"I'm Mooose... yep, like the large woodland creature. (hand gestures to mimic antlers) Yes, it's a nickname. No, my mother doesn't usually call me that. And yes, I am tall. Six-six. Nope, didn't play football. Yeah, nice to meet you too."

That is almost verbatim my side of nearly every introduction. So now that it's out of the way, let's get to why you're here, dear visitor.

People recently acquainted with me will tell you “He’s a nice guy” or He’s a good guy”. This is because I *am* a nice and good guy, but also because I know how to put my best foot forward. I believe in and do my best to adhere to the golden rule.

I have a great job that makes me happy and fulfilled. I am very good at leaving it at the office and living my life when I leave. It is VERY rare that I can go into any degree of detail about what I actually do without the other person glazing over and beginning to drool.

My family lives here in KC and they are very important to me. My brother and I are close and his daughter is, too me, proof that the universe loves me. She calls me “Moo”. It kills me.

I’m a cat person. I had my tail and whiskers removed to better blend in with society. I don’t dislike dogs (except beagles) but I do favor larger dogs to smaller dogs. I believe this has to do with being a larger dog myself. As a general rule if you can shove the dog into a bread box I’ll tend to avoid it. (And for that matter, who shoves dogs into boxes of any sort? I mean really?) Oh and anyone caught dressing their dog in sweaters and dresses and ass-less chaps will be hastily detained and given the pink belly to end all pink bellies.

I tend to be gregarious and open in most situations, though sometimes it takes a little bit to get rolling. Sometimes I am withdrawn and moody, this is rare but natural. At times like this it’s best not to poke the bear. I have many tricks that help me move past the brainstorm and the grouch, but I’ve come to realize it’s all part of the process.

I’m not often caught at rest. I like to DO stuff. Usually it doesn’t take much to entertain me. In fact, I’m a savant at making myself laugh. I do really goofy and dumb things at times. I also have a vast reservoir of compassion and will leap at an opportunity to help a fellow traveler.

I don’t watch TV. I am aware that there's an invention called television, and on this invention they show shows. I just don’t dig sitting for hours with my brain turned off. So, instead I DO stuff (as I mentioned above). I read a lot. I go exploring in my Jeep. I fix my Jeep. Then, I go exploring again. I make stuff out of wood and/or metal. I play the guitar. I talk to my cat. I write. Fiction, letters, lists, random funny notes…

I’ve been around the block, up the alley, got mugged, kicked a can, stepped in gum, skipped in the rain, sat on the curb and then went around the block again. I’ve learned a lot about myself and about what I do and do not want in a relationship. I am certain that you are out there learning what to contrast me against as well. When you read this, and then meet me and then get to know me, you’ll realize I’m what you’ve been looking for all along. I’ll know it too.

I work at my super, crazy-awesome job in a typical weekday fashion. On Tuesdays I volunteer at a place called Welcome House. Through out the week I avoid house work and hang out with friends and mentors and like minded (read: crazy) people. The weekends are often very free-form and without a stringent plan.

I like to play. I devote a fair amount of time to it. I also spend a lot of time trying to better myself which is a LOT harder than the magazines at the grocery store lead one to believe.

I go out of my way to try new things and meet new, odd people.

Editors

• meowwl

Envisioning odd solutions for odd problems.

Finding the right words for what I wanted to say about 5 minutes after I said the wrong thing.

Avoiding drama.

Getting into trouble.

First, I'm really tall, 6' 6".

Second, my sense of humor.

I'm a fiction nut. I read a lot. The last books I've read are A High Wind in Jamaica, Sometimes a Great Notion, numerous short stories by Raymond Carver, The Shack, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Better Than Sex, Catch-22, My Booky Wook, The Rum Diary, The Great Gatsby, Catcher in the Rye, Hells Angels, Ham on Rye, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Fahrenheit 451, short stories by Mark Twain... the list goes on and on. I read a LOT. Hunter Thompson is my favorite writer right now.

I don't watch TV. I'm not anti-TV, there's just not enough there to hold my attention. There are exceptions, though.

I'm a people watcher. I love to sit and make up stories about the people I'm watching. Usually absurd and would probably not be well received if the subject knew what I was turning them into.

Music: Is necessary. I love the acoustic guitar and singer / song writers. I am also a nut for the blues, classic rock (think Cream, the Stones, Pink Floyd, etc.), 90's Alternative and stuff from my teen years. I also do ancient country in small doses, bluegrass when it's not preachy and folk music. I can zone to jam bands like the Dead, Phish, etc. for hours. I've recently started exploring music that either new or new to me and have been happy with some of what I found.

Food: Ethnic and spicy is my bag. Right now I have a terrible craving for Indian, specifically Chicken Tika Massala.

Man, I don't know, "never" is an awfully wide idea.

- Serenity / Calm
- Other human beings.
- Music
- Books
- A Guitar
- Laughter
- The ability to count to 6

Where to next?

Did that really just happen?

What could I have done better?

Out of work early. Then hanging out with friends, going to some event, or heading out of town.

I like myself, but it hasn't always been that way.

You just should. Seriously.

I'm a good guy, fairly fun to talk to, a lot of people find me interesting, and, to paraphrase Dante from Clerks, I'm not some hideous chud.