I like dancing, particularly Latin dancing like salsa or rumba (not so nerdy). I also like science fiction and fantasy (nerdy!), and comic books and video games and roleplaying games (so very nerdy).

I believe that the zombie apocalypse is coming, but it won't be actual zombies. We're going to be crushed under the weight of all of the zombie-related books being published. By the time there's a book of zombie-themed Christmas carols, the thrill is gone.

All the stuff I thought was cool when I was 12, I still think is cool: superheroes, pirates, robots, science fiction, dinosaurs, aliens, and monsters. I still want to live in a castle, or a house full of secret passages, or a hobbit hole. I've learned to like other stuff, too, but I figure it's kind of important that you know this, because by this point it's not likely to change.

Ever since The Big Lebowski came out, friends have told me I'm "The Dude." The resemblance was more pronounced in college, when I wore my hair longer. I do love a good White Russian (though my usual drink of choice is rum and Coke).

When going to a bar or a restaurant, I prefer dives and holes in the wall to big fancy places or national chains.

At some point, I seem to have lost the ability to distinguish between ironic enjoyment of stuff which isn't actually good, and genuine enjoyment of good stuff. For instance, luchador movies--are they good or so-bad-they're-good? I may have to stop identifying myself as a member of Generation X.

Mostly working these days. I moved to Chicago in 2005 to go to law school and got my degree in 2008.

Turns out the only really recession-proof job is being a hobo, though. I'm far too out of shape to hop freight cars, though, so I'm sticking with the legal field.

Also, I'm dieting. It's not so bad. I've dropped about 25 pounds in the past few months. I'm hoping to get down to my high school weight early next year.

Dancing (well, I'm okay).
Making fun of bad movies.
Procrastinating.
Useless trivia, especially about TV and comics.
Faking my way through conversations on subjects I know nothing about.
Scrabble: I learned to read when I was three, and I learned to play Scrabble shortly afterward.

I don't know. Maybe that I'm kinda tall. Or the beard (the moustache hides a scar under my nose where I took a spill rollerskating when I was 12 and busted open my face; the beard is there because I don't want a porn 'stache).

I remind them of someone. (Frequently, that someone is Jeff Bridges or Mick Foley.)

Books: A lot of series--Martin's Song of Ice & Fire, the Harry Potter books, James Ellroy's L.A. Quartet, the Dresden Files--and a smattering of other stuff, like Guns, Germs, & Steel; Them: Adventures With Extremists; Watchmen, The Areas of My Expertise; etc.

Movies: Harvey; Raiders of the Lost Ark; Star Wars; Lord of the Rings; The Dark Knight; Night of the Hunter; The Big Lebowski; O, Brother Where Art Thou?; Grosse Pointe Blank; The Mummy; Tombstone; Shaun of the Dead

Music: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Outkast, Warren Zevon, Tom Waits, Gnarls Barkley, Devo, The Pixies, Rob Zombie, The Reverend Horton Heat, They Might Be Giants, The Beastie Boys, Digital Underground, Jonathan Coulton, MC Frontalot

TV shows: The Office, 30 Rock, Supernatural, House, Heroes, Chuck, Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Arrested Development, Breaking Bad, Carnivale, Doctor Who, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Star Trek, the Venture Brothers, Family Guy, Burn Notice, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Sons of Anarchy . . . and Glee.

Food: Just about anything. I can think of specific foods I don't particularly like, I can't think of any type of food I don't like. Mexican and Chinese are special favorites, though. I cook tacos for myself far too often.

My DVR
The internet
Books
Movies
Sarcasm
A transit pass

What I'm going to do when I get home, which is probably as little as possible. Usually it comes down to watching something I've recorded, watching something from Netflix, reading a book, or playing a video game. Also, cooking dinner. Usually at least two of those at once.

Alternately, I might be thinking up screenplays that I never get around to writing. Or else I'm figuring out who should play what characters in film adaptations of books.

Not doing much; Saturdays are better for going out. However, I'm probably watching TV or watching a movie or playing a video game. I might go out for dinner with a friend or to see a movie, but odds are I'm enjoying a quiet night in.

I am not a very good housekeeper. Horrible, really. I basically live like a bear who owns furniture.

I have an aching crush on Bonnie Hunt.

You're somewhere between Liz Lemon from "30 Rock" and Pam Beesley from "The Office."

You dig nerdy guys.

You don't mind if I take a couple of days to get back to you while I think of something to say. I'm horrible at starting up conversations out of the blue.

You live in Chicago, or are willing to work around the fact that I sold my car. I like to say I went green, but really I only drove it about 10 miles a month, so it just wasn't worth the money to keep it.