I have a tenuous-at-best relationship with brevity, as you'll soon realize if you read further. So, to give you an idea, here are some initial thoughts on my values before I make with the describing: People are more important than things. Quality of time counts more than quantity. Hold people to the fewest expectations possible, but don't lower important standards. Self-honesty comes first, then frankness about your truth with others. Love alone isn't enough, but life without love misses the point.

More than anything, I value my friends and aim to have high standards for the sort of people I have in my life. Most of my best friends are people I've known for over a decade; I like to develop lasting relationships. Right now I am looking to branch out and meet new people and see where that takes me.

I'm looking for someone intelligent, preferably well-read, who can keep up their end of a conversation but doesn't mind a comfortable silence when it suits. Likewise, it's nice to see someone put equal effort into their me-time and our us-time. I value a good sense of humor and sarcasm is perfectly welcome. (My own humor is peculiar and probably equal parts circumstantial, sarcastic, occasionally childish, and outright demented.) You don't have to be a bodybuilder (in fact, I'd prefer you not to be), but please take care of yourself reasonably well. Fans of good food and drink are particularly welcome.

At this time, I'm not looking for anything too serious, unless lightning strikes. I prefer to get to know someone and let things progress naturally. Frankly, I never hunt people with a specific goal in mind, but rather simply remain open to possibility.

Given my status showing as "available", not "single", it's clear that I am currently seeing someone. In the interest of forestalling lots of questions, here's the scoop:

As of this writing (7 June), it's actually two someones. I've been identifying as solo poly for some time, but it appears that one of my relationships is developing a high degree of intensity, so for now, I'm just going with polyamorous without any caveats. (Labels mean little to me, but they are useful in communication.)

I've been involved with felinesoul for several months as a secondary member of his existing poly group, though I'm only actively involved with him. Our relationship is developing into one of importance, though it remains low key in many ways.

My more recently-begun relationship is with shortbassist. There is a definitive romantic connection developing there, and we both appreciate the growing intensity while desiring to remain actively poly. My relationships are all very fluid; I don't force them to be anything they are not. However, I should mention that I am as variable in kink as anything else. In this case, I am very much a submissive to him and he is very much my Dominant.

Regarding email: To those who have emailed me in the last several weeks and to those who may be planning on it, please be aware that my inbox is still currently somewhat flooded. This is largely due to the fact that I've been very busy (including being sick for a time and planning/executing my move) and unable to make time for well-thought-out responses. I will try to get caught up as soon as may be, but I appreciate your patience in the mean time.

Currently, I'm a self-employed graphic designer and leathercrafter living in York Township, though admittedly work has been slower than usual with the economy in the tank. Now that I have all this newfound free time, I'm strongly considering continuing my education in graphic arts or a related field. I have a degree already, but the thirst for knowledge never dies and I feel there is still more out there to learn.

(Alternately, perhaps I'll go apprentice to become a plumber. I can always do art, I'm not afraid of getting dirty, and a job in inelastic demand sounds pretty appealing right now. *grin*)

Prior to my relocation to PA, I was the troll in the basement (that's where my office was, so it's not a reflection on my personality), but now my work area is my attic. So, I guess I've transitioned from troll to ghoul, or possibly bansidhe.

At other times, I enjoy reading (I read at least a little every day), movies (thank god for netflix), music of all sorts (live or otherwise), and any excuse to travel (spontaneous road trips are a joy, if you can get over the gas prices). Additionally, I love cooking, especially when it's a team effort, but mostly I like to feed people good food while having a good chat. I can be a touch shy at first, but verge on boisterous once comfort has been established.

I bounce around the Mid-Atlantic quite a lot for myriad reasons, and I'm usually in Baltimore at least a couple of days or nights a week. The summer and autumn months will leave me relatively weekendless due to various festivals and other obligations, but thankfully, I make my own weekday schedule.

reading, cooking, ice skating, philosophizing, all-night conversation, singing, logical analysis, armchair psychology, telling bad jokes, arts and crafts, getting along with other people's pets, acting as a surrogate left brain, being quite stereotypically masculine in the way i think and process feelings or information.

Hrmmm. Physically, I'm told it's between my eyes/eyebrows (some people compare me to Frida Kahlo, if she owned a pair of tweezers) and my hair, which I keep long and usually wear loose, except when working with tools or when it's hot, sticky, or very windy. (I'm just very wash and wear, so length and style revolve entirely around practicality.)

Other noticeable qualities are my willingness to laugh at the oddest things, how animated I get when talking about subjects of interest, and how (once my initial shyness passes) I don't hesitate to ask a lot of probing questions. I also have a tendency to ramble on when excited and break off for tangents that I find interesting, relevant, instructive, and/or humorous.

Books: [Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead, The World is Flat, The Wheel of Time series, all Neil Gaiman, An Unquiet Mind, the Harry Potter series, Lord of the Rings, the Griffin & Sabine series, The Art of Looking Sideways, How to Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul, all Postsecret, Gothic, Under the Black Flag, What's the Matter with Kansas, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the Dune series, The Pirates! series, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Stumbling on Happiness, The Paradox of Choice, Stranger in a Strange Land, The Stars My Destination, The Big Necessity, The World in Six Songs, This is Your Brain on Music, Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman, Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, all Augusten Burroughs, Eats, Shoots, and Leaves, and lots more.

Movies: Mirrormask, The Prophecy, Serenity, Boondock Saints, Benny and Joon, Pirates of the Caribbean, American Beauty, Batman Begins, Eddie Izzard: Dress to Kill, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Royal Tenenbaums, King Arthur, Harold and Maude, Clue, Amélie, Bound, Shaun of the Dead, Secretary, Rent, The Dark Knight, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Shortbus, Coraline, The Hudsucker Proxy, Cannibal: The Musical, UP (Squirrel!), and many, many others.

Music: Albannach, Gogol Bordello, Corvus Corax, Indigo Girls, Tori Amos, Miles Davis, assorted classic rock, Melissa Ferrick, Jollyship the Whiz-Bang, Mary Prankster, Franz Ferdinand, Ani DiFranco, The Fratellis, Ladytron, Tokyo Police Club, Birdy Nam Nam, Flogging Molly, Scythian, Hem, Ceann, Johnny Cash, NIN, Cake, Edgar Meyer, The Flaming Lips, underground hip hop a la Dead Prez, and (are you getting the trend) a further and possibly even more random collection of artists and styles.

Food: Thai cuisine], Indian cuisine, Afghani cuisine, Ethiopian cuisine, fennel, mushrooms, seafood and fish, Irish pub food, good bread and bagels, good wine, beer, cider, and bourbon.

The Oxford comma, a cellular phone, an animal companion, quality ingredients, coffee, and a good bed with equivalent linens.

My friends and loved ones, philosophical abstractions, emotions v logic, art, science, staying present, the state of the world, and what comes next. Okay, really, in all honesty, I'm pretty much always thinking about some new tangent or other.

At the pub or, equally likely, at a friend's place playing Apples to Apples and talking about whatever strikes our fancy. Alternately, I could be headed to or in New Jersey, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, DC, or nearly anywhere else easily drivable from here.

I'm manic-depressive. While I wouldn't say I "suffer' from it, after over a decade since my diagnosis, I also wouldn't say I'm "in recovery" from it. By that, I mean that it has many downsides, of course, but I've found my way toward keeping that from having a strong impact on my life. The blessing of self-discovery that comes from deep analysis and the peculiar worldview that comes from an atypical state of mind make it more of a gift than a curse at this point, and I'm glad for the ways in which it makes me unusual.

You managed to read this much without yawning, can avoid using txtspk in your email, and think we may have that elusive thing – compatibility. I look forward to hearing from you.