My friends always joke that I'm the guy that they will want to have around in the event of a nuclear holocaust. While I never learned how to tie knots in Boy Scouts, I have a weird set of overlapping skills that could be useful when the grid goes down. Other than my unusual set of hobbies, I'm a fairly typical ambitious grad student who could probably stand to take a break to enjoy the rest of life once in a while. But I think my friends would also say that I am someone who cares deeply about stopping unnecessary human suffering and that it motivates almost everything I do--it's especially why I want to study what makes societies and political systems succeed and fail. It's hard to find a perfect match without getting to know someone's personality in person, but in general I'm looking for someone who's passionate about life beyond making money or collecting material possessions.

Hi,

I think it can be hard to get to know someone from an online profile. People always try to put forward what they *think* is their best side, but sometimes what makes people interesting are the things that they'd prefer not to reveal in a first date. Anyway, I usually like to get together with someone for a cup of coffee or tea, or maybe even go to a local music or art exhibit. I think dating should include things like going to the movies, but should also include things that people like doing anyway--studying, working out, eating IHOP pancakes, etc.