25 Things About Me:

1. I've been told that I write well, but I have such a high standard for quality writing that I have a hard time doing any serious writing myself. This was probably the biggest factor in my not reaching 50,000 words when I attempted NaNoWriMo (http://www.nanowrimo.org/).

2. Lindy hop saved my life- not literally, but I cringe when I think about where I would be today if I had never started dancing. Which means that Swingers saved my life, because that movie was the major motivation behind me taking dance lessons in the first place. I thought that charming a girl with my dancing abilities would be the perfect way to get a girlfriend- ridiculous and true.

3. Previous to dancing, I had never had a girlfriend, or even kissed a girl (aside from a Truth or Dare game). I was (am?) a late bloomer.

4. Richard Feynman is my biggest celebrity hero. "What do you care what other people think?" was a guiding principle for me through college and beyond. As I've gotten older, I've come full circle on this principle; I cared more and more what other people thought of me through my twenties, and I'm finally back on the path of not caring again. What I've really learned though is to care about what the people who matter to you think, but to still let your actions be guided by your internal compass.

5. I was a raving objectivist from about 16-22. This includes being Vice President of the Berkeley Lycaeum, and owning every book ever written on objectivism, whether by Ayn Rand or not. I still agree with many of its principles, but I will never subscribe to any one philosophy fully again.

6. There's a long list of things I've done (and do) that all but my closest friends would be shocked and surprised by. I used to enjoy doing some things because no one would expect me to do them. Now I do the things I want to do, and try not to worry about what people would think about them.

7. I recently learned that I'm an Enneagram type 5 (http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/typefive.asp). And I really do have a deep subconscious belief that most people know/learned something I didn't, especially when it comes to relating to others.

8. Another type 5 quality of mine- I can't stand liking something that the "masses" like. I've overcome this one a bit in my later years, but (for example) have a hard time admitting to liking John Mayer and Jack Johnson.

9. I love being noticed, but would never want to be caught trying to be noticed. I've fulfilled this itch in many different ways throughout my life: drama, choir, doing things no one else would dare do (see 6), and being funny.

10. I never had stage fright, but do sometimes have trouble with public speaking. And the one thing that still terrifies me is singing in front of an audience.

11. I really love to sing, and the ultimate for me has been playing the piano and singing along. If you ever see me walking down the street with headphones on, I'm definitely singing out loud.

12. Becoming a really fantastic pianist is probably my biggest lifelong ambition. My journey officially started three years ago when my ex rented me a piano for 6 months. That was the second best present I've ever received- the best was when all my friends chipped in and helped buy me the piano for my birthday that same year.

13. I'm not very emotional (two days of crying in the past eight years), but I am often moved to tears by music and movies.

14. I hope at some point to cry much more often- I envy my friends who cry more readily than I do.

15. I have a hard time keeping in contact with friends if they don't live nearby. A contributing factor is my resistance to writing (emails in particular).

16. My life has gotten better and better with each year (at least since entering my twenties), and the last few have been significantly better.

17. I love to be surprised, and I'm pretty difficult to surprise. I avoid movie trailers when I can- my favorite way to see a movie is knowing almost nothing about it.

18. I hold the capacity for change (for the positive) as one of my top values. If you have that capacity, it's more likely that you're among my favorite friends.

19. I've been told that my laugh is distinctive, and it can be quite loud. I used to embarrass my ex by laughing too loudly in public- she still occasionally gives me a "look" :)

20. One of my biggest dreads is boredom. I also have a very good memory. Between those two, I'm always seeking out original entertainment, with an equal emphasis on each word.

21. I was voted Most Intelligent in my high school class, which was exactly what I wanted to be in high school. Nowadays I'm more interested in how I am as a person than how smart I am, but get hooked by the need to be smart more frequently than I'd like.

22. My biggest strength in thinking is my ability to learn- in particular, my abilities to understand how something works, and to associate previous things I've learned (and remembered, see 20) in application toward solving new problems.

23. I don't generally think of my future more than a couple of years in advance. Because I believe so strongly in things changing, I don't see the point in planning/predicting far into the future. This may change.

24. I'm so much more sensitive than you know. Then again, if I like you, you probably are too.

25. I had to avoid thinking too much and reading what I wrote in order to write this list in a reasonable amount of time. And I'm trying not to care too much what you think of it.

This is what I do for fun anyways... http://www.youtube.com/user/luislew

- Finding the funny side, and revealing it to others
- Solving problems
- Listening
- Adaptation
- Receiving and integrating feedback
- Bowling, poker, and Magic (the card game)
- Dancing; my solo dancing approaches the level of my partner dancing with each passing day
- Making space for other people's experiences

My big, bright smile; my fine shoes; my resemblance to the "Mac Guy" (sigh)

Books- Anything my Murakami, Hornby, Pratchett, Vonnegut. His Dark Materials was the last best thing I read.

Movies- Almost Famous, Amelie, Bread and Tulips, City of God, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Fight Club, Garden State, Gone Baby Gone, Groundhog Day, I Heart Huckabees, In America, Juno, Lars and the Real Girl, Lonestar, Lost in Translation, Memento, Once, The Prestige, Red, State and Main, Stranger Than Fiction, Talk To Her, You Can Count On Me

Music- Badly Drawn Boy, The Be Good Tanyas, Beastie Boys, Beatles, Belle & Sebastian, Ben Folds, Ben Kweller, Cake, Counting Crows, De La Soul, Death Cab for Cutie, The Decemberists, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Digable Planets, Ed's Redeeming Qualities, Elliott Smith, Fiona Apple, Gorillaz, Gotan Project, Guster, Iron & Wine, Jolie Holland, Josh Rouse, Jurassic 5, Matt the Electrician, Modest Mouse, Nick Drake, Postal Service, Quantic, Ratatat, Regina Spektor, Ryan Adams, Sean Hayes, The Shins, The Smiths, Sufjan Stevens, They Might Be Giants, A Tribe Called Quest, Van Morrison, Weezer

- Music/my piano
- Dancing
- My closest friends
- Intellectual stimulation
- Growth
- Time alone

How the universe works. Why we do the things we do. Why I do the things I do. The balance between intention and presence. Conversations I might have.

These days I find myself looking for reasons to reveal myself more and more. In one on one connection, there's not very much I won't say. In a public place (like the internet) however...

You're interested in a cute, smart man who is in the practice of constantly growing. You would like to be serenaded at my piano. You're naturally soft, but you assert yourself with grace. Your life feels full of joy and friends (mine does!)