I believe reality is subjective and personal values are inherently arbitrary (albeit heavily biased by natural selection). 'Nothing matters' makes for a lousy working hypothesis, however, so I've chosen to arbitrarily value happiness. In other words, my primary goal in life is to be happy. (Near as I can tell, there's no prize at the end for not being happy, so it wasn't a tough choice.) The big question then becomes how to achieve that goal. For me the best strategy seems to be doing what I enjoy and using it to be a decent, helpful person along the way, preferably with the company of enthusiastic, like-minded partners.

I love learning, particularly in conjunction with teaching or, better yet, collaboration. Learning and thinking are like a drug for me, so the process is no doubt tied to at least one pleasure center in my brain somewhere. Consequently, being the addict that I am, much of my enjoyment in life revolves around intellectual and physical challenge. (I've often been told my idea of fun looks like a lot of work.) While my brain goes for science techy math stuff, with occasional jaunts into history or semi-artistic pursuits for variety, my big recreational interest is ultralight hiking and backpacking, particularly in fall and winter. (I like autumn because it's a great time to be outside. I like winter for its unique beauty, lack of bugs and mud, and generally greater challenge.) Running, bicycling, swimming, kayaking, skiing, snowshoeing, climbing, and shooting also keep me seasonally occupied. When an expedition isn't practical, I'll walk around the block just to get outside and move around. I prefer to do all of these things with good company. Conversationally, if I have nothing notable to say, I can be a poster boy for 'brevity is the soul of wit'; but if I get going, I can be hard to shut up. My closest friendships form via shared adversity rather than smalltalk, so cooking dinner with someone usually appeals to me more than sitting in a restaurant.

True story: I once was a bored engineer working for a big pharma company. To alleviate my boredom, I began teaching myself advanced physics on the side. Later, when my job was set to evaporate at the end of a year following a merger, I made two decisions. First, being unemployed in the winter was a perfect opportunity to teach myself to downhill ski. Second, getting a PhD sounded better than another ordinary engineering job. Now, years later, I'm paid to improve a little patch of the world thinking about esoteric geeky things all day long, and my telemark skiing is still improving. (I chose telemark, aka freeheel, because alpine would be too easy.) Being in research, I often have no clue what I'm doing; and I have more interests than time to be good at them all; but that's probably just how I like it. Prior to all of that, I was a high school science teacher, which allowed me to satisfy my occasional penchant for public performance, but that's another story.

wondering.

probably never get mentioned.

books: quite a lot of fantasy fiction... Jim Butcher's Dresden novels are a current favorite. I liked the Twilight series -- love, passion, violence -- something for everyone... too bad about the movie.

food: now that depends on the purpose -- If I'm just feeding myself, then I'm concerned primarily about health and not wasting time cooking and cleaning. In that case venison chili is a top choice because it's not fatty, includes vegetables, and I can cook and freeze enough for about 30 meals. If I'm eating with someone else (read that 'someone special'), then the food is probably secondary to me. If I'm backpacking, .... well if you want to know about backpacking, just ask.

* purpose
* hope
* humor
* three things I don't know I can't live without

whatever crosses my mind.

probably working, visiting, or traveling.

I sometimes wonder what the narrator of my inner monologue is thinking.

you're still reading. :-)

As are most folks, I'm drawn to people who are warm, friendly, intelligent, affectionate, confident, competent, playful, honest, et cetera. Appreciation of long walks and obscure metaphors is a plus. My body and mind both require frequent exercise to keep them happy, so it's a safe bet that any long-term companion will similarly enjoy both mental and physical activity. I'm open to suggestions when it comes to potentially endearing quirks. By the end of my 20’s, I decided that value in my life came primarily from my interactions with others. A rainbow shared became infinitely more beautiful than one that was not. With that in mind, in the short term I'm looking for adventurous company and stimulating conversation. Long term, I’m looking for more of the same, plus trust and understanding.