitely beer (during the summer) and scotch (when things get colder) in there somewhere.

Professionally, I really love my job and I just wish it paid better. I make a living helping kids in foster care, and I love it. I think that the most valuable lesson they've taught me is that the line between tragedy and comedy is a thin and blurry one. Think about it. More than anything, I'm always awed by the amount of resilience and humor these kids have. Oh, and when they screw up, it's nice to know that they trust me enough to laugh at their mistakes and help them come up with a plan to deal with them.

Making people comfortable, without getting all hippie about it.

I've heard a number of things. . . I'm not sure how, but people seem to pick up on my eccentricities within the space of a few words. . .

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Books: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier And Klay (just got done), Portrait of An Artist as a Young Man, Assassination Vacation. . . and hundreds more. If you're lucky I might let you pick through my library.

FYI--I have a hard time understanding people that don't read.

Movies: The Big Lebowski, Party (The Peter Sellers Movie), Dr. Strangelove, A Clockwork Orange. I think the trend is that I like movies with lots of great one liners.

Music: This could be a long list. . .I tend to go in phases. Right now seems to be my WWI french chanson phase. Before that it was underground hip hop. . . and before that it was early folk/country. . . my CD collection is kind of eclectic.

food: SUSHI! and many others.

1. Occasional alone time.
2. sex.
3. I hate to admit it, but my car.
4. Teh innerwebs.
5. Books.
6. Good company.

Everything! Only child = rich inner world. Below is a short/random sampling.

1. How to be better.
2. Existentialism as a means of empowerment and happiness (it's not a paradox, trust me).
3. What it'll be like to not have student loans someday.
4. The sorry state of the country.
5. sex (who doesn't?)
6. Zen
7. Zen and existentialism.
8. History (mostly international lately).
9. How to promote healthy, affirming and positive sexuality.
10. How to help promote healthy and affirming body image.
11. Where gender roles meet biology, and how to negotiate that.
12. Understanding whether morality is an action or a state of being, or both.
13. How to understand human dignity as an atheist.
14. How to be an atheist without proselytizing, but demanding respect for my views.
15. Pretty girls.
16. What books I need to read.
17. What the next steps should be in my life.
18. How to be supportive of my clients and realistic at the same time.
19. The edges of tough love and meanness, and the usefulness of either.
20. Being a man and a feminist.
21. The war.
22. International relations.
23. The birth of the subject in a hegelian, nietszchean, freudian way.
24. The intersections of religion, politics, and ethics.
25. If I do enough good in the world.
26. Distinguishing between altruism and martyrdom.
27. How to make all my computer stuff open source.
28. Whether I'm too old to be considered a nerd at this point.
29. Civil liberties and the principles embodied in the constitution.
30. Money, and how to square idealism against legitimate financial concerns.
31. How my thoughts on all of the above can be as amusing as they can be serious.
32. The intersections between neurology, biology, and the mind.

etc, ad infinitum

Taking refuge in my underground crypt; where I rejuvenate myself.

Some Fridays, though, I just like to hang out with my friends playing scrabble or something.

I really do pride myself on flexibility. . .

I have an enormous man crush on Ira Glass.

and

I'm not necessarily as vanilla as I look. . .

For the record, I tend to get a little weak in the knees for the compassionate, unconventional, and eccentric types.

Editors

• purple_plaid