In my working life I'm a software engineer, out of work I'm an avid whitewater kayaker! Kayaking is my main hobby, although I'm up for anything where I have a mild chance of death. I've recently taken up climbing because of the lack of gradient in the south east...

I'm living/working in Cambridge but am a Northern boy at heart - I'm from Durham and went to uni in York.

I flick between being ultra-geeky in front of my computer all day and night to sleeping on mates' sofas or in my car out partying and boating pretty often!

It seems to be work all day, sleep all night at the moment. But the holiday season is starting, so I'm off to Slovenia in May for a long weekend and the French and Austrian Alps for 3 weeks in July. Both kayaking holidays.

I absolutely love my job, but definately won't bore you to death with it. People who like low-level programming are thin on the ground, but if you do you might just be a keeper... ;)

Outside of work I've already mentioned I'm in to extreme sports - those usually happen at weekends and I can't afford to do them *every* weekend so evenings are often quite mundane - relaxing, watching telly, reading, that sort of thing. I've just worked my way through House and have just started the Soprano's.

I really like to help others, and I think I'm pretty good at it! One of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had was working as a volunteer outdoor instructor in Wales for a summer with disadvantaged kids, teaching them to raftbuild, canoe, kayak and rock climb. I just really enjoy seeing people learn, especially kids, and find it really rewarding to know that I contributed to their development in some small way.

I like to think I'm a good communicator, and my hobby (the K word, I think I may have mentioned it once before already) has made me pretty good at leadership, taking control and coping with unexpected, dangerous and difficult situations.

I also play the piano, generally as a means of relaxation!

I'm generally always smiling, and I love to talk. An awkward silence is hell for me.

The count of Monte Cristo, without a doubt. 600 pages of pure revenge on the part of the protagonist, meticulously planned out over a period of 20 years.

I also adore Les Mis - I've been to see it once and really want to find someone with whom to see it again!

Food wise I'm a bit picky and generally crap, I'm waiting for someone to force feed me something decent and open my eyes, and my palette.

What it would be like just to up sticks, and bugger off to France for the weekend. I keep promising myself I'll do it, but something always comes up.

... That's code for "my inner laziness comes to bite me", which is the reason I currently struggle to go to the gym or in fact do anything constructive.

One of two things.

Either blasting my way up north, ready for a night on the town or in the pub with my mates up in York and a weekend up there, or...

... Relaxing after a long day at work, contemplating the weekend of watching Formula 1 with relish.

I was a bit of a bad lad at school and had to be moved before I got expelled. That's all you're getting on my profile, any more will have to be over a drink!