My current position is titled "research scientist." But a better way to describe what I do - I get paid to play in the woods! I focus on birds, but I'm interested in all of nature. Loving what you do for a living is a good way to remain happy!

That above is me in a nutshell. For more...

I'd rather:

- go camping than go visit a city and stay in a hotel
- go berry picking than go shopping
- backpack in the west than the east
- visit the Himalaya than the Alps
- cook in than go out to eat
- watch a comedy than a horror film
- watch hockey than football

In 2010, I took a seasonal job working in Wyoming, based in Laramie. And I loved the area! I traveled to Peru afterward, then worked in the mid-west (Texas and Missouri) - and wondered why I didn't come back.

After a foreshortened trip in Ecuador where I was leading bird tours, I came back to Laramie. Finally. And I have finally found somewhere I have, for the first time, called home in addition to where I am from (western New York state).

So, now, I'm doing various research projects, that have me outside chasing birds through the prairies and forests and mountains - and I still love it!

Wow...I'm modest, so I kind of wish I could have someone else fill this out for me! In no particular order:

-smiling
-talking (I have been told I talk too much at times)
-birdwatching
-finding awesome stuff in nature
-teaching about environmentalism
-getting people to try a vegetarian dish
-photography
-patience
-cooking
-making home made pizza
-discovering new vegetarian dishes
-camping
-zoning out (especially when camping/backpacking)
-navigating (only in the woods)
-finding inexpensive ways to travel
-experimenting in the kitchen
-writing long rambling e-mails that usually have a point
-staying in touch

Okay, maybe not so modest.

I think my enthusiasm for nature.

Though no one has ever told me what they first notice about me. But I've been complimented on my smile, and my eyes.

How much space do I have?

Books: I like brain candy when I just want to get lost in a book. My favorite authors include Peter Benchley, Dean Koontz, Vince Flynn, Michael Crichton, and John Sandford. I can get completely lost in a good book for hours, and it is not unusual for me to finish a book in a day or two. And Bill Waterson.

That being said, I read a lot of non-fiction. Jared Diamand, Bill Bryson, Peter Mathiessen, and various books about random nature topics.

Movies: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, The Big Year, Groundhog Day, Serendipity, Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, comedies, the Bourne series, Harry Potter, John Cusack films, Disney films, most comic book films, and more.

TV: How I Met Your Mother (one of my friends said I am very much one of the characters), Scrubs, and BBC Nature series, Animaniacs. And Shark Week. And hockey games. But I rarely have a TV, much less cable or Dish, so I either watch TV on DVD, or on iTunes. And I'm very much okay with that.

Food for me: healthy, down to earth. I try to eat organic as much as I can, generally vegetarian.

-nature
-family
-dark chocolate
-good food
-love
-kindness

Birds, of course. But nature in general.

And what North America was like before colonization by Europe. And what Lewis and Clark must have thought during their trip across the continent.

Where I want to travel next.

Sometimes my Friday nights are on Wednesdays. Or some other day of the week. I am not on a typical work schedule.

But I would say my "Friday night", whatever it is, finds me eating out, enjoying the company of friends, going to a movie, planning a trip, or traveling.

I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die.

Just kidding.

I have a birthmark in an unusual place - and when people first see it I make a joke about it to scare/freak them out!

I am mostly interested in meeting people who want to get out and play! I ski (both types), snowshoe, day hike, camp, and more.

...anything you read intrigues you!

...you have theories on the noodle incident

I still feel kind of new in town, so I am looking for folks to be friends with to enjoy life here!

Small town Laramie means I don't come on here very often since there often aren't new users. I'm also away from the amenities of civilization (read: electronics of all types) for stretches of time, so you writing first will be the best way to get me to write to you!