I'm a writer, creative-type, amateur programmer, entrepreneur, karaoke addict and meditation practitioner.

I just moved back to the Northwest after living in Tokyo for 5 years. Tokyo was a lot of fun, but eventually I realized that I missed the rain, the water and the mountains too much. Also, you can't find a decent sandwich anywhere in Tokyo. After 5 years without a Reuben, I'm sure you can empathize.

I feel like I'm too weird for the normal kids and too normal for the weird kids. I identify pretty strongly with the INFJ personality type. Essentially this means that I'm not one of those people who are easy to figure out when you just meet them. Depending on the situation I can be (very) serious or silly, sincere or sarcastic, gregarious or reticent, energetic or laid-back, calm or wound-up, reverent or irreverent...you get the idea.

I tend to get along well with women who are outgoing, candid, and who enjoy talking about things other than the weather and the latest TV shows and movies. If you have goals and dreams that you're working toward, that's also a plus. Finally, I really have no interest in pro sports. I enjoy engaging in sports from time to time, especially outdoor sports but I really don't understand why people get worked up over this or that team. If you're cool with that, read on.

I make things. I write short stories and essays, program web applications, and think up alternative lyrics to songs. I have lots of little (and big) side projects.

For a living I write for internet startups: blog posts, copy for emails, product descriptions, tweets, facebook posts and whathaveyou. Who knew my English major would actually pay off? Also, I have a love-hate relationship with Google, but at the moment we're on good terms.

I practice Vipassana meditation daily, and have gone on two 10 day retreats in Onalaska, WA. It has become a large part of my life and I feel that overall it has made me a calmer, more tolerant and compassionate person. Don't get me wrong, I have my moments when I'm not any of those things but I feel that those moments are growing fewer and further between.

I'm also learning how to swing and salsa dance.

1. Staring Contests.
2. Making Chile Verde.
3. Predicting the end of a movie.
4. Rapping in Japanese.
5. Telling Stories.
6. Imitating people you don't know.
7. Memorizing things.
8. Sarcasm.
9. Suiting up.
10. Crashing Parties.

My eyebrows and salt-and-pepper hair. People tell me that I dress pretty well, also.

I've also been told that I have a "calming" affect on people. Better than the other way around, I suppose.

Hard to rank, so just a few of the top of my head:

Books:
East of Eden | Musashi | Hard Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World | The Dispossessed | Ender's Game | 100 Years of Solitude | Crime and Punishment

Movies:
Ikiru | I love you, Man | School of Rock | Spirited Away | Funny People | The Apartment | Life of Emile Zola | Blade Runner
Indiana Jones (Not #4) | Magnolia | Eternal Sunshine and the Spotless Mind

Shows:
Rome | 30 Rock | Entourage | How I Met Your Mother

Music:
Classical | Reggae | Rock | Hip-Hop | Some Techno | African and Mid-East Pop | Some Euro Pop

Food:
Jerk Chicken | Indian Curry (Butter Chicken!) | Pad Thai | Pho
Falafel | Anything with Hummus or feta cheese olives and sun-dried tomatoes | Also, pretty much anything spicy.

Nah. Things come and go.

Ambition vs. acceptance of what is. The interaction between mind and matter. Positive psychology. Finding innate talents and passions. Finding affection without attachment. Creativity. Why my intuition is right 90% of the time. Why I never seem to listen to my intuition. How other people think and see the world. The time I'm finally going to buy some stock and what companies I'd invest in. How inconvenient it is to own a car in Seattle. Sandwiches. How to win the internet. That event I'm supposed to go to next week. The lives of the founders of each religion and the common threads in their teachings. Laundry Day.

When not working on a project, I'm either at the gym taking various classes, or hanging out at a local bar with friends. I also go to a lot of events, although they don't always land on a Friday.

One of my friends (guy with with the beard in the pictures) and I have been mistaken for a gay couple...twice.

You think we'd hit it off.