Hi, I'm Chris. I'm from the northwest corner of Indiana (but I usually just say Chicago). I moved to Vegas in July for my job, so I don't really know anyone here. I'd like to change that! Truth is, though, I'm less of a party animal and more of an introverted math/language geek, at my best in small circles of close friends. Where do smart people go hang out with other smart people in this town? It is surely a closely guarded secret, but if you are willing to divulge, I will offer a handsome reward.

I work pretty long days when I'm in the office, but most of the time I'm traveling for business. I work for a casino company and travel across the country. It's a nice gig, flying and staying at our own sweet hotels and eating on the company dime at buffets and steakhouses whenever I want. But rather than take obscene advantage of all that, I usually pack a book or a couple magazines, maybe try to catch a White Sox game at the sports bar, then head up to the room and chill out. I find it ironic that now I've finally worked up to where I have my own office, and I'm never actually there. At least I'm home on weekends... so far!

I have finished my master's degree in mathematics. The stuff I do is *slightly* mathy, but basically it's just number crunching about which nobody else feels sure enough to tell me I'm wrong, so instead they put me in charge of it. A mathematician wants to solve problems, but I have worked in the real world to know that some things can't be solved, only managed. And that spells job security!

Sometimes I contemplate going back for the Ph.D., but if I want to learn something, I grab a book. I don't need quals and a research advisor and a thesis committee to tell me I know what I know. Besides, I'm still not sure what I want to do when I grow up. Maybe I should have been a lit critic or a pastry chef, and I won't figure it out until I'm 40! Who ever heard of a math geek riffing on Pynchon while baking a souffle? That is me. I am a paradox of awesome. Paradawesome? Awesomadox. YES.

Cooking, math, kissing, and sarcasm. No, really. Just try me.

I have rimless glasses and a goatee, which combine to form an impression of "this guy is smarter than me." I could probably coast for years just on that. At work I wear suits and get compliments on my fashion. Otherwise, it's normally just a t-shirt and jeans, though I'm learning to embrace shorts out here in the desert in the summertime!

All sorts of non-fiction. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera. Cryptonomicon, Neal Stephenson. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig. Most anything by David Foster Wallace but I really giggled over his essay on American English usage. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card. The Shawshank Redemption. Pretty Woman (don't judge). My Cousin Vinny (I SAID don't judge). Most of the Miyazaki films I've seen, and a couple anime series too. White Album, The Beatles. Kid A, Radiohead. Three EPs, The Beta Band. Homogenic, Bjork. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Smashing Pumpkins. Piano Concerto No.2, Rachmaninoff. Whatever kind of music you call Paul Oakenfold and Paul Van Dyk. Everything Italian. Sushi. A good cheeseburger that stands up without hiding under toppings. Anything I make, which covers a pretty wide variety of things including those above.

Early autumn and my computer and music and math and really good parmesan and you.

buying a house, lately. I need to figure out where to look, how much to spend, how fast I need to move in, do I consider new construction or just shop existing, is it worth it to install solar panels (oh yeah, I'm a hybrid-driving eco geek too!), should I get a pool, when will I even have time to look, etc.

I'm not super-up-tight about finances--I definitely spend money, and probably waste it by most people's standards--but I do track my spending and know where my money is, or needs to be, at all times.

I don't know what's typical after just 3 weeks here, but thus far I'd probably be flying home from wherever I just spent the week working.

The worst part of moving here (other than leaving family and friends) is that I have to get a new checking account. I had these custom checks printed with backgrounds from video games, and I really like them, and now they're useless! But now I get to design new ones, so I'll get over it. :D

you're smart enough to hold a conversation with, and yet your idea of a nice date can involve not saying a word to one another, just enjoying the company.

Or, if you recognized the pizza in my profile pic and still stuck around.