I want to believe in a kind of simplistic ‘playground morality’, where the vast majority of ethical dilemmas we find ourselves in (ranging from national tax policy to the latest drama at work) are actually way less complex than we give them credit for being. It can basically be summed up like this: If you have two children and only one piece of candy, you either break it in half or nobody gets any.

Except...I don't. The world is complex and situations get complicated. Sometimes (often) the candy can't be broken, or there are 16 children, or any number of other possible extenuating circumstances. So I try and to be as fair as possible, and treat people with dignity.

I do however believe that the way one treats people is a person’s currency in the world. I strive to be empathetic, honest and kind...but when push comes to shove, I’ll usually choose kindness over honesty. When I don’t live up to these ideals, I try and own up to it and apologize.

Finally, (while I know they’re all destined to fail)...I am fascinated by and believe in utopias.

Born in Cape Town but immigrated to the US when I was six, so I don’t really remember it... Culturally Jewish, but practicing atheist (assuming, that is that atheism can be "practiced")... Have spent my adult life yo-yoing between San Francisco and Seattle... Landscape architecture, urban design, cities and maps... Read the newspaper online, follow local politics, vote... Am constantly measuring sidewalk widths by counting the control joints in the concrete... Heart periodicals... Periodically losing my glasses* (making me occasionally myopic)... Hablo Español, pero escribo y leer lo de mierda.... Close to family... Wish I understood very complex mathematics because it’s the secret language of the universe.

I like crows and shiny things.

*Update: currently lost!
*Updated Update: New glasses!

I moved back to SF a couple of years ago after a 7 year sojourn to Seattle for grad school and a few years of poking around up there getting my socks damp. I still find myself fascinated when the rain stops, and delighted to be living in this jewel of a city that so exemplifies both the beautiful and sublime; and where the soft shifting light imbues within me with a sense of wonder, nostalgia and curiosity.

Job-wise, I'm an urban designer. My work kind of sits at the intersection between policy and design with a focus on improving the City's public realm (streets, plazas, building façades etc.) by making it more livable, sustainable and pretty.

A lot of my days are spent frittering away your hard earned tax dollars by replacing your precious parking spot with natural drainage systems and wee pedestrian (but not pedestrian!) plazas. I love it.

cerebral conversation, puerile conversation, run-on sentences,
excessive use of parentheses and exclamation points (the pernicious
influence of the blogs!!!), reading novels, spatial thinking,
changing around the furniture in your living room, making up songs,
singing the song I've just made up in the shower, whistling,
telling you jokes I've already told you before, walking (this is
not a joke), graphic design, urban design, making eggs, biking
around town, taking you on a Vespa
ride, flânerie.

My endearing wit, my piercing blue eyes and that stain on my
sweater.

Reads: I mostly read contemporary fiction and long-form narrative journalism. I also have a weakness for overly designed architectural theory books and formulaic tween adventure stories.

(Am currently reading Stone Arabia to myself and The 13 1⁄2 Lives of Captain Bluebear [which you positively OWE it to yourself to read] to my niece.)

Film and Teevee: I prefer witty comedies/dramas of the Wess Anderson, Cohen Brothers or Miranda July sort, though I also enjoy slapstick ones of the Ben Stiller sort. I don't do so well with graphic violence or horror (see below).

I haven't owned a TV since I left my parent's house which was pretty edgy in the 90's but pretty meaningless today thanks to the internet. Like pretty much everybody else in the public sector, I watch Parks and Recreation (I especially like the scenes when they hold public meetings). Every now and then I'll voraciously consume an HBO series, guzzling a full season in the span of a few days. And...I hesitate to write this, because I'm afraid it'll come off as pandering, but I burned through Downton Abbey.

Music: I mostly listen to indie rock and tranquil electronic music. Especially bands that weave a dense melodic tapestry that evokes a sort-of wistful nostalgia. Recent favorites include Beach House, Goat and Ratatat.

Food: I tend to buy organic at the grocery store, but am pretty much always more than happy to scarf down a taco from god knows where. I am not a vegetarian and like it very spicy.

Note: This should probably go in "The most private thing I'm willing to admit" section, but I have recently taken to culling band and book recommendations from the profiles of would-be dreamboats such as yourself :)

Brother Brubru's African Hot Sauce
My bike
My transit blogs
Double 8 oz americanos
Parklets!
That quiet electric moment before our first kiss

Lately, I've been kind-of obsessed with the interior design potential of plastic flowers which can be purchased in bulk at a dollar store on Mission St.

AND: How to get shit done in a humongous bureaucracy.

AND: The parklet as an expression of democratic space.

AND: "I'm not a hipster...I'm popomo!"

My friday nights are entirely typical and utterly cliché. I'm either out and about with friends (most likely at a restaurant, dive bar or artsy/designee event), having a quiet night in reading or galloping around the city on my pet unicorn (I'd introduce you, but she's skittish around "cultivated women". Sorry.)

Where to start:

I loath scary movies (like PG-13 scary) and when forced to watch them, curl up in the fetal position, squint my eyes and block my ears with my fingers. This has created issues w/ former girlfriends who want me to hold their hands during the scary bits.

Also, this.

You're smart, creative, playful, empathetic and kind. I have a thing for girls with critical thinking skills.

OR! If you don't know how to rotate photographs on a computer. Nobody should miss out on a chance to find love because her picture is oriented 90 degrees the wrong way. It looks silly