People tell me I'm strong willed, masculine and a stabilizing presence. Definitely responsible, loyal, and hardworking. I tend to be shy and reserved when getting to know new people but when I know someone I'm simply a very mellow and modest guy and I care deeply about those around me. I'm a true romantic but don't let my sense of humor fool you. I often see myself as one searching for truth, trying to balance reason and emotion and do so all while enjoying the gift of life.

In my leisure time I suppose I'm most often found reading my current topic of interest while laying out in the sun when I have time. If I'm not occupied with reading, I may be found biking or just exploring the city. Despite my best intentions, though, lots of my decompression time after work is spent discovering new memes on the Internet or even finishing up some work wherein the answer to a problem came to me while pretending to sleep on the subway.

I am a soap maker, philosopher, and a computer nerd

I'm currently a computer systems engineer for an ad agency in Midtown. I've moved to NYC from Indiana where I was a college professor of computer science and humanities. I'm a seminary graduate from Chicago and am planning on getting my Ph.D soon in Semitic languages so that I can go back to teaching humanities and get tenure.

I'm really good at things that I put my mind too. That's not to say I'm not bad at things... don't ask me to play basket ball or baseball (though I'll beat you in a swimming race any day...maybe ;-) ). I really enjoy cooking and serving people the food I've made. I've never gotten complaints about my food. I'm really good a noticing small details that clue me into a situation or personality. I'm really really good at computer programming and networking.

I suppose it really depends on the other person what the first thing they notice would be. Not only would his social paradigm influence what he is looking for but my trying to find common ground in our conversation on a first date would sway that view.

I have a fairly eclectic collection of music... So, here are the first 10 songs on my ipod when I put it on "Random"
For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield
Bye - Elliott Smith
Magic Flute - Hikari Oe
television rules the nation - Daft Punk
Way Out West -- Activity - Paul van Dyk
Squeez Box - The Who
Vibrate - Outkast
This Protector - The White Stripes
Northsky - Blackwatch
The One II - Philosophy 185; Hurbert Dreyfus

For food... I love it if it's homecooked with fresh ingredients.

The last book I finish, was Moby Dick and I found it completely amazing. While it did have many a boring chapter, the overall narrative parts of the book were amazing as I looked at it from a perspective of Melville trying to redefine existence as being more polytheistic or "poly-mooded" and just seeing that transition in history from a hegemonic style old-world culture to that of a pluralistic poly-culture was interesting to me. For fun I've read the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice... and I read the LOTR every few years. Other than that I like reading about cultural studies stuff.

1. Shelter, Food and Water ;-)
2. Computer
3. Texts from antiquity
4. iTunesU
5. Public Parks and Beaches
6. Laughter

How the past has directly influenced the culture of the present.

I knit and cook apple pies like my grandmother.

"You should message me if: " you want to date a down to earth, extremely nice and caring individual. A shared loathing of vapid hipsters would help and double bonus points if you have ever dreamed of starting or living on a commune or subsistence farm. :)