Be the trouble you want to see in the world ...

A head's up, I'm kind of on again off again with OKC. I haven't been on here for a few weeks and I'm not really looking for a lot of dates right now. Settling in with somene in particular could be nice for a while. :)

I grew up in San Deigo and went to college in Los Angeles. I moved up to the Bay Area to be close to family, and I am discovering a great new life in Silicon Valley.

I'm in love with technology altogether. I study tech stuffs in my spare time, teaching myself new methods of getting work done. I love how complicated making things simple can be. :-)

I am perpetually afraid of being taken too seriously.

I've met cool friends here, including LCcentricity, and calkarma. I still have one's CD of instrumental music that goes *way* beyond my normal intake levels of culture, and am moving next door to the other one because she let me know about an amazing rental here in the Peninsula. Making friends after moving takes time, and I'm lucky to discover such wonderful people along the way.

Working for a great software company that is stable when nothing else is. I recently moved into a tiny, tiny studio apartment in Menlo Park.

Preparing to study and learn Mandarin Chinese. Seems useful, for both personal and impersonal reasons.

Purging paperwork, packaging, and the junk that clutters up my life. I have almost attained a state of not owning *anything* that I don't have a use for or want to have in my life. That feels good, to me.

Right now I'm actually taking it easy, and keeping my goals minimal. It feels strange to say that, but it's nice. :-)

Mastering multiple computer operating systems and redeploying my household network, just for the fun of it.

Playing checkers.

Making people laugh.

Writing. (I think)

My eyes, and/or my wordiness.

Pancakes (food), Our Lady Peace (music), Spiritual Machines (book, and also technically music), Naked Lunch (movie)

I love Miyazaki films-- Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, etc-- and I have a ridiculous soft spot for action blockbuster films like Terminator 2, and anything with a great soundtrack. I think that the Constant Gardner is a beautiful romance film. I think that Children of Men is a beautiful drama, but most might throw it back into the Action category.

I've read nearly everything Michael Crichton ever published, and it gave me the desire to be a writer, a dream I set aside for most of my adolescence and young adult life. I spend hours per day reading online, but mostly tech articles, blogs, and the usual econ/political/media-related fodder as everyone else. When I do pick up a book, in recent years I've dug into authors ranging from Ray Kurzweil to Philip Yancey.

Musically, I am stuck in the 90's. I love alt rock bands, a *lot* of 90's one-hit wonders, and still keep an unhealthy supply of aggressive Nu Metal/RapCore and epic, pop electronica.

About a year back someone told me that they liked Jethro Tull, and when I started playing some on Pandora, I was floored. Why have I *never* been exposed to this, before? It is incredible. I love hearing instruments and vocals crossing into one another's genres of preference. The juxtaposition is comfortable, and yet still exciting.

The playlist in my head right now has Fiona Apple, Blindside, The Crystal Method, Jack's Mannequin, Jack Johnson, Beck and a little bit of Tori Amos queued up.

When nobody's looking, I listen to Yann Tierson and Enya. Kate Havnevik warms my soul on cold mornings.

iPhone, my Creator, my *amazing* little girl, the internet, pancakes, and warm showers.

• how to take up less physical space, how to express ideas with a few less words, how to generally consume less and produce more, in this life.
• where I should visit in my next road-trippy weekend.

Either dancing around the house with my little-little, or settling in and relaxing after a long work week. If I'm on OKCupid on a Friday night, it means I'm looking for someone to join me in getting out of the house and doing something fun. I need to spend more time discovering night life, everywhere from San Jose to San Francisco. Any recommendations?

Oob?

You want to argue about the news, laugh about the weather, sing along with the radio, and cuddle up to movies and tv.

Alternatively, if you want to hit the road for mini-road trips, explore the world, strike up conversations with strangers on the BART, and live completely without fear. ;-)