I'm a party in a box! I run and jump and dance and sing and play and flip upside down and generally leave a wake of awesome wherever I go. Silly is the new black!

EDIT: I am in a poly relationship. My partner lives in another state and we only see each other around once a month. I am currently looking for a partner who is a little closer to home.

I stand on my hands a lot. Like, a whole lot. More than you think. Considering how much pride and amusement I take in eschewing normality, it makes me sad that I'm fairly self conscious about doing this in public, and that I therefore limit my inverted activities. I have no problem doing handstands in front of people. Nor do I have any issue with attracting attention (as you'd surely find out if you spend much time around me). But when I'm just hanging around school or walking downtown, I'm not usually looking to make an acrobatic statement. I just want to do a handstand, ya know? Get some blood to the head, reset my body's balance. Do you want people staring at you every time you tie your shoelaces or something mundane like that? It's true that I'm also just swayed by social mores, but that's less fun to admit. I like to have either a socially sanctioned stage or the company of a couple other crazies to run around and make a mess with me.

I am an insufferable dork with a bunch of nerdy proclivities. This conclusion can be safely drawn after entertaining various conversations dissecting the nerd-geek-dork trichotomy. One facet of my nerdery is enjoyment in playing with words. Recent linguistic endeavors have included such highlights as creating full conjugation tables for the verb "kittens," and attempting to attract awesome avatars with alluringly alliterative aplomb, all whilst allaying apocryphal allegations of anticlimatic antics.

As much as I kind of think internet dating is a gigantic crock of shit, I must admit some respect for OKC. After all, I met one of my favoritest people in the whole world, thatwoman, on here. The matching system does seem to work, at least on certain axes, and I've been impressed with how highly my real life friends and I rate with each other when we inevitably find each other on here. The highest match OKC gives me with anyone in the world is 95%, and 3 of my best friends fall in the 93-95 range.

It breaks my heart that I am allergic to cats. I would give quite a lot to make that go away. Anti-histimines and allergy treatments have thus far done shit all to improve things. I'm really more of a dog person, but dog ownership is sadly not compatible with my schedule and lifestyle as a grad student. One day... Or maybe when I find $7000 in the couch cushions I'll buy a hypoallergenic kitty! I suppose there are benefits to having a drug dealer for a housemate.

Ha ha! See, that was me making a joke. I don't live with a drug dealer. If you would be so good, do try not to fall into the sarchasm on your way out the door.

I'm artsy. I've performed in various capacities as a singer, pianist, thespian, dancer, acrobat, voice actor, juggler, fire spinner, and circus freak. Fairly often someone will make an off hand comment to the effect of "you seem to do every conceivable activity, and do it well." I tend to respond with comments about how I suck at baking and can't crochet or fix an engine, but the truth is that yes, I tend to be proficient at and interested in more things than most people.

I realize more and more how much I am a very kinesthetic person. I feel very alive and in my body. Many of the things that make me happy are physical things-acroyoga, dancing, hiking, rock climbing, yoga asana practice, etc. I love all kinds of touch, and crave it when I don't get enough. Being cuddle starved is so much worse than not having sex!

I'm currently getting my Masters degree in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at ASU. I also teach piano lessons. Now that I'm a certified yoga instructor, hopefully I'll have time to start teaching yoga soon.

I strive to act out my principles and bring abstract ideals into realization. I want my actions to be in alignment with what I believe, and I'm a perfectionist when it comes to things I care about. I have always been principled, and I've tried my utmost to live with compassion and integrity. After being coming serious about yoga in the past few years, I am inspired to live even more intentionally. It's daunting, but I want to make every thought and action something I can be proud of. As humans, we are limited by our finite powers, and constantly challenged by an Earthly environment that emphasizes those limitations. I practice to be ever more like my godly, unlimited self. I want to live every moment in gratitude, with an open heart, and compassion for all. Idealistic? Perhaps. "All you need is love" stops sounding cheesy though when you've experienced community with people who embody it.

While I don't believe you are defined by your job, it does tell you something about priorities. I used to work in wilderness therapy as a backpacking guide/emotional growth counselor for troubled teenagers. I later worked as a drug and alcohol counselor for teenage girls with severe mental health and behavioral issues. This work was rewarding, but I've decided that I can help the world more by applying myself in other ways.

Music. I'm quite talented.

Loving. Life without love is about the saddest thing I can imagine. People tell me I'm an "old soul." Love and intimacy is something I have just understood at a deep level for as long as I can remember. I love my family, I love my friends, and I love my lovers. I've been told I have a healing, revitalizing touch, and you'd know if you ever get one of my awesome massages. I'm empathetic and an excellent listener.

School. I was always one of the smart kids, ya know?

Having a balanced perspective, adapting, finding the middle ground. I try to adapt to the situation to make other people comfortable.

Being a goofball.

Cooking! Seriously, you don't even know. I make my curry paste from scratch, biatch!

Sometimes I do handstands. Sometimes I do not. Sometimes I twirl. Sometimes I spin flaming objects in complex and beautiful patterns while dancing. I often break out into song for no apparent reason, and sometimes in my full operatic tenor. People seem to notice these things. Otherwise, I don't know what to tell you. If you're looking for what physical features people notice, go look for yourself. That's what them pictures are there for.

Friends have noted that I pass as normal, and I think this is what generally comes across until you get to know me better. This is true on a variety of levels. On one hand, I'm a clean cut, respectable, straight arrow, preppy boy. I wear cashmere sweaters. I'm a classical pianist, for fucks sake. I also feel at home at a rave or hippie festival though. I have a variety of friends who work in the sex industry (and no, I didn't meet them as a customer). I'm generally polite well mannered, but I can have a foul mouth and filthy humor in the right company.

I've also been described as The Gayest Gay Who Never Gayed, which I suppose isn't too far off. I consider myself queer, but for me it's almost more of a mindset than an admission of sexual preference; that is, I'm very aware of other options and don't consider myself bounded by hetero-normative expectations. I've considered changing my status on here to bisexual because I tend to get along much better with queer folk than not, but I haven't because I can count on fewer fingers than I've got on one hand the men I've been strongly attracted to. Sorry, I'm just not not interested in hooking up with dudes from the internet.

Editors

• thatwoman

Books: I mostly read Science Fiction, but I'm finding myself drawn more and more to non-fiction these days. I'm currently reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. It's a new favorite! Michael Pollen's In Defense of Food was good and got me thinking. I keep saying I'm going to tackle Gödel, Escher, Bach next, but it is somewhat intimidating, and realistically I'm too consumed with school to do heavy reading just for fun right now. I'm also becoming interested in biographies. Anyone have suggestions for a good biography on Ghandi or MLK JR.? Some SF favorites: the Old Man's War series by John Scalzi, Altered Carbon, Ender's Game, Snow Crash, To Say Nothing of the Dog, Enchantment, Cryptonomicon, Harry Potter, the Foundation trilogy, 2001.

Movies: American Beauty, The Shawshank Redemption, Contact, everything by Monty Python, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Office Space, Momento, Fight Club, Amelie, The Fifth Element, Gladiator, Enter the Dragon, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hero, Requiem for a Dream, Million Dollar Baby, The Matrix, Stranger than Fiction, Ong Bak, V for Vendetta.

TV (only on DVD or my computer): Battlestar Gallactica, Heroes, Firefly, Arrested Development, The Wire, Lost, South Park, Family Guy, Star Trek: TNG.

Classical Music Composers: J.S. Bach, Prokofiev, Beethoven, Brahms, Ravel, Debussy, Chopin, Arvo Pärt, Rodrigo, Rachmaninoff, Ginastera. Desert island recording: Glenn Gould's 1982 recording of the Goldberg Variations by Bach.

Popular music: Mostly rock and electronica, a little jazz. Radiohead, Muse, Bjork, Massive Attack, Portishead, Sigur Ros, Aphex Twin, Autechre, Orbital, Cake, the Beatles, Deathcab for Cutie, Postal Service, Coldplay, Kings of Convenience, Imogen Heap, Frou Frou, Emiliana Torrini, Boards of Canada, Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright, Keane, Pink Martini, Iron and Wine, Telepopmusik, U2, Tori Amos, Dido, Weezer, Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane, Miles Davis. Desert island recording: Radiohead's Kid A

Foods: I've been lacto-ovo vegetarian now since 8/08. This is important to me primarily as a practice of ahimsa (non-violence). I love ethnic foods: Indian, Thai, Ethiopian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Italian, Lebanese...I love it all and want to try more. And I like to cook! I also love fruit.

Music. Love. Nature. Loving touch. Humor. Creative expression. Silliness.

Counting is overrated.

Running away and joining the circus. No really, I'm completely serious.

My friends.

Sex. Seriously, who doesn't? It's absolutely fascinating, both intellectually and experientially.

How to let go of perfectionism and judgement so I can just be.

Where my life is going, where I want my life to go, and how I can guide myself there. How I can better myself and make myself happier. How I can help make the world a better place.

Burning Man. So much happiness here. Burning Man has made me a better person.

Editors

• thatwoman

I hate this question.

Here is a range of things I might be doing:

• Watching a movie at home
• Going to yoga class
• Skipping town to go camping/hiking/rock climbing
• Low key hang outs with friends
• Going out dancing/to a party/etc.
• Going to a concert/performance of some kind
• Cooking awesome food
• Other stuff that is totally awesome

I've got a bunch of stuff in this section; I'm guess I'm not that private.

I didn't really figure out masturbation until I was 18. People seem to think this is impossible, but I assure you it's true. Prior to then, I would touch myself and I knew it felt good, but I didn't get that whole orgasm business figured out until after I'd had a girlfriend in college. I seriously wonder how I would have been different in high school if this weren't true. Probably less uptight and restrained.

I think I would be really happy as a stay at home dad, or splitting work and parenting half and half with my eventual partner. I would love to raise kids, cook for everyone, and teach some piano lessons and yoga.

I usually only shower a couple times a week (depends on activity). BUT!!! Everyone I've dated swears that I do NOT smell bad. It's not that I have poor hygiene; it's that I can reasonably assess when I need bathing and when I don't. Greasy and sweaty? Bathe. Clean, sweet smelling skin? Not worth wasting the water.

I can be completely disabled if my head is scritched in just the right way. I'm not kidding. It's not sexual, but you might be fooled at first.

If you are interested in a romantic relationship, you must be okay with the fact that I am poly and already have a girlfriend (albeit far away). Other than that, I'd love to hear from you!

I want to surround myself with positive people. People who smile from the inside and see the beauty around them. Everyone gets depressed now and then, but that is different than those who choose to live in a dark place.

You should should also message me if:

You are awesome. You are human. You are not human. You like cheese. You like Burning Man. You're a nerd. You're passionate about something. You like acryoga and want to play. You care about life, and other people. You wonder what the greatest thing was before sliced bread. You know what the difference is between a chaccone and a passacaglia. You're smarter than the average bear. You actually bothered to read this whole thing and something piqued your interest. : )

Editors

• thatwoman