I am playful and sometimes downright silly. I am affectionate without being clingy. I highly value critical thinking.

I have an intense curiosity about how everything works. Sometimes this gets me into trouble. Other times it leads to interesting places.

Apparently, in recent years, I have become what young ladies refer to as "adorable" and "cute". This comes as quite a shock to me, and my best guess is that these words do not mean what they did a dozen or so years ago. UPDATE: While "adorable" and "cute" would seem to still apply, I have been informed that I technically fall into a niche more accurately described as "adorkable".

Kids and animals love me.

I am fortunate to have both an awesome dentist and a wonderful mechanic.

I enjoy writing self-summaries that lack cohesion.

I'm a software architect at a largish technology company in Silicon Valley. It pays the bills.

I'm enjoying my dating life and probably will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. So, while I am very open to long term relationships, if you feel an urgent need to settle down, get married, and start making babies, you will likely find me a frustrating choice.

Beyond that I enjoy Travel, Reading, Hiking (to be clear, light hiking - we're talking Mt. Tam, not Half-Dome), and Cooking. I love new experiences.

I am adept at quickly establishing rapport with people and making them laugh. I'm a good listener. My interest in almost everything makes me a satisfying conversational partner - usually I either know enough about subject to keep the discussion going, or am interested enough to ask good questions.

But more importantly: I rock when it comes to cooking lobster - Sadly this is incredibly easy, but virtually all cookbooks and most restaurants believe in overcooking them. Listen grasshopper: return the water to a boil as soon as possible and then cook it for 5 minutes for a 1.25 lb lobster, and add a minute for each additional half pound.

One thing that I'm not quite so good at - faces. On more than occasions I have found myself in conversations on OKC with ladies that it turned out I actually had met. Awkward much?

I'm a smart ass.

Books: I read lots of non-fiction - History, How things work . . . especially when dealing with morbid subjects (e.g. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, The Unthinkable). I like Tom Robbins as well as old John Irving (Ok, so he tells the same story each time, but he tells it really well).

I do read some sci-fi and pulp-intrigue (but I hide them under the bed and wash my hands afterward). Heinlein was always a favorite - "By his Bootstraps" is the world's most perfect time travel story.

Favorite magazines include The Atlantic, Harper's, Reason, and McSweeney's (although I never seem to have time to read them all).

Movies: I am a sucker for non-standard narrative techniques (e.g. Angel Heart, Memento, The Usual Suspects, Jacob's Ladder . . . although I'm annoyed by some plot inconsistencies in the latter), Film Noir, Nashville (and most Altman for that matter). When I was a toddler I adored Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, but have found that as my tastes have matured it has failed to live up to my initial enthusiasm.

Music: It's varied. College 40 / Alternative, Lemon Juju is a current favorite, Barenaked Ladies, Ben Folds Five, Talking Heads. I have a certain nostalgia for the seventies (Joni Mitchell, CSN&Y, Steely Dan, Pink Floyd). Some funk. Some bluegrass. Lots of stuff really. While usually not a big jazz fan, I've been listening to some Herbie Hancock lately and like what I hear.

Food: I'm a carnivore. Hey, I like to assert my position in the food chain. Can you handle it? I like cow, lamb, and seafood (I love Sushi). I feel no guilt about any of this. For what it's worth, this does not mean that vegetarians need not apply - Just don't be upset if sometimes I'm eating fillet while you are chewing on the sex organs of plants.

1) Sentience
2) Sense of humor
3) Sushi
4) Intimacy
5) Lots of things to read
6) A list of another six things that I could never do without - Yeah, I'm the guy that ruined it for everybody else with the genie and the lamp. Sue me.

Why do good things happen to bad people - and what does it say about me that I'm far more concerned about that then "Why bad things happen to good people"?

I think about the nature of consciousness. Not in a New Age sense, but in a cognitive science sense.

I wonder if Leni Riefenstahl and Michael Moore are related.

Lately I've been spending some time exploring the mysteries related to the Elsewhere Public Works Agency.

Its pretty random. Any of the following:

Getting on a plane.
Hanging out with friends.
Going out for a nice dinner.
Leaving the microfilm at the dead-drop

. . .oh wait, my handler said that I'm not supposed to mention that last bit. Don't tell anyone. Okay?

1) Vinnie Pescado is not my real name.
2) I was born in a major city just a couple of miles North of Windsor, Ontario.
3) I can perform the sideshow stunt known as "The Human Blockhead"
4) I have a minor in Philosophy, but sadly remember very little of it.
5) I once made a telemarketer cry . . . and felt really bad about it.
6) I find both intelligence and kindness very attractive.
7) I have been known to go to central Europe for lunch (It can be done over a weekend without missing work on Friday or Monday).
8) I have operated (albeit briefly) a San Francisco Cable Car.
9) Due to a small misunderstanding I once went on a five day nudist rafting trip with a bunch of Mormons (technically one had been excommunicated). I thought "clothing-optional" meant that there would be some skinny-dipping. Who knew? Live and learn.
10) I am a licensed locksmith.
11) I once snorted the ashes of a dead guy off of a cute girl's ass.

You want good conversation, a hearty laugh, or to share a good meal.

Beyond that, you probably should review the list of private things above. They're all true. So if, for example, going out with someone who on a whim will snort a dead guys ashes (after briefly considering how unlikely it would be for prions to survive the cremation process) would cause you consternation, I very well might not be your soulmate.

On the other hand, if that sounds precisely who you want to add to your circle of friends, go ahead and message me.