I'm a native Oregonian, currently living in Lawrence and going to grad school. I like it here a lot, but I'll always be a northwesterner at heart.

I'm pretty accepting of nearly everybody, and I feel like I don't have any problems getting along with most people. My personality can vary a lot depending on who I'm around, so the way I act around you will be in some ways a reflection of my perceptions of you and how I think you are perceiving me. That being said, my favorite people are the ones who bring out the better qualities in me and make me feel most like "myself." Humor has a lot to do with this. If I'm joking around a lot you'll know I feel comfortable around you, especially if the joking around is going over well! I might seem a bit quiet and apprehensive upon meeting someone for the first time, but once I've gotten a sense of the person and I like what I've found I really start to open up! I'm definitely a fun guy to be around when I'm in my element.

Those who have met me through okcupid have said that I come across as a lot more serious on my profile than I am in real life. I'm not great at accurately portraying my sense of humor online, but once you get to know me you'll see how goofy I can be.

I'm working on my PhD in geography at KU. I primarily study issues of identity, place, territory, nationalism, and regionalism, with a regional focus on Russia and the former Soviet Union. I speak Russian and have spent quite a bit of time living and traveling in that part of the world. I've been to around 30 countries, including some pretty exotic places most people would never even think about going to. I won't go into them here, but I sure do love talking about the places I've been, so feel free to ask! Obviously I love to travel and am always itching to get back out into the world. Because of my research interests I end up traveling mostly in Eurasia and Eastern Europe, but I'm dying to get to all kinds of other places around the world. The weirder the better.

The long-term plan is to get my PhD in geography and hopefully wind up with a cushy job as a professor somewhere. I figure being a professor will allow me to keep on studying the things that are most interesting to me, while also giving me the purpose and the flexibility to keep traveling the rest of my life. That would be ideal, but I know it can be tough finding a good job in academia, so I'm hoping my language skills and regional knowledge could be parlayed into some kind of governmental or NGO work if the whole professor thing doesn't pan out.

I suppose it's also worth mentioning that I like to play music – guitar, mainly. I used to play in bands way back in high school, but haven't done anything serious with music since then. I still like to play around on my own for fun, and I always think someday it would be nice to get a band going again when I've got the time and have found the right people to play with.

Geography trivia; planning and taking road trips; finding my way around in new places; writing papers; remembering little details.

There are probably other, more important things, but I'm not one to boast.

My height. Yes, I really am 6' 6". It's both a blessing and a curse. I tend to get a lot of comments on my glasses, too.

Books: Vonnegut and Nabokov are a couple favorites, though to be honest I've always been fairly poorly-read, and I'm kind of embarrassed about it. Most embarrassing is the fact that I am not up on my Russian literature like I should be. There are a lot of important books out there that I know I need to read, but just haven't gotten to them yet. I do generally enjoy non-fiction more than fiction, and these days most of my reading is for school. I always appreciate book recommendations.

Movies: As far as directors go, David Lynch, Woody Allen, Todd Solondz, Wes Anderson, and the Cohen Borthers are some perennial favorites. Other favorite movies include Harold and Maude, Do the Right Thing, Peewee's Big Adventure, and True Stories. I can get into all kinds of movies, really. I'd like to learn more about cinema in general, so if you'd like to teach me that would be fantastic.

TV: Twin Peaks, Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, The Mighty Boosh, Kids in the Hall, Mr. Show, Food Party, Peep Show, Look Around You, 30 Rock, The Office, Parks and Recreation, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Futurama, Eastbound and Down, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Game of Thrones. I don't have real TV anymore, so I can only really watch stuff online. I also grew up watching a lot of Nickelodeon, so I love to reminisce about The Adventures of Pete and Pete, Ren and Stimpy, Doug, Rocko's Modern Life, etc.

Music: Oh boy. This is always a tough one for me to summarize. I've considered myself a music guy since I was in grade school, though lately I feel like it's become less of a thing for me. My tastes are pretty broad and fairly obscure. Instead of listing bands I'll just detail some specific corners of my musical universe: 80's alternative, new wave, post-punk, 60's girl groups, Perestroika-era Soviet pop-rock, the Paisley Underground scene and jangly guitars in general, British invasion, British and Scottish indiepop, shoegazer, power pop, the Flying Nun Records scene in New Zealand, old school hip hop, old depressing country, 50's and 60's instrumental pop, 60's pop from Eastern Europe, and much more. I don't want to come off as a music snob here; I happen to like some strange stuff but I don't judge others for their tastes. I love sharing my music but hate pushing it onto people, and I'm usually reluctant to play my music for anyone else unless they seem genuinely interested in hearing what I listen to. If that's you, let me make you a mix! I would love to hear what you like to listen to as well.

Food: Just about everything. I love trying new ethnic foods when I'm traveling. Some favorites are Georgian, Uzbek, and Turkish, but I love the classic Chinese, Mexican, Thai, Indian, etc. I'm not much of a cook, but I do enjoy cooking once I get going and I would love to learn how to do it better.

the internet, good company, the ability to travel, some kind of musical instrument to play around on, my music in one format or another, and... my glasses, I guess? I couldn't really get around very well without them.

My next trip abroad, and how I'm going to fund it.

The awesome trips I would take if I had unlimited time and financial resources.

Politics. I'm generally not too political of a person, though certain things can get me riled up. I'm pretty far to the left, just so you know.

Girls. Let's be honest.

The past and the future.

Maybe out for a drink somewhere, maybe staying in and watching a movie. When the school work gets really heavy I might even be at home working, though generally I try to avoid school work on Fridays and Saturdays. I'm flexible. I'm always up for an adventure!

If you think we share similar tastes and/or sensibilities.