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Do you ever find yourself with the temptation to look up your highest enemy percentage so you can reach out to them and offer to exchange banter about how you will destroy each other? Just me? Hm.

I like books that work to reprogram your brain, even if only slightly. I like music that either gets in my face and makes me appreciate it or brings reflection to those moments when I can barely hear over the din of my own mind. I like art that moves me. I like movies that make me wish I was in them. And I like people that are genuine, honest and who make this world better just by being in it. All of that though, is trumped by my desire to laugh. Make me laugh...and you have a fan.

Most of all...I like people who see the beauty in the fact that we're all flawed in some way and no one really has their act together. I write. I sing. I bang on instruments. I think there is little as magical as watching someone really geek out about their passion, even if you don't share or understand it. I believe that if you don't learn to express yourself, then you risk losing a self to express, and that's the worst fate I can think of.

Living it. Learning how to live it best. I've set myself on a crash course of self-discovery and growth. Living in the moment. Evolving. Exercising (go hiking with me!) Being the cause for the effect I want, which is the true definition of good karma. A dedication to doing the right thing in every move I make. When you are at your best, the world rises to your level.

I work in advertising, pulling a lever for my colored reward pellets. I am damn good at what I do though, and my boss once commented that I could sell water to the drowning. Ultimately, it is what pays the bills. I'm well on my way to making a living from a few of my passions, writing and game design. Yes, I'm a nerd, but I am one of the best nerds you'll encounter. Besides, nerds are cool and sexy now, right? And it's about damn time. You should check out my blog if you are into all things nerdy. http://clevergamereference.wordpress.com

I've made a few good friends by way of OKC, and that's as good a reason as I am going to come up with here. I think there is some wonderful potential for friends here, which excites me. Friendship is a required foundation for anything past that. I won't speak for the future, no one knows what lies ahead. We have now, and we will take each moment and see where it leads. If that sounds good to you, welcome aboard.

A lot of things, actually. Making up words is one of my favorites. Some of my words that have broken into use among my peers include "ridiculocity" and "awesometer." I rock at spontaneous haiku and can hold entire conversations in 5-7-5 format. I'm quick with limericks. And also awesomely arbitrary alliteration and acronym acquisition. Listening. Cooking. Repeating myself. Repeating myself. Repeating myself. I can competently fill in in any position playing Rock Band. I'm a poet, and a great conversationalist. I make awesome mixes/playlists. I can make you laugh at a funeral. I'm good with head math (years of gaming does that to you). I know the word you're looking for (a thesaurus reads like erotica to me). I'm always up for a sing-along. I pick up games very quickly and can teach them easily. I have the patience of a saint. I enjoy filling the heads of children with utter nonsense, which encourages them to question authority, and amuses the hell out of me.

Probably my height. I cast a long shadow at 6'6" They grow em big in the Gateway City. Or one of my seven tattoos. I've been told I have nice eyes, a great smile and I am not hard to look at. And it wasn't even my mom!

Here we go...I'm going to come right out and say it. It's shallow, but it's true. It's what you like, not what you *are* like. If you can identify several cast members of The Hills, or can tell me what's going on in that wacky Kardashian household, you can stop reading here and move along. I don't think it's gonna work.

It'll probably go easier naming authors than books. Right now, I am reading books by Patrick Rothfuss (swoon!), Jim Butcher, Terry Pratchett and Charles deLint. I also love George R.R. Martin, Neal Stephenson, Kurt Vonnegut, Neil Gaiman and Dr. Seuss, to name a few. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline was a totally geeky loveletter made of win. How Shall I Live My Life by Derrick Jensen is a bible to me. Joe Bageant is one of my heroes. Oh, and I LOVE Stephanie Meyer. Ahh, just fucking with you, chump.

Movies follow a similar pattern. I adore everything Wes Anderson has directed. I can probably spout off more lines from The Royal Tenenbaums than I can the Star Wars trilogy. Maybe not. But close. I'm a fan of Aronofsky, Gilliam, Scorsese, Nolan, Kubrick, Waters, the Coen Bros (approximately 50% of the time), Edgar Wright, and more. While not a comic book nerd, (except for Preacher OMGSOFUCKINGGOOD) I am glad to see that (most) comic book movies these days are being made as if they actually want people to want to see them.

Music is something I could go on about for days. I like music from almost every genre. Modern country ("Jesus Pop" as I call it) and anything with the "Christian" prefix are predictably awful. Seriously. If I was God, I'd be pissed about that shit, for reals. Everything else has gems. Rather than sit here and try to
outhipster you, I'll list a few of the things that have come up on
the shuffle: Ike Reilly, The Flaming Lips, Girl Talk, The Mountain
Goats, Brandi Carlile, The Bird and The Bee, Colourmusic, TV on the Radio, Jurassic 5, Reel Big Fish, Portishead, Queen, The Beatles, Queens of the Stone Age, Self, The White Stripes, The Avett Brothers. You get the point. I like a lot of stuff. But friends do not let friends listen to Bright Eyes. Conor Oberst is the Pied Piper of Broken Hearts.

I dont own a TV, but I am not one of those people. I dont make a lot of time for television, but there are shows I enjoy. Extras was wonderful. Arrested Development is sublime. There is no such thing as a bad episode of Archer. Battlestar Galactica was way better than any show with a title like "Battlestar Galactica" had any right to be. Like many nerds, I am dismayed at the way Firefly was handled. I have enjoyed the TV adaptation of Game of Thrones. I also enjoyed
Life's Too Short. Ricky Gervais is pretty much a comedy
Midas.

I am a culinary adventurer. Mercury poisoning be damned, I could eat sushi every day of my life. I enjoy Thai, Indian, Ethiopian and Vietnamese. I like Italian, but authentic Italian, not Olive Garden. Which pretty much means homemade.

1. Music - it can pull you out of bad places. It can inspire you to great things. And sometimes it just gives you a reason to shake what your mama gave ya.

2. Absurdity - too many people treat life as *very serious business* Fuck all that noise. Life is short, and I want mine to be filled with laughter.

3. Sunshine - there's no sorrow that the sun's not gonna help.

4. Friends - those special people you share all of this with. It's not just Billy Shears. We all get by with a little help from our friends.

5. Faith - such a funny word. This one's been on my mind a lot lately, and I'll share with you my thoughts. When most people think of faith, they immediately associate it with religion, and the more cynical sorts insist that it is blind adherence to something which cannot be proven. I don't see it that way. I think faith is a hope for the things that you want in your life. And a leap of faith is striding towards those things, fueled by that hope. My life is filled with leaps of faith right now, and I like it.

6. Books - why live one life when you can live thousands?

7. Language - it would be criminal of me not to mention the greatest love of my life. Etymology is super hot. Word nerd 4 LYFE, yo.

Lately I've been thinking about growth. Spiritual, intellectual, emotional. Less so on the physical. Working on the opposite there with promising results. Endorphins own. Anyway, that growth ties to so many aspects of my life, and is fueled by understanding where you are right then. Rebuilding yourself every millisecond, making constant tiny improvements to the marvel that you are. To quote poet Buddy Wakefield, "Because even at your worst, you are fucking incredible. It comes honest. So return to yourself, even if you're already there, because no matter how hard you try, or what you do, the only person you're ever going to get to be, and I know it, is you."

I think a lot about social injustice and ways I can impact it on a personal and local level. I may not be able to change the world, but I can change myself.

I think a lot about nerd stuff. It's part of my job. I love to play games, and design is an entirely different and fascinating breed of monster. Also, one of the best nerd highs you can experience is hearing people rave about the things you created. Seeing your name in the rulebook is pretty rad too.

My nights are hardly typical. I don't think I have had a Friday routine in like...ever. If I have my daughter, I'll be playing with her. Her imagination is so explosive right now it is an absolute treat to watch her go, and to immerse yourself in her world.

If I don't have her, I'm on the prowl looking for things to do. Barcrawling and clubbing aren't really my thing. I'll look to see what live music there is going on (I have good friends in several bands), or maybe check a movie or have dinner and/or drinks with friends. I'm always down for a board game throwdown. It's free, it's fun and a clever mask for a social outlet.

I read Animal Farm at the age of 6. I'd just finished reading Charlotte's Web, and I thought it was going to be like that. That may explain a lot about why I am the way I am...

So you've made it this far. Congratulations! I'm giving you ownership of my amazing chocolate factory, complete with a slave labor force of spray-tanned dwarves. I think there are lots of reasons to message me. I'm smart. I'm articulate. I'm funny. I'm kind. I'm adventurous. I'm genuine. I'm creative. I'm strong. I'm loyal. I'm generous. I'm modest, too. I really am one in a million. Just like you. But if those aren't enough, here's a few freebies

You have a thing for lovable nerds
You can travel through time
You can find my fucking keys
You think it's bullshit that palindrome isn't a palindrome.
You are actually a robot sent from the future to teach us to rock...and to love.
You want to play cool board games (ohmygodihavesomany)
You found any of the above drivel entertaining...sucka!
You want to.
You have a good sense of humor.
You can appreciate the adventure of the moment.
You're looking for good company and conversation.

This brings us to the end of our program. I'd like to leave you with a bit by King Missile. "I don't know why I'm always inclined
to end on a happy note. Though the point may be mute, like a ten year old boy, with his throat and his dreams ripped out by wolves."

The Emordnilap Collective would like to thank you for listening. Cue static in 5...4...3...2...1...

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