My friends joke that I’m on the master’s-a-decade track, but it’s much more than that: I continuously seek understanding of how things work.  I have: done splash-and-goes (seaplane “land“ings) down Lakes Sammamish, Union and Washington; made shrimp gyoza and the wrappers from scratch; photographed extreme close-ups of kitchen pantry items (like: peanuts, pinto beans, coffee grounds) using a rented macro lens; wrote a five-day weather forecast model; fixed leaky plumbing; knitted a scarf; replaced a clutch in my car; and bicycled across the state (multiple times).

According to a certain personality site, I am: ambitious, cocky, independent, mathematically inclined, introverted, lawful, literary, a planner, scientific, less emotional, not spiritual and well mannered.

Food and beverage:

I love Thai, Tex-Mex, Japanese, vegetarian and noodly dishes. I cook a lot (as you might infer from this blog). Weaknesses: potato chips, raw cookie dough, ice cream.

Though I can eat ginger and cinnamon all day, I hate mustard and wasabi/radish variants.

Beverages: milk, iced tea, root beer. I love mochas too much, and have given them up until next winter.

Media:

Musical tastes: On my iPod are selections from Neil Diamond, Collective Soul, Dervish, Crosby Stills Nash and Young. I love well-executed cover songs. Current favorites are the Melissa Quade interpretation of Led Zeppelin’s “The Ocean” and Gypsy Soul’s rendition of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game.”

TV: I don’t watch much Television anymore. However, during the winter, I’ll spool up the Tivo to record educational programming like “Mini Medical School” or new episodes of Mythbusters.

Movies: I love epic-y movies like Dances With Wolves or weird stuff like Fight Club, The Matrix, Memento, and Pulp Fiction.

Books, non-fiction: I read a lot economics, hard-core science, biology, psychology, etc, but never, ever computer books. Recent titles include “The Art of Demotivation,” “Gang Leader for a Day” and “Artificial Intelligence, A Modern Approach.” Favorites: Fannie Farmer Cookbook, Party of One, Undaunted Courage.

Books, fiction: Old Man’s War, Syrup, Ender’s Game, 2001: A Space Odyssey. I do not read fantasy (sorry, Kiri!), however, I do keep a stash of GURPS manuals because I like the mathematical treatment.