I'll get this out of the way up front. I'm married. I love my wife but we are OK with each other hanging out with others. I also have children which I adore. So those are factors in everything I do. I'm interested in finding someone to do things with when I'm in town. Not looking for drama or other complications. Also not looking strictly for a "fuck-buddy." Sex is great and hopefully the friendship will lead to that, but I'd like an on-going friendship with the potential benefits. Not looking for a replacement for my wife or family. I don't live in the Twin Cities, but do travel there frequently.

That out of the way.... I'm a socially liberal leaning thinker but at the same time a huge believer in personal accountability. I don't care what people do as long as they aren't harming anyone else and their activities/beliefs aren't causing me grief. I don't believe gov't has any business determining how you live your personal life. You do your thing, I'll do mine. Maybe that makes me libertarian? Not a fan of labels, but that probably best describes me.

I'm not religious. I don't believe that simply being religious makes you a better person. Religion is too influential in this country. People are free to believe in whatever they want as long as they don't throw it in my face or tell me I'm going to hell because I don't think the same way they do. I can be a good person without believing in a 'God'. In fact, I'm still undecided. I just believe in being the best person I can be, be kind to others, and help when possible. Then if there is a God, he/she/it will sort it out at the end. And if there isn't, at least I had fun and didn't cause problems for anyone else.

I'm a bit geeky. I believe in logic and science. I try to keep up on world events, news and other interesting things, typically via the Internet. I tend to be a private person, but if you want to know something ask. I enjoy beer, wine, tea, the occasional cola.

I'm quite laid back. Generally take the world as it comes and roll with the punches, but don't mistake my lack of emotional swings or quietness as weakness. I may be quiet at first, but its because I prefer to think about what I'm going to say and how best to say it. Some times it works and sometimes it doesn't.

I really have no idea where this will go and don't have a lot of expectations, but who knows. Might meet some interesting people.

Working, raising a family, trying to figure this life thing out. Also looking for ways to have some fun. Not that raising a family and working isn't fun, but there is more to life than that, right? Also travel occasionally.

Recycling, donating or otherwise getting rid of things I don't use or don't need.
Figuring out how to fix something.
Knowing when I need help and asking for it.

I'm fairly nondescript and quiet, so I don't generally stick out. And I have no idea what people notice about me first. In college I won a secret "best ass" contest the girls at work held, or so I was told...

Books: Norman Mclean is a great writer, as is Cormac McCarthy.
Movies: Even after all these years, my favorites are still Heat and Forrest Gump, depending on my mood. Finding Nemo is the best kids movie I've seen, though Brave is right up there. For some reason I tend to enjoy movies with strong female characters. And related to one of my favorite authors, A River Runs Through It is stunning.
TV: Arrested Development, Seinfeld, Top Gear (the BBC version), The Killing, Mad Men, Battlestar Galactica, Breaking Bad, Weeds (the first few seasons), Californication.
Music: Really into the folky sounding euro stuff right now, Mumford and Sons, Of Monsters and Men. Also enjoy Aloe Blacc, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, REM, U2. Not really into the new fangled crap the kids are listening to, especially dub-step or whatever the hell they call it (makes me sound like the old neighbor guy sitting on his lawn chair holding a hose bitching about dandelions), but I just discovered Alex Clare and have been blown away.
Food: prefer smaller, quieter places with great food - any restaurant with a good bread pudding and a malty ale... Other than that, not too picky. I enjoy sushi, Thai, Mediterranean, authentic/fresh Mexican (ie no can based re-fried beans), unique American or just about anything.

Beyond the boring survival stuff and friends/family:
Down time
Good beer or wine (but I don't usually drink that much)
Reddit
Ellipses and parenthesis
Power tools
A good chair

How to live more simply. I enjoy nice things, but have come to the realization that I don't need a lot of them to be content. Not sure if my urge to simplify has to do with maturity or laziness (less things means less stuff to dust or clean around). This push for simplicity has me beginning to appreciate certain minimalist design and art trends that I previously scoffed at. Opened my eyes to a new perspective.
The only exception to my simplification strategy is tools. One cannot have too many tools.

I don't generally enjoy talking to people on the phone. I'm fine with work related calls or something that has a defined flow, structure and purpose, but generic "chit-chat" is difficult for me because there is so much nuance and visual queues that are missed when on a phone call. Much better in person. Oh, and I don't wear underwear under my pajamas. That is important.

If you think you can handle the coolest mofo around. Kidding. I'm almost the exact opposite of a cool mofo. But if you're remotely interested in meeting for drinks and/or dinner some time. You understand or at least accept what I said above. You are not a drama addict. Or you're just bored and want to write some one. I'm up for pen pals too.
Just so you know, unless it's pretty clear that you're very compatible/open what's stated in the rest of this profile, I probably won't message you first. Not exactly the best policy if I want to meet people - I'm well aware. But I don't want to reach out to some one and offend them. Basically this means if I look at your profile but don't message you, it doesn't necessarily mean I'm not interested, just not sure you're interested in hearing from some one like me. So if you are intrigued or have comments/questions, feel free to send a note.