I am here to have some fun and to meet new and interesting people. If one of them happens to be a soul mate, well so much the better... I recently listened to an older song and heard the phrase "quiet storm" to refer to the kind of relationship I think I am after. A little wind, a little rain, a lot of lightning, some, but not too much thunder, and maybe the occasional rainbow when the storm moves on for the moment and you can catch your breath again.

I am really into movies and music as you will see in my favorites below. I enjoy staying active (mostly running and basketball) and discussing current events like politics and the economy.

I like talking with people who share my viewpoint, but also really enjoy talking with people who have a different viewpoint, as long as they are reasonable and are able to articulate the whys behind the beliefs. If the only answer is because, it makes for a pretty short conversation.

I find that discussing things with someone who doesn't always agree with me helpful in many ways. Sometimes I become better educated or informed and can change my mind about something. Other times, I find that the process of explaining and defending my viewpoint helps me better understand my feelings and beliefs so that I am more self aware. In either case, it is usually a good thing, although sometimes exhausting.

I would really like to find people interested in photography and architecture, as these are areas that interest me that I have a great appreciation for but somewhat limited knowledge of.

I do enjoy Frank Lloyd Wright (especially his Praire Style period) and Craftsman style bungalows. I also like Sarah Susanka's series of books about the Not So Big House. For photography, I tend to enjoy black and white photos the best.

I like to believe that working hard, cultivating a good heart, and having a positive attitude is the best recipe for long term happiness. I also believe that it is important that you not let other people dictate whether you are happy or not. You are fundamentally responsible for your own happiness.

This must be balanced out however, with the understanding that we do in fact affect the people around us in subtle and profound ways, both positively and negatively, and that how we affect them can have ripple effects that are nearly immeasurable. Understanding that can help make it easier to be charitable and giving to others even we are not feeling particularly kind.

On the professional level, I am a law talking guy who helps make sure that children receive the financial support they need and deserve. On the personal level, just trying to be as complete a person as I can be and to find happiness (both big and small) wherever I happen to be.

Using parentheticals (or at least I like to think so).

That I have many leather bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany. (Not true in the least. I'm not even sure what mahogany smells like, but I like the movie the quote comes from.)

The Art of Looking Sideways (pretty mindblowing), Candy Girl, Misery(book and movie), Thinner, Tipping Point, Blink, Freakonomics, Fight Club (book and movie), Shopgirl (book and movie), Book by Book, The Road. The Matrix, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Seven, Once, Rushmore, Leon the Professional, The Usual Suspects, 12 Monkeys, When Harry Met Sally, High Fidelity, Hustle and Flow, the Big Lebowski, Lost in Translation, Pulp Fiction, Four Weddings and a Funeral, LA Story, Notting Hill, Cashback, Juno, Out of Sight, Rounders, Good Will Hunting, Oceans 11, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Shakespeare in Love, Stranger Than Fiction, 500 Days of Summer, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and many, many others. Ben Harper, Mason Jennings, Jack Johnson, Death Cab for Cutie, White Stripes, Pearl Jam, Wilco, R.E.M., Radiohead, Norah Jones, Madeleine Peyroux, Corrine Bailey Rae, Adele, Maroon 5, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Zee Avi, Once Soundtrack and Matthew Sweet just to name a few. Pizza, Italian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, and anything off the grill. This American Life, Stuff You Should Know, Musicheads, David Sedaris, the T.V. shows Weeds, Bones, and The Mentalist and the Minnesota Rollergirls are also on my favorites list even though they don't quite fit the category title. I know, I know, I am such the rebel.

Music, Movies, My Boys, Food, Air, Water (as you can see, I can be pretty literal)

Oh, just the meaning of life and stuff like that. No big deal really.

Hanging out with my Netflix queue or taking OK Cupid tests to better understand the many facets of me.

I was attacked by a squirrel once and am still somewhat traumatized by it. It would be funny if I was kidding, but I'm not kidding. Okay, it still might be funny. It is also kind of funny when I re-enact the event. The attack only lasted a few seconds, but my life was forever changed.

I also have a pretty huge crush on the Deschanel sisters Emily and Zooey, at this moment in time. Don't make me pick one over the other, as they are both fabulous in their own ways, but I think Zooey would be a lot of fun to hang out with.

It feels like the right thing to do.