Close Friends

I'd like to have closer relationships with people, though I feel a little embarrassed to admit it. I figure that if I let it be known then that will increase the odds of finding what I want. It's kind of like posting an ad for an item I wanted to sell. Unlike items for sale though, relationships are much more difficult to find matches for. This entry is kind of like an ad of sorts and so I'd like to expand on some of the interests in my About Me box.

People skills don't come naturally to me. I half-jokingly say that I have the personality of a dead fish :-). But I like to think that in recent years I've learned how to relate to people better. For example, I've learned about the importance of listening and how difficult that really is. I've also learned how to maintain good relationships with others even if we disagree on some things. It's a useful skill because no two people will ever agree on absolutely everything.

I'm interested in science and am a secular humanist which means I am not religious. Though as a social primate, I still feel the need to belong to a community and behave morally. In fact I don't believe there is a god so that makes me an atheist by definition. Among the sciences, I am most interested in physics, astronomy, psychology, and evolution. When I'm on the road commuting or riding my bicycle and I often listen to podcasts such as Point of Inquiry, Scientific American Science Talk, Savage Lovecast, as well as NPR On Science and NPR Fresh Air.

Related to science, I like computers and technology. This combined with being socially awkward probably makes me a bit geeky. I've always liked working with computers because I like building things and writing software allows me to see the results of my efforts more quickly. You can read more about my work life on my LinkedIn profile.

Another one of my passions is dancing. I enjoy dancing West Coast Swing because there is more freedom to improvise. I also like Lindy Hop and East Coast Swing and Big Band Jazz music which goes well with it, though I don't get to dance Lindy much lately. I regularly dance WC Swing at an intermediate level and am interested in taking more lessons.

Lately, I've been dancing at Sundance Saloon in San Francisco which is a mostly LGBT country-western dance club. I like the large friendly crowd there. The dances are mostly country 2-step and waltz, with some line dancing and WC Swing. I like to both follow and lead so I basically get to dance every song with anyone willing to dance with me. I also enjoy line dancing which is a kind of choreographed individual dance similar to aerobics.

I live in Mountain View which is in Silicon Valley and part of the San Francisco Bay Area. My husband and I have been living together since 1995 and we were legally married as a same-sex couple in California before Prop 8 was passed and so our marriage is still recognized by the state, but not at the federal level.

That's a little more about me. Feel free to contact me if you'd like to know more as I'm open to making new friends. Thanks for reading.