The new, improved, themill comes with everything you see here! Features include:

* Generous activity: I love spending time outdoors. Running, rock climbing, frisbee, hiking, you name it.

* Persistent optimism: When I fall off a horse, or ski face-first into a tree, I laugh, get back on the horse, skis, or other experimental transport and keep on going.

* Liberal worldview: I'm interested in equality and opportunity, in rational government and intelligent dialog. I'm open to new ideas and love to find out I was wrong about something. I like politicking and spent quite a lot of time volunteering for campaigns this fall.

* Musical machinations: Loud drum solos, and enthusiastic piano playing! Skill not guaranteed.

* Winter hardiness: Biking in January may be dangerous but it's hard to feel more badass than when skidding through an ice patch on the 10th Avenue Bridge.

I'm really interested in economic policy and "the rules of the game" -- how marketplaces form, function and fail. To that end, I'm in the Economics Ph.D. program at the U. It's a good mix of activities for me; I teach introductory level courses to undergraduates and read huge numbers of research papers.

In the long run, I hope to have a pretty hands-on policy role. Whether that means academia, non-profits, or the private sector is still up in the air.

Listening. I love hearing stories. The subject doesn't always matter much to me -- I like the turn of phrase, the details different people choose to emphasize. Do you have some interesting or controversial opinions? Let's her it! I'll let you talk my ear off and enjoy every minute of it.

Silliness. In groups I like to entertain and improvise -- the concept of "yes, and..." is one of my favorite ideas. I like to throw in the sly quips, the quick callbacks, and the occasional trip down the crooked road of absurdity.

Story telling. Intense drama with larger-than-life characters, absurd situation, narrow escapes, vigorous hand gestures, and a guarantee (with only the slightest hint of a wink) that everything I'm telling you actually happened.

... is definitely my voice. Not to mention a couple of ridiculous laughs that come out from time to time when a joke really gets to me.

Books: I read a lot -- mostly from the library. But, if I'm looking for something to enjoy on a rainy Sunday afternoon, I'll look for Isaac Asimov, Iain Banks, Robert B. Parker, Chuck Palahniuk, Tom Friedman, Donald Westlake, Neal Stephenson, and, to be sure, J.K. Rowling.

Movies: Fight Club and Memento. Two movies that make you think hard about the nature of reality and how we alter our perception to match what we desire. Otherwise, give me an action movie or a good drama any day.

Music: I enjoy quite a wide variety of music. I was brought up on a diet of classical music and oldies, and my love for those styles has hung around through the years. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy ridiculous pop (especially when out dancing) too. I suppose as long as there is something interesting about the music -- whether instrumentation, lyrics, melodic structure, or otherwise, I'm up for it.

Here are some bands I think are pretty good: Spoon, Vampire Weekend, OK Go, Grizzly Bear, Fleet Foxes, The Killers, Feist, Ben Folds, Reel Big Fish, They Might Be Giants, Coldplay, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dispatch, Dave Brubeck, Glenn Miller, Lionel Hampton

Food: I love cooking for people -- I make pretty mean lasanga, fried chicken, and banana bread. I'll try anything twice, and my copy of The Joy of Cooking is delightfully worn.

1. Healthy food
2. A good book
3. Bicycle
4. Frisbee
5. Green space
6. Camera

The art of storytelling -- what makes good characters, what features in a story grab different audiences, what makes a good ending. Any story, if told well, can be entertaining.

I like to take my time when making large personal decisions -- get the facts, see what my gut feel is, consider consequences, that sort of thing.

I love moral conundrums and I've spent a lot of time wondering about moral grey areas. I sometimes find it difficult to deal in absolutes, so I find myself frustrated with a lot of the questions OKCupid likes to ask me.

Some mixture of:
* bike rides
* dancing
* art
* card games (particularly Tichu)
* bonfires (tis the season)
* gin and tonic

I dance while I'm doing the dishes.

If you want to hear about the time a 10 year old on a ski lift made me feel foolish.

If you're excited by the thought of an intense Bananagrams match.

If you like long bike rides with no particular destination except a nice spot for a picnic.

If you have a story to tell.