Random Synaptic Exemplar

I'd like to meet:

There are a lot of people that I'd like to meet, unfortunately not all of them are alive. I like to meet people that I can learn from. There are many people in this world who have had experiences that I have not had. I believe that everything you do in life is an experience to learn from, and by meeting new people you only broaden your horizons and create new oportunities for learning.

It may seem a little silly, but I would like to meet a Buddha, any one of them would do. I am on a quest for self enlightenment and it would be cool to talk to someone who has accomplished it. Now I know that I cannot learn self enlightenment from a Buddha (or anyone for that matter), I must find my own way. (for an example, read Siddhartha by Herman Hesse.)

I'm usually interested in any person that has over half a brain, and uses it. I like talking to people with intelligent things to say. I would have to say that intelligent discourse is one of my favorite activities.

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The Completely Pointless Personality Quiz

Music:

Mainly Punk, Classical and Techno. I like all sorts of music, but those three are always staples of my music colection. I like a lot of punk and related genres. NOFX, Bad Religion, Misfits, Tiger Army, No Use for a Name, Pennywise, Offspring, Dropkick Murphy's, and many more... (can't think of all of em now). I am also a big fan of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky.

Movies:

Fight Club, not because of the fighting, but because of the message inherent in the movie. Enlightenment is something I strive for as well, and many of the lessons learned in this movie by it's main character remind me so much of Buddhist and Taoist teachings on enlightenment. The physical violence is secondary to the path he takes in learning to be himself.

I'd also have to put in Boondock Saints, Blade Runner, SLC Punk, Ghost in the Shell, and Saturday Night Live: Best of Christopher Walken.

Television:

Don't really watch TV. Once I realized that TV is The Devil (or maybe I just realized how much time I wasted in front of it), I said to hell with it and live with rabbit ears on my TV. Don't watch it much because I get shitty reception, but do get good enough reception to watch one or two shows a week.

Books:

Yeah...um...I think this section might take too much time. Oh well, I'll try to keep it short. The entire Dune series by Frank Herbert (the original series of six books) was my favorite. I've read the entire series at least 25 times. I've read every book by Frank Herbert but one or two. His books all explore different facets of psychology, some exploring psychological phenomena that could only currently occur in sci-fi.

Another great author is Neal Stephenson, his books explore the societal changes created by high technology. His books "Snow Crash" and "Zodiac" I highly recommend. Of course I cannot fail to mention William Gibson, whose book "Neuromancer" gave a great kickstart to the Cyberpunk genre. His other works after that are also excellent examples of the gritty dark future that is Cyberpunk. I also read a lot of Iain Banks, Larry Niven, L.E. Modestit, Bruce Sterling, Gordon R. Dickson, Walter Jon Williams, Sheri S. Tepper, and Susan R. Mattheews. I read a lot of Sci-fi.

I read from other genres as well. I like to read philosophy. I have read Sun Tzu, Sarte, Nietzsche, Descartes, and Machiavelli, as well as numerous works regarding Taoism, Zen Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism,works by Carlos Castaneda, and religions in general. One book I highly recommend is "The Tao of Pooh" by Benjamin Hoff. It's an easy read and highly insightful to boot.

I love to read about Psychology. I like reading Jung, not so much Freud. Books by Steven Pinker offer great insight into the mind and how languages work in the mind. My favorite psychologist didn't write a lot himself, but had students who wrote about his advances. He is Milton H. Erickson. He studied hypnosis and has advanced the field of hypnotherapy greatly. Just so you know, I'm talking about hypnosis in terms of psychology, not entertainment. Hypnosis is something that is not commonly understood by most people and many people have great misconceptions about what hypnosis is. Psychologists are still studying the effects of hypnosis and discovering new things about it. I would recommend you not try it unless you know what you are doing and that you only use it ethically.

There are several categories that I left out, but I covered my favorites. I said in the beginning that I would try and keep it short, so I'll stop here. If you have any questions, just ask, I'll be happy to answer.

Short Enough for ya?

Heroes:

Anyone who does anything cool or overcomes an impressive obstacle (was that suitably vague enough).

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF - The Survey
Name: Joshua Siegle
Birthday: 8th of June
Birthplace: Sonoma, CA
Current Location: Tampa, FL
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Depends on my mood, light brown to black
Height: 5' 11 3/4"
Right Handed or Left Handed: Right usually, but both work
Your Heritage: Mostly Irish
The Shoes You Wore Today: Combat Boots
Your Weakness: the batting eyelashes of a pretty girl
Your Fears: zombies
Your Perfect Pizza: Pesto pizza w/ olives, mushrooms, and artichoke hearts
Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year: Anger a horde of Marmots.
Your Most Overused Phrase On an instant messenger: I'm not really sure
Thoughts First Waking Up: where am i today?
Your Best Physical Feature: i like all of me
Your Bedtime: way too late
Your Most Missed Memory: um...I don't quite recall
Pepsi or Coke: Generic cola...tastes so good
Beer or Liquor: both, but not at the same time
Single or Group Dates: Single
Favorite Exercise : Running, my body feels like its floating after a couple miles
Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate (yum)
Cappuccino or Coffee: Do I have to choose, can't I have all three
Do you Smoke: No, I would DIE.
Do you Swear: Yes
Do you Sing: I don't think they call it that
Do you Shower Daily: Of course
Have you Been in Love: Yup
Do you want to go to College: Yes I do, again
Do you want to get Married: Eventually
Do you belive in yourself: Of course
Do you get Motion Sickness: no
Do you think you are Attractive: Yes
Are you a Health Freak: Well I run all the vodka off...
Do you get along with your Parents: Yes
Do you like Thunderstorms: I love em, especially with torrential downpours
Do you play an Instrument: no
In the past month have you Drank Alcohol: yes
In the past month have you Smoked: no
In the past month have you been on Drugs: no
In the past month have you gone on a Date: yes
In the past month have you gone to a Mall: yes
In the past month have you gotten a tattoo: no, but i've been looking around for my next one
In the past month have you eaten Sushi: yes
In the past month have you been on Stage: just life,
In the past month have you been Dumped: no
In the past month have you gone Skinny Dipping: no, but that is a good idea
In the past month have you Stolen Anything: no
Ever been Drunk: yes
Ever been called a Tease: no
Ever been Beaten up: nope
Ever Shoplifted: no
How do you want to Die: saving humanty for the second time
What do you want to be when you Grow Up: i still don't know
What country would you most like to Visit: Tibet
In a Girl..
Favourite Eye Color: doesn't really matter, it's really whats behind them anyway
Favourite Hair Color: really doesn't matter
Short or Long Hair: long
Height: under 5'11"
Weight:
Best Clothing Style:
Number of Drugs I have taken: ?
Number of CDs I own: ?
Number of Piercings: under 10
Number of Tattoos: any
Number of things in my Past I Regret: hopefully none