Jpharmon, 36

I guess I'd say my personality is like a jammed up valve at a water treatment facility. It takes a lot of work to get me to open up, but once you do it's hard to hold me back. Also, I have an affinity for awkward, unsexy similes.

I like simple, intimate, one-on-one dates where you can talk to the other person and get to know them. Not really into bars or clubs or any of that forced socialization. If I have to be s---faced to have a good conversation with you, this isn't going to go anywhere special, sorry. Ideal dates for me are things like hikes, dinners, little road trips places we've never been, and quiet nights in. Girl gamers are definitely a plus.

I seem to have pretty high standards for friends and relationships, but once I make a strong connection with someone it usually lasts for a while. I've been in a few long-term relationships, but I'm young and I don't think they were anything too serious. I'm really interested in the idea of a relationship as a partnership--two people who enrich each other and fill out each other's weaknesses, best friends who are there to take on the world together. It should be a pragmatic working relationship, not one person shoehorning the other into their childhood fantasy lover. I've done long-distance before, and I'd say it's hard but possible, given the right circumstances person.

I'm studying archaeology at the moment, but I really consider that a fallback career at the moment. I want to be either a standup or a writer. I'm currently working on two novels, and trying to find the right mix of pretentiousness and accessibility is really a difficult thing to master.