Hi. I've been living in the DC Metro area since college, after growing up in eastern MD. One of my passions is listening to music, album or live. My taste runs rather eclectic, so I'm at home with most any genre, be it indie rock, hip-hop, or even funk covers of video game music (a friend's band). Personality-wise, I consider myself to be jocular with a witty sense of humor. Whether I actually am funny varies, but I seem to have more successes than duds with impromptu jokes. :-)

For over ten years, I have been working as a software engineer. Unsurprisingly, some of my interests and hobbies are geekish. And yet it took me seven years before finally upgrading my cell phone this past summer from an old-school "brick" to a smartphone. *L*

Whether to see new places or to visit friends who live farther away, I enjoy traveling. Admittedly, I tend to make frequent, short excursions instead of longer trips, but would like to journey to Australia and/or Japan in a year or two. Perhaps that might be with someone I meet here?

Life is good for the most part-- I have a stable job, a home that I own, loving family and caring friends.

This past summer, I began improving my diet and exercise. Keeping up the good work has been one of my goals for 2013. Q1 assessment? Going to the gym/exercising has been pretty steady, eating better nutritionally, but I still need to work more at cooking this year. That said, I started using Myfitnesspal in November and it has been a very helpful aid.

Looking forward to a mix of camping and concerts starting Memorial Day weekend (camping trip, The Heavy, The Postal Service, and the Firefly Music Festival). If anyone reading this is going to Firefly, give me a shout-out; I currently don't have any friends attending and it would be cool to swap notes/plans with some people beforehand. Even if you aren't going, suggestions are welcome for which bands to see (as I only have 50% of this schedule planned out).

-making Mix CDs (example track-lists can be provided; I'm currently working on my annual Winter one)
-math and arithmetic (perfect for a large party restaurant bill. Speaking of which...)
-tipping well
-trashcan basketball
-diabolo juggling
-cooking, even if it seems I mainly do so for parties and pot-lucks (my confectionery skills are starting to become in-demand by friends, especially for Woodchuck Marshmallows)
-Wheel of Fortune (though I only catch it occasionally at the gym)
-keeping a zen-like demeanor in the face of adversity

If we're talking solely about appearance, then my tall height is a quickly noticed quality... although several people have complimented my hands (again, their appearance).

Otherwise, I often crack jokes, with alternating streaks of wit, sarcasm, quirkiness, absurdity, or bad puns.

It is a rare person with whom I can not get along, and have been lucky enough to remain drama-free. Sometimes I "wallflower" at first and other times I open up rather quickly; depends on the setting.

Books: Anything by Terry Pratchett (Hogfather would be my favorite with Good Omens close behind), "The Dresden Files" series by Jim Butcher, Shatterday by Harlan Ellison, and somewhat recently the "A Song of Ice and Fire" (aka Game of Thrones) series by George R. R. Martin. I enjoyed the Harry Potter books but wouldn't call them a favorite. Otherwise, I mostly read books that are either "genre" or have a topic that seems interesting. Currently reading: Snuff by Terry Pratchett

Movies: Clue: The Movie, Zero Effect, Once, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Amélie, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Pixar movies, The Muppets, 50/50, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. Love a good caper film.

Music: This Is My Jam
MUSE, The Bird and the Bee, Florence + the Machine, Janelle Monáe, Mocean Worker, Big Blow and the Bushwackers.

Lesser favorites include: Armcannon, Beck, Ben Folds (Five or solo), Cee Lo Green, Daft Punk, Danger Mouse, Freezepop, Gorillaz, Metric, N.E.R.D, Nouvelle Vague, Queen, Rilo Kiley, Sleigh Bells, The Cassettes, The Go! Team, The Grammar Club, The OneUps, The Postal Service, They Might Be Giants, VNV Nation, and most anything played by 103.1 WRNR which is not already mentioned. :-)

TV Shows: Breaking Bad, Treme, The Wire, Veronica Mars, Parks and Recreation, The Venture Brothers, Fringe, Pushing Daisies, Spaced, Firefly, the Avatar shows, Doctor Who, Community, Justified, Supernatural, Game of Thrones, The IT Crowd, The Walking Dead, The Muppet Show, The Shield, LOST

Stage Shows: SLEEP NO MORE! Such an amazing experience that I've gone to NY to see it twice. (WashingtonPost.com has a great review here that describes the show.) The King Lear production starring Stacy Keach from a few years ago. Last year, I went to a production by the Baltimore Rock Opera Society: "VALHELLA: The Ragnarøkkoperetta" (a few friends were in the cast/crew). That was pretty fun, and you can watch one of the performances here. I also just saw Equus and it was as emotionally powerful as I had heard.

Food: In my youth, I was a picky eater, but now as long as something is edible and does not actively taste bad, I'm game. Guess that's really subjective and non-informative. So to do something different, here are some local foods/restaurants that I enjoy, even if most of these are infrequent: Sandwiches from Sherwood Gourmet and Earl's, charcuterie from Stachowski's, Kabob Bazaar (still have to try Ravi Kabob some day), and Ray's the Steaks.

Besides the scientific answers like air, water, heat, etc.?

- Family
- Friends
- Mental stimulation (entertainment, arts, whatever)
- The Internet
- Autumn
- Caffeine (cutting back but enough to keep it on this list)

Wherever or whatever thoughts my wandering mind has decided to lead me to this time. Ways to perform awesome surprises for friends (A band I mostly enjoy just released a Queen cover album; I've bought three copies to gift to friends who like Queen).

My weekends are typically a fluster of activity and weekday nights are not, so Fridays fall into either category from week to week. Sometimes I spend my Friday night hanging out with friends and other Fridays I'll unwind with a movie or TV show from Netflix.

One of my uncles jumped off the Bay Bridge while I was in High School. That was half a lifetime ago, so it is not a sore memory at this point, but this is something I remember at times when crossing a bridge.

Summing myself up in these short bios was more challenging than I expected. If the anecdotes and insights into my life have made you laugh or intrigued you, feel free to send me a message. Or if you have your own questions or comments to share, then share away! :-)

(BTW, this username is a play on my actual name; I have a little interest in the mystery genre but am mostly indifferent.)