Suburban middle class drone

...waitaminutethatdidntcomeoutquiteright...

In the process of becoming single. See "what I'm doing with my life" for more details.

Actually quite happy (in most respects) to be exploring a new phase of my life with great family and friends, a solid career,and good health. I've been fortunate to live in the USA, Latin America and Asia growing up, giving me my most valuable learning experiences that I apply everyday. I am quite skilled at (and get paid for) drawing and writing instructions for builders to make buildings, more glamorously known as "being an architect". On weekends I ride my bike (road, cross, or MTB) or play ultimate, if I'm not spending it with my kids or fixing/building something.

I'm an optimistic person - I try to glean good things out of all situations when possible. I tend to look at life's many adventures as "both/and" rather than "either/or".

Other mantras:

"When in doubt, leave it out"

"The perfect is the enemy of the good"

"Get busy livin'"

"This one goes to eleven."

Right now I'm separated (there's no category on this site for this), and I totally get it if this is a non-starter for you. I'm in the last stages of moving on after a very positive but not quite sustainable relationship that lasted half of my life. Check back in a few months and my status will be different, but regardless I strive to be very much a part of the lives of my kids - one is about to leave the nest, the other is still close for a few more years. I plan on taking the experiences of my past and applying them to my future in relationships, work, and play.

Trying to find the common things that we can talk about. There's always a connection somewhere, or a friend of a friend of a friend, or a place that we've both been to, that can spark an engaging conversation.

Pretty good at juggling. Not Flying Karamazov Brothers good, but good enough.

I can also fix a flat on a bike in about 10 seconds. Not really, but I'm still pretty fast...

...is that I'm pretty optimistic and willing to lend a hand, or an ear, or a shoulder.

Catch-22 is my favorite American novel. I could not put down Into Thin Air. Devil in the White City was excellent. Finally mesmerized by Slaughterhouse Five. The Secret Race which exposed the seamy underbelly of my favorite sport.

Any movie that is not overly formulaic, but in some people's eyes that pretty much wipes out most of them. I guess movies just recently seen leave afterimages in my head..."Flight", "Man On Wire", "Lincoln", "Silver Linings Playbook" currently reside there.

Let's just say that I enjoy bands from my past that are still going (sort of) strong, like X, PIL, Social D, Presidents of the United States of America. Then there are those whose songs stick in my head for days. Silversun Pickups, Queens of the Stone Age, Neil Young, Ray LaMontagne, Cake, Beck.

Rock, bluegrass, folk, ska, hip hop, punk, alt, and especially the mashups that create new sounds.

My friends say I would be an AWFUL food critic because I really like virtually everything that I eat. The more varied, the better, but comfort food is solid too.

Literally, alphabetically, and most importantly:
Family, food, friends, intimacy, sex, shelter, and sleep. Oops that's seven things. Some of these overlap, so six between us friends.

Figuratively, not in any particular order, and randomly:
Cuisine, my bicycles, my tools, movies, books, and these electronic things that we spend so much time with reaching out to others.

How to get from point A to point B, but not necessarily in a straight line. Who will be joining me in that journey. How to ensure that it will be a great trip. How NOT to overthink things. How to keep everything proportionate. What are the other options if we didn't exist.

There's no such thing as a "typical" Friday night, otherwise it would feel like a rote weeknight, yes? The goal is to focus on re-energizing after the workweek. Relaxing at home, hanging out with friends, a standing ultimate game in the summer. Maybe a movie or a live show. Depends on the mood/circumstance - I'm pretty flexible.

"Ice Ice Baby" is kinda catchy. There I said it.

I'm not as conventional as I seem.

You are single or separated and would like to meet someone new. Or someone old (depends on where you're coming from). Coffee or drinks or tapas? Really low key. I won't bite.