Most recent edit on 2007-06-03 23:47:16 by RichardBerg

Additions:
Once upon a time, before nasty things like major/minor advising and distribution requirements, I was a big math geek. I have vague memories that Abel's Theorem is really beautiful. But looking over the proof in my algebra book makes my head swim fairly quickly. By now, it's more of a proof that skills once thought to be "innate" can atrophy, than anything about Galois groups.
Nowadays, I share a big house with kindred spirits ranging from a UNC undergrad to a Maryland refugee to a true-blue Duke girl a few years my senior. In our entryway sits a House Divided welcome mat adorned with the appropriate logos, which kinda says it all. I can be perfectly content when left alone -- maybe too content -- so it's good to have a wide range of personalities roaming the place. I'll never be a hardcore partier; it's just not in my personality. But it's safe to say I have more fun than I ever did in college.

Deletions:
I share a big house with kindred spirits ranging from a UNC undergrad to a Maryland refugee to a true-blue Duke girl a few years my senior. In our entryway sits a House Divided welcome mat adorned with the appropriate logos, which kinda says it all. I can be perfectly content when left alone -- maybe too content -- so it's good to have a wide range of personalities roaming the place. I'll never be a hardcore partier; it's just not in my personality. But it's safe to say I have more fun nowadays than I ever did in college.

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Oldest known version of this page was edited on 2007-06-03 23:28:43 by RichardBerg []
Revised 6/4/2007. For the 2004 version, see OkCupidProfile.

I am _surprisingly amiable_, _considering I'm_, and _arrogant bastard_.

My self-summary

An artist wearing blue face paint...a geek with a hops palette...

I chose the "adjectives" above a long time ago on a lark, but ever since then I've had to admit they fit. I'm probably the nicest arrogant bastard you've ever met. There's a fine line between a sardonic wit and a judgmental snob; I've learned to walk it quite well, thanks.

Yeah, right. So what am I a snob about? Trivially: films, beer, politics, sports. I like both my comedies and my beers dark -- the darker the better. I'll happily entertain any political POV, so long as you're prepared for it to be deconstructed.* The Spurs and the Blue Devils are favored to win every game they play, period.

Surprisingly, not computers or music, even though that's what I spend my days & nights doing. Computers are ultimately just tools (no, I won't fix yours); hard to get worked up about picking the right one for the job. Music snobbery is off-limits for the opposite reason: it can inspire such a wide range of passions that I can't exclude anything a priori. I spend a fair amount of time listening to random crap on WXYC. Even when I don't like it, which is often, I never feel it wasn't worthwhile.

Definitely not wine. It all tastes about the same. Sorry, wine snobs.

*if you must know, politicalcompass.com says I'm about a +2.0 left/right, -5.7 authoritarian/libertarian. Both on a scale from -10 to +10, FYI. (A pox on that darn 1-dimensional Facebook compass! If anything, modern society demands additional dimensions for information issues, globalization, etc.)

What I'm doing with my life

I'm a Texas expatriate & Duke graduate. I lives in Chapel Hill & work in RTP. This is where I'd insert some tired cliche begrudgingly giving The Man his 8hr a day just to pay the bills, but the truth is I enjoy my job. Usually. Software development puzzles can be really frustrating (until you solve them anyway, at which point they're obvi the greatest thing evar.) As for The Man, well, he lets me waltz in at noon and avoid dealing directly with customers...in other words, lets me pretend I haven't fully joined the real world yet.

Which is a good thing, because I seemingly never tire of my old college hobbies. I played in the pep band an extra year after I graduated, and faithfully attend all the alumni games. I still sing in the Duke Chorale. Hoof & Horn (musical theater) inevitably calls me a few times a year to substitute for some irresponsible brass player (redundant?) at the last minute. And of course, I cheer on the basketball teams at every opportunity.

I share a big house with kindred spirits ranging from a UNC undergrad to a Maryland refugee to a true-blue Duke girl a few years my senior. In our entryway sits a House Divided welcome mat adorned with the appropriate logos, which kinda says it all. I can be perfectly content when left alone -- maybe too content -- so it's good to have a wide range of personalities roaming the place. I'll never be a hardcore partier; it's just not in my personality. But it's safe to say I have more fun nowadays than I ever did in college.

Most recently, I took a side job as the accompanist (piano) for a church in Chapel Hill. Ironically, one of my goals for the year was to become a better sight-reader. I didn't expect to be thrown into the fire pit so soon, though! [monty python voice] I'm getting better...

* My name is Richard, and I do NOT endorse the message below *

I'm really good at

Musical party tricks. I can tell you that song ended on an E dom7 #11 (though I hate the term "perfect pitch"; "absolute" is more accurate). I can play 2-part counterpoint on brass instruments. I have a 5-octave range whistling or tapping my teeth. If nothing else, this paragraph should tell you something about the species of lovable music nerd I often hang out with. Haha, I said "species."

Flipping & catching water bottles, hats, trombones, etc. with one hand. No boring single-flips, either. The people whose offices are between mine and the break room are probably sick of being distracted by flying objects every time I get thirsty. Tough.

Analyzing complex issues. I'm often the one they ask in review sessions to break down concepts into edible chunks. Yum.

It also means I make claims if and only if I can defend them. I'm not a fun person to debate if your interest is "winning." If you live for the chase, on the other hand, I can guide your philosophical ups & downs to places you've never been before. Or dismiss it all as academic wankery better framed as a dialectic between Russian Imperial Stouts and Belgian Trappist Ales. Depends on my BAC.

The first thing(s) people usually notice about me

Silly faces. (scroll up)

Are looks deceiving, or a window to the soul? If you want to play psychologist all you'll have to work with at first are few raised eyebrows and the trademark smirk. To see the rest of the repertoire, you'll have to buy me a drink.

My favorite books, movies, music, and food

Fiction: Songmaster (early Orson Scott Card), The Brothers Karamazov, Phillip K. Dick shorts, Hyperion, The Phantom Tollbooth, Mark Twain and his kindred spirits in every age

Nonfiction: Douglas Hofstadter, Lawrence Lessig, Adorno/Foucault, James Boyle, Chomsky, Jagdish Bhagwati, Sklansky/Malmulth/Miller, Murry Rothbard

Movies: Good Will Hunting; Serenity; Office Space; The Pianist; The Talented Mr. Ripley; Being John Malkovich; South Park - Bigger, Longer, Harder, uh uh etc.; The Incredibles; DeLovely; Casablanca; Amelie; Shaolin Soccer; Adaptation; Lost in Translation

I've watched Good Will Hunting a lot. Despite seeing more flaws every time, I always find different characters to identify with. (For instance, I've gone from looking up to Matt Damon to painfully noticing his youth.) I try not to let films get on my "rewatch" list carelessly, though, because there are so many more I need to see before I die.

Music: Richard Strauss, Radiohead, Bach, NSync, Spock's Beard, Youngblood Brass Band, Tomás Luis de Victoria, Mos Def, Bela Fleck, Thelonius Monk

TV: Firefly, The Daily Show, Band of Brothers, Serial Experiments Lain, Farscape, Greg the Bunny, Family Guy, Animaniacs

Food: Malaysian/Thai/Indian, Italian, Turkish/Greek, Chinese, French. Love those ethnicities to death, cooking them as often as possible. All the while recognizing that a really good meatloaf can quite possibly trump them all. My secret ingredient is prosciutto...

The six things I could never do without

I have no problem admitting to being too materialist for this question.

Still, my various gigs and road trips around the country have taught me that I can do without most "necessities". Unforunately I'm not creative enough to fill my mental soundtrack with interesting music for the rest of my life. The Internet is probably cheating, but is a library of scores too much to ask for?

I spend a lot of time thinking about

Why OKCupid had to go & change this question. The one about swapping brains was much more interesting.

On a typical Friday night I am

Everyone knows the standard lines about Friday: hanging with friends, dancing, drinking. While there are some interesting factoids in here -- I'm better at the Wienerwaltz than booty music, with tango falling somewhere in between -- why not take a peek at an average day?

Practicing my instruments, my free throws, and my poker face. Trying to convince my roommate to watch Farscape, failing, and picking some music or photos or vids from my collection that sounds like it's worth a visit. (Lately I've gotten addicted to playing Guitar Hero 2.) Cooking either an exquisite schnitzel or a quick stir-fry. Realizing that 9am meeting is wishful thinking.

When I do socialize, I generally prefer groups small enough to interact with actual people. I maintain a toehold in the bar scene wherever Guinness drafts are cheap and the atmosphere breathable. Several of my roommates and former roommates tend bar in the area, so this part is easy.</p>

The most private thing I'm willing to admit here is

I'm not a very private person. WYSIWYG. Freaky, eh?

You should message me if

You aren't afraid to deal & dish sarcasm in kind; you're cultured enough to know what the hell I was talking about in the first place; you have a knack for finding the open man and draining the 14-foot jumper; you don't need me to fix your computer for you; you play the french horn; you think I'm weird for saying this, but in a charming way.

Oh, and you have to like cheesecake.