topaz

From

bethr and now others:

Allergies: hay fever, cats.

Body modifications: two piercings in the right ear, one in the left. Neither has been used in several years. I've been strongly considering nipple piercings for a while but have been too lazy (or chicken :-) to do it.

Cats or dogs: Prefer dogs (see above). And yet we own a cat. :-)

Drink(s): Alcoholic: Cosmopolitans, White Russians, margaritas, good small-batch bourbon or single-malt Scotch, dark beer. Non-alcoholic: strong coffee, iced tea with lemonade, chai.

Exercise: bicycling. We have a collection of exercise machines -- elliptical trainer, NordicTrack, weight bench -- but the bike is the only thing that gets used regularly. I need to try to change that this winter. :-)

Foreign languages: Some high school Spanish that I haven't yet forgotten. American Sign Language (very rusty!) Have studied Greek, Latin, Mandarin Chinese and Japanese, but none of them solidly enough to retain more than a smattering.

Glasses: Since 1995. No contacts.

Hair color: Somewhere between red and strawberry blonde, depending on the light and time of year.

I've never (and wanted to): Gone skydiving. Gone rock-climbing. Traveled Europe. Biked on an overnight (or longer) trip. Played guitar in a band on a stage. Directed or scripted a movie. Built a tree house.

Jealous of: People more organized and self-disciplined than me. People with more money than evident talents.

Kind deed, most recent: Took some pictures of a friend for the dust jacket of her upcoming book.

Libido: outpaces most of my partners! Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing depends on who you talk to, and when...

Music: New Orleans blues and jazz; Louis Armstrong; Dave Brubeck; The Beatles; They Might Be Giants; Uncle Bonsai; some traditional & folk music. Lots of others, but these are the ones I keep coming back to.

Night or Morning Person: Night. But Queen Mother Circumstance (read: the public school bus) has made me a morning person.

Objects I'm Thinking of Buying: none until I get a job! But the list for then includes a proper laptop, a new Camelbak with more storage space, the Raiders of the Lost Ark and West Wing DVDs, and a set of suspension cuffs.

Paranormal experience: None for me, yet. Some people close to me have. I'm usually inclined to perceive those events as psychological.

Question(s) I want answered: What in holy hell made you think you could fit the proof in the margins, Mr. Fermat?

Romantic evenings include: any combination of: a walk in the woods; a leisurely canoe ride; a picnic with fruit and cheese and a nice white wine; a deep winter's walk in the city followed by a visit to a funky cafe for coffee or hot chocolate; a moonlit boat ride on a quiet lake in the country; long, slow, deeply connected lovemaking.

Skills I wish I possessed: business acumen. Political savvy. Electrical maintenance. Carpentry.

TV Shows: only "The West Wing," at the moment.

Unrequited Love: None currently. All of mine appear to be requited. Go me!

Vacation(s), most memorable: Scotland, 1994. It was a working vacation -- I was sent by the company I was working for to install my software at the client's site -- but we managed to swing plane tickets for

keyne and spent two fabulous weeks together in Glasgow. It was like a honeymoon before we got married.

World Wide Web, first year used: 1994. My former college roommate, who by that time was working in the computer center, called me out on my way to Chicago to see this thing. My reaction was something like, "Yeah... text... pictures.... so what?" It was not the first time that I lacked vision. :-)

X-rated X-periences in public: in a Hyde Park alley next to a friend's apartment building; in the bathroom in a University of Chicago office building; in a field next to a jogging path in Amherst; in state parks in Wisconsin and Massachusetts; innumerable cars, both moving and not; on a North Side Chicago street before a cheering crowd of 50 or so.

Yesterday, I: woke Morgan, got him fed, dressed and off to school; entertained Quinn for the morning; cleaned the bathrooms; visited the aforementioned author friend to take publicity photos; had a phone interview for a potential job (not a strong possibility); picked up Morgan and took him and Quinn to Homeport for the evening; brought them home, put them to bed and watched the second half of the game with

keyne and

jacflash.

Zero Interest In: football!