Self-Portrait - Late 2003/Early 2004"A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men." -- Roald Dahl -- Extra credit if you who Roald Dahl is and if you know where the quote came from...

Hi!

I would enjoy meeting someone with a kind heart, quick wit, keen intellect, and easy going manner who loves the Lord. While far from perfect, I think I have something of those same qualities to offer in return.

Do you enjoy good music of all genres? I do. I don't care if it's classical, jazz, contemporary, pop or even country. Duke Ellington is quoted to have said: "If it sounds good and feels good, then it IS good!" And: "There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind." I think I agree.

While I took piano lessons as a kid, and played the trombone through high school and for a year in college, I didn't heed my mother and never practiced, so I never progressed like I could have. For three years I sang baritone and tenor (when the tenor part didn't go to high) in a small choral ensemble and loved every moment of it!

Why do I mention all that? Because music is deeply ingrained in my soul. Music can move me like almost nothing else. And because I think I would enjoy meeting someone with musical interest.

Alhough I'm quiet and reserved around new people, I enjoy speaking in public, or performing on stage, and project a relaxed ease and confidence there that probably baffles anyone who sees the quiet me in a social situations. Go figure!

COLOR CODES: Hehehehe! I'm always amused by pseudo-psychological analyses or character profiles like this. They're often quite random, uneven, and mostly, to be a bit redundant, amusing.

I started to fill out my color profile, then ran into this group of words from which I was to pick one, and one only, and at least one to describe myself as a child: relentless (nope, not me), suspicious (nope, didn't match me either), indifferent (another non-match), and naive (no match). The words were equally inapplicable, so I left that group blank. The test complained and wouldn't let me finish. Ha, ha! I win! :)

So what did you do on your color profile? Did you capitulate and randomly pick one when none of the available choices matched? That's what most people do, I suspect. Maybe I'll give it another shot when I'm in a light-hearted, devil-may-care humor.

Have you ever gone geocaching? What, you've never heard of it? Think of hiking and exploring, hunting for "treasure" almost anywhere and everywhere, using the Global Positioning System (GPS) to guide you to your find. It's a blast! Beware of asking me about it -- I'll go on, and on, and on, and...

It sure seems like a lot of ladies out there are seeking "someone ambitious", therefore I publically announce my intention to take over the world, nay, even the galaxy, and declare myself the First Galactic Emperor of the Milky Way.

How's THAT for ambition? Unrealistic? Aw, shucks! Would you settle for my taking over North America? The U.S.? How 'bout Utah? Nevermind, then.

Perhaps I'll just take over a one-acre stretch of back-country desert somewhere in Utah, plant a flag, find a nice, large, flat rock, sit down on it, rule over my new realm for a few minutes before I get bored and go somewhere else. That's more realistic, wouldn't you say?

So what in the world do they mean by that? Someone ambitious. What KIND of ambition? Political? Academic? Athletic? Scientific? Humanitarian? Family? Gospel? Ambition to seek fame or fortune?

Have they ever considered that Joe Schmoe may declare himself a perfect match proclaiming his overwhelming life's ambition to watch more television than any other man alive?

*chuckle*

Okay, I'm getting carried away. Seriously, though, ambitions can be good or bad. The really good ones are the hardest, to be a better person, live the Gospel better, be a better friend and family member, seek learning out of the best books, and so forth.

When it comes to a serious relationship, that will only happen with someone who shares a great love for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, someone who wants to do the little things every day, daily personal and family scripture study, prayer, hold regular family home evenings, hold and magnify church callings. It seems that when I do the little things, the Lord blesses me so much that life seems to take care of itself.

When I marry, there's only one place that event will occur, and that's in the temple. Now WHICH temple, that's open for debate... *grin*

I'm not saying that I'm perfect. Far from it. But I intend to get there someday using the path that the Lord has provided and shown us.

My parents and brothers and sisters are not only family to me, but are my best friends. Because I grew up with goodly parents who taught the Gospel to their kids, I know the blessings and joys that can come from family. I want that joy to continue into eternity.

Hey, thanks for stopping by and reading my lengthy essay. Please forgive my sometimes excessive verbosity.

Personal Info:

• Gender:
  Male
  
• Location:
  St. George, Utah, USA
  
• Age:
  Mid thirties Edited for ambiguity
  
• Height:
  5' 7"
  
• Build:
  I should maybe lose a few (I hate this web site's choices. They combine into "build" both build and fitness level. I'd rather say "Build: Somewhat Stocky -- Fitness Level: Fat and Happy")
  
• Hair:
  Light Brown (Really it's brown, not light brown, nor dark brown, but that choice wasn't available.)
  
• Eyes:
  Hazel
  
• Marital Status:
  Single, never been married
  
• Children:
  0
  
• Temple Status:
  Hold current recommend
  
• Church Activity:
  I never miss

More About Me:
(These lists are mostly items I had to choose from a list of choices the web site had predefinied.)

• LDS Mission:
  Michigan Detroit Mission
  
• Education:
  Some College
  
• Field of Work:
  Network Administrator (Professional Computer Geek) (One of the few places where I could type what I wanted. What relief!)
  
• Self-description:
  'We' have many personalities (This definitely is not how I'd describe myself, but was rather a description selected from a very limited predefined list of "self descriptions" the web site offered.)
  
• Looks:
  Average looking
  
• Mentality:
  Brains of a monkey (I expect anyone with half-a-brain will be able to deduce my intellectual capacity to some degree if they bother actually reading my profile. And if the reader isn't intelligent enough to figure it out, then we're probably not a match.
  
• Politics:
  Conservative
  
• Native Language:
  English
  
• Great Getaway:
  Sightseeing in London (This was another one of those predefined choices I had to select from a list.)
  
• Living Quarters:
  House
  
• Like to Live:
  A small town
  
• Timeliness:
  I am usually a little late
  
• Planning:
  I write it on my hand
  
• As for Fashion:
  I dress to be comfortable

Favorites:
(Yes, another list of items where I had to choose from a set of choices...)

• Music:
  Yes, I like it
  
• Movie:
  Comedy They didn't really have an "All of the above" choice.
  
• Outdoor Activity:
  Other (explained in essays)
  
• Indoor activity:
  Other (explained in essays)
  
• Time of Year:
  Spring Dang, I wanted Spring and Fall/Autumn both.
  
• Food:
  Yes, food is a good thing.

Why I joined the Mingle...
(This one was another "choose from our list" item.)
I am curious and just trying this out

Some of my favorite things to do...
(At last, some space to really be creative and write whatever I want.)

A few things I most enjoy:

• Hanging out with family and friends—no matter what we do together, I always have a good time
  
• Learning something new and interesting
  
• Singing in a choir or ensemble
  
• Reading a good novel
  
• Geocaching & Hiking! I've hiked more places and seen more interesting and beautiful spots because of Geocaching than I ever did before. If you're ever in southwestern Utah on a weekend and want to go geocaching, I'd love an excuse to go.
  
• Computers -- There's a dearth of interest in this subject among the female populace, statistically speaking. You don't have to be the least bit interested in computers, electronics, or technology. I have plenty of friends, and even a brother who are sufficiently geeky so as to sate my geek related appetites. Besides, my occupation is in this field -- it's great to be able to do something you enjoy!
  
• Watching good movies, so long as there isn't too much junk in them, whether comedies, musicals, sci-fi, dramas, action/adventure, or even chick flicks.
  
• Blogging. That's slang for "web logging" or keeping a sort of journal online. See it at adg.us (Sadly, I don't think many readers at the LDS Mingle site ever figure out that the non-link text "adg.us" is a web site address.)

Only three? Okay, so I can't count.

My least favorite things to do...

• Shopping for clothes
  
• Doing dishes/laundry/cleaning
  
• Mindless, repetitive (boring) tasks

If I had $10 million...
Assuming tithing and taxes were already out of the way (duh!), I would probably invest and save most of it so that it would provide a stable income over the long term. Any family members in need would be welcome to a helping hand, and I would hope I would be generous in fast offerings and doing good where there is apparent need. Since I don't have ten megabucks—not yet at any rate—it's really all just pure speculation. I suspect it would be quite a learning experience.

My perfect day would be...
But there are so many perfect days! How am I supposed to pick just one?

My greatest opportunity for improvement is...

• Learn to be concise and less verbose, and to get to the point when writing essays like this one.
  
• I need to learn to be more consistent at fulfilling and doing the little maintenance chores of life that I have often let slip past until they pile up and demand attention.
  
• Lurn hau tew spel bettur and yoose kurrekt grammurs reyetly two
  
• Patience. Patience is a virtue. Doctors have patients. Are Doctors virtuous, a profusion of patients patiently (or impatiently) waiting in waiting rooms? *impish grin* (I do enjoy word-plays, puns, -n- stuff.)

One final thing I'd like to mention...
"I am so smart. I am so smart. S-M-R-T... I mean, S-M-A-R-T." -- Homer Simpson
---
"One time I hired a monkey to take notes for me in class. I would just sit there with my mind a complete blank while the monkey scribbled on little pieces of paper.

"At the end of the week the teacher said, 'Class, I want you to write a paper using your notes.' So I wrote a paper that said, 'Hello, my name is Bingo. I like to climb on things. Can I have a banana? Eek eek.'

"I got an F. When I told my Mom about it she said, 'I told you never trust a monkey!' The end." -- Brak
---
Judy Maxwell: "I know I’m different, but from now on, I’m gonna try to be the same."

Howard Bannister: "The same as what?"

Judy: "The same as people who aren’t different."
---
But seriously, in case you were wondering about my mentality ("Brains of a monkey"), let me assuage any worry with these important words: "Ook, ook!"
(This is my last desperate hint to any slower readers that folks with double-digit IQs probably don't use words like "assuage" in their profiles.)