The biggest influences on my diction are Homestar Runner and Wizard People, Dear Reader.

I recently moved to Atlanta from Los Angeles to pursue a robotics PhD. I don't know many people here yet, but I'm trying to make friends through all possible venues. I like being around clever people with interesting stories!

Studying, studying, studying. I still can't decide what I want to do with my degree, but becoming a professor at a research institution sounds better and better every day. Or something that lets me travel around.

Trying new things! Math and science, traveling the world, linguistics, Scrabble, watching movies.

I'm good at going out with people I know well. I'm trying to get better at the whole socializing-with-new-folks thing.

If we're in my apartment, you'll probably notice my 3D printer right away. Otherwise...I try to tell insignificant but amusing stories. Like how an accident in Nicolae Ceausescu's secret bear-hunting grounds led to reported monster sightings all over Romania! That's a good icebreaker story.

BOOKS: White Noise, Last Chance to See, A Confederacy of Dunces, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Ask the Dust, The Geometry of Pasta, Signals and Systems by Oppenheim/Willsky/Nawab. My favorite Shakespeare play is Love's Labour's Lost.

MOVIES (this one could take a while): Bin-Jip, The White Diamond, Brick, The Big Lebowski, The Blues Brothers, Fargo, Dr. Strangelove, Apocalypse Now Redux, Fitzcarraldo, Tampopo, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, True Romance, Reservoir Dogs, Inland Empire, Mulholland Drive, Fast Cheap and Out of Control, Grosse Pointe Blank...

SHOWS: The Thick of It, QI, Food Jammers, Twin Peaks

MUSIC: Indie rock, classic rock, alternative, some metal. My all-time favorite artists are: The Deadly Syndrome, Sparks, Steely Dan, David Bowie, The Hold Steady, and Wall of Voodoo.

FOOD: This is super-important to me. I grew up exposed to a ton of extremely diverse cuisines, and I love trying new foods. Ethiopian finger food? Give it here. Live octopus tentacles? I went back for seconds. Salt coffee? Those are two of my favorite words! Right now I'm craving some chashu ramen. Also, I love fancy cakes, especially baumkuchen.

1. My laptop. I've forgotten what it's like to not be doing research or working on an electronics design project.
2. People to talk to! Sometimes I get lonely. Okay, a lot of the time I get lonely.
3. Caffeine. Is that a contrived answer? It sounds a little contrived. Oh well.
4. Movies. I've cut back, now I'm only watching 2-3 films a week.
5. Things to do. If I don't have a personal project or a grad school assignment handy, I kind of fall apart.
6. My 3D Printer, Melissa. She has a few battle scars but has shown me nothing but dedicated service over the years.

Math, robots, puzzles, cinema. I like coming up with and laying out projects to do, even though I'm always working on one from much much earlier.

probably studying. But if I had friends to go out with, I totally would!

When I'm extremely nervous about a deadline or a meeting or something, I'll dress up way nicer than usual and paint my toenails neon blue.

...you think you and I could make some good, interesting conversation!

OR if you want to go see The Room at the Plaza Theatre. I'm tired of going alone.