I dislike piña coladas and getting caught in the rain.

I'm lucky enough to have what's pretty much my dream job - I help run a start-up charity here in Oxford called the Centre for Effective Altruism. We run a few different projects all of which are aimed at helping people (or animals) in the most effective way possible - a bunch of them were recently featured in a TED talk which was pretty cool! If you're curious, see http://home.centreforeffectivealtruism.org/

In my free time, I enjoy a mix of intense activity (lively pub conversations, novel experiences, etc.) and relaxed downtime, whether watching a show or film on TV or chatting. I'm quite chatty - I enjoy banter and gossip, and also intellectual debates about politics and ethics and suchlike. I couldn't do without interesting conversation!

I like all of the above, but I'm passionate about movies and music. Message me if you'd like to go to the cinema in Oxford (Odeon/Phoenix/UPP), whether on a date or not :)

Movies:

Generally - despite sometimes being accused of dragging friends to pretentious films! - anything good, whether it's serious or just fun. I do like challenging or intelligent films from time to time. I try to see as much as I can.

Semi-specifically: adventure, art house, classics, drama, foreign, middlebrow Hollywood, high concept, science fiction.

Music:

Generally, anything with good lyrics that's either melodic and beautiful or energetic and loud.

Specifically: Prefab Sprout, The Hold Steady, Death Cab for Cutie, Barenaked Ladies, Crash Test Dummies, Arcade Fire, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, 10,000 Maniacs, They Might Be Giants, The Postal Service, Explosions in the Sky, Ben Folds, Nizlopi, Goldfinger, The Beautiful South, The Beach Boys, The Hippos, Simon & Garfunkel, The Blue Nile, The Trash Can Sinatras

Meaningful projects
Interesting conversation
Tasty food and drink
Catchy music
Absorbing movies
Guilty pleasures

(I've taken this almost literally, so I know these are pretty unspecific)

...you'd be interested in meeting up.

(Could be at a café or pub in the centre of town - the Chequers would be my first pick, for the nice atmosphere and tasty ale. I also really love the cinema, so if there's anything you'd like to watch at the Odeon/Phoenix/UPP drop me a line (we could meet for a drink beforehand). My friends sometimes accuse me of forcing them to watch pretentious films, but I enjoy anything good, whether it's serious or just fun.)