When I graduated from college I decided to forego the benefit of my degrees and spent two years working as a metropolitan paramedic. I couldn't have made my father more distraught if I'd robbed a bank and confessed to it on CNN. Other than making a good story, this hopefully illustrates the point that I'm largely incapable of following a path unless I have a good reason to do so. At the time I found nothing compelling in either computer science or biochemistry, so I figured I'd try something completely different and see where it took me. The circuitous path I've followed, due to a few similar tangents over the years, has led me to a life in which I'm happy and successful, and confident that everything I do is for the right (for me) reason. I also picked up some relatively uncommon, but useful, skills over the years. Time well spent, in retrospect.

I look for the same regard for logic and knowledge and understanding in those I'm close with. I also appreciate people who are willing and able to learn new habits, and discard old habits, based on new information or greater understanding or changing circumstances. If you can appreciate (and perhaps best me at?) my particular brand of alternately dry, obscure, and ridiculous humor, that's just icing on the cake.

Overall, I'm more Fry than Laurie, more Hobbes than Calvin (in all possible senses), more Chapman than Cleese, more Alton than Emeril, more Stiglitz than Smith, and (much) more Obama than (not sure what name to put here, but it probably doesn't really matter). I have a knee that sets off airport metal detectors, I unabashedly dig through trash bins to rescue recyclables, and I'm vaguely disturbed by sentences in the passive voice.

I just moved to New York from San Francisco, so in the short term I'm settling in. I find New York fits better than San Francisco, but I haven't yet reestablished my social circle, my favorite neighborhood French restaurant, my dog's favorite park, etc.

In the longer term, I'm slowly working on establishing a new path for technical education. I don't really have a better way of describing it. And raising a family, ideally.

Solving problems by taking a step back and looking at them in a different way. Knowing what's recyclable and what's not. Retaining valueless knowledge. Keeping a beat. Holding a (standing) track stand on a freewheeled bike. Finding grammatical and spelling errors. Setting long term goals and working toward them one day at a time.

I'm really not good at:

Holding a seated track stand; I'm good for maybe one time out of three. Standard ballroom dance posture; I still tense up my shoulders too much. Remembering the ideas I had in the shower. Expressing my ideas in writing, without several revisions. Remembering people's names without writing them down. Cryptic crosswords. Being patient. Abstract math.

I have strong opinions about things I care about, and will argue for them with my dying breath. At the same time, I generally refuse to express any opinion about things I know little about.

I enjoy most anything that surprises me, teaches me something, or gives me a new perspective on something I thought I understood.

A good pen.
My dog.
WiFi.
Some form of puzzle.
Earl Grey tea.
A good, sharp kitchen knife.

How different people think and learn differently, and how to express the same information in ways that they can all understand. How much older I am now than my father was when I was born. Mortgage rates.

Having a drink with friends, at the symphony (I will miss MTT) or ballet (I know ballet is less cool than opera these days, but I prefer it), or staying in and catching up on any number of things. I don't generally stay out terribly late any more; I find I feel overall better and happier when I get up early than when I stay out late. I'm not a morning person, so I have a hard time doing both.

Despite having seen first-hand the effects of obesity on people's lives and the health care system as a whole, I feel the need to exercise daily mostly so I'm okay with how I look in the mirror when naked.

You're psychic, and know that we'd make a good couple. Or, if you're not, and would like to find out.