I need change. I'm not the sort of person to stick to a routine, which is probably why I stopped the whole Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 thing that the "average" person seems to do a lot of.

I've been told that I can be arrogant, which is a rather exaggerated description of myself, methinks. I think the more accurate description would be self-confident; particularly characterized by my habit of saying, "Don't worry, I think I have a cunning plan..." before collapsing into a tired wreck realising that my cunning plan wasn't particularly cunning (or much of a plan).

Wow, I just noticed how much my life has changed since I last worked on this profile. At the moment, I'm a freelancer - cynically interpreted as doing lots of little things for very little money, although this is but one liberal interpretation. For other interpretations and a lengthy exposition, you can message me by clicking that "Message" button.

Otherwise, I may be found trying to look important by studying the unraveling of the global financial system with an odd mixture of academic enthusiasm and shock at the human toll this will bring.

I'm a perfectionist which means that I'm pretty good at lots of things, but I don't think I'm excellent in anything in particular. However, if challenged, I try my best to be as good as possible.

I'm also told that I am getting better at the dubious skill of being able to use many words to say things that can be described more succinctly.

I don't do things half ways. Some days, I can really be quite extroverted and try to make interesting or amusing conversation and on other days, I'm not "quite there". :-)

(a) Generally read anything I can get in front of me that's either witty, informative or interesting in any way.

(b) Sometimes movies that make you think of the human condition, Mar Adentro and Hotel Rwanda for example I think display humanity at its best and worst. Sometimes I just like to hang back and watch something that doesn't make you think too much, recently watched Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and enjoyed it. I like the works of Stanley Kubrick; and at the same time I've had a good laugh watching the worst movies ever made such as Manos: The Hand of Fate. It depends on the situation, really.

(c) It depends on the situation. Chopin on a cool rainy day, Debussy to relax, Mozart as food for thought. Beethoven is sort of a one-size fits all. Edith Piaf on warm summer afternoons. Art Tatum or Thelonious Monk on a home-cooked dinner date. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on some Valentine's Days, Tuvan throat-singing when I'm in a good mood, Queen when I'm not. In case you haven't figured it out; yeah, it's pretty eclectic.

(d) Perhaps I could better describe the foods I do not like. I am a sort of anti-vegetarian, as I tend to avoid loads of plant material that are not fruits, shoots or roots. This is due to early childhood trauma with parents who like their vegetables boiled until soft and soggy seasoned with absolutely nothing but boiled tap water.

wine, good music, quality friends, good food, computer with fast Internet connection and reading material

To leeum I propose good cheese. Ah, you think, it then becomes seven, not six things - that is to say, more than six, still less than eight - but no! Good cheese is a subset not only of good food... but also of quality friends.

Editors

• xxanthe

Since my favourite questions tend to be those that start with "Why" and "How", you can imagine I spend my time thinking about a lot of different things. Some are serious, and I'm generally good at these; for example "How do I get the program to support this new messaging format?". Some are more frivolous, and quite often result in "oops" moments; an example from my childhood "I wonder how staplers work. Would it still staple with something like my own thumb?" or, more recently, "Why can't my computer recognise its hard drives? I wonder what happens when I format this." (read my journal for more details).

I am, however, by no means an unformidable thinker having answered several important questions such as "What happens if you drink grapefruit juice while taking Benadryl?" and "Why is the lion significant in European heraldry, but you don't see any lions in Europe nowadays?".

I don't have typical Friday nights.

There was a time when my roomate was back home visiting family and friends. I'd just taken a shower and realised that I had left my towel downstairs in the living room. Seeing that there wasn't anyone around, I decided to pick it up while still somewhat damp and not wearing very much.

I had not counted on the fact that I had forgotten to draw the curtains. The flat overlooks a rather busy street although we are higher up than can be seen by most cars. However, an open-air double decker bus decided it would be the best time to drive by loaded with elderly British tourists.

I can only hope I ducked behind the sofa quickly enough.

It's really simple - I like to talk to people who generally try to see the humour in a lot of situations. Of course, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy serious talk - which I actually do indulge in quite a lot.

I tend to like to take the "middle path" for a lot of things, which means that I'm not strongly left-wing or right-wing (despite what any of the OKcupid tests I've taken might indicate). You should keep this in mind if you want to engage in political discussions. I'm also central when it comes to the spectrum between depressive/the world stinks and manic/everything's great, so bear this in mind too.

You might also notice that I tend to be rather descriptive in a verbose fashion. This isn't because I like "hearing myself talk", I'm a fast typer so whatever comes to mind is transposed onto the screen very quickly. This also gives you an insight into the way my mind works; although, believe me, it seems a lot more chaotic in there. :)

Finally, just message me if you have something to say or want to talk about anything at all. I'll try to be a good conversationalist in my idiosyncratic fashion. I'll admit I'm probably not going to be able to be friends with *everyone*, but I'll be straightforward enough to admit it. I think it should also become clear when the conversation starts fizzling out. :)