Damien profile picture

Damien

About Me


Myspace Layouts - Myspace Editor - Image Hosting


My name is Damien. I am impossible to categorize. Whatever box you might think you can fit me into... WRONG. I defy your expectations.
I never know what to write here. I'd love to write something deep and profound and poetic. But I'm not a poet. When I try to be introspective, I run at the keyboard until I realize I'm wasting my time and yours.
I guess I'll just offer what comes into my head.
I'm a mystic/scientist/artist. The mystic in me sees everything as part of a connected whole, sees us all as travelers on a journey with no beginning and no end, and tries to see the hidden side of everything. The scientist in me continually analyzes the world, marvels at the intricacies of the material plane, and always tries to dig deeper. The artist in me sees the necessity for everyone to create and appreciate other's creations, tries to do everything with artistry, and continually tries to push his own creative boundaries.
It would be a stereotype and a somewhat inaccurate representation of me to say I'm passionate about life, but I feel as though I should use the term "passionate" somehow. Passionate about what? Perhaps about creating, about digging deeper, about searching for Truth/God/Source (whatever you want to call it), about learning how to be loving and compassionate towards everyone (a lofty goal!).
I consider myself a pretty sane, detached, level-headed person, and I probably come off that way most of the time. But that would not be entirely accurate. The truth is I don't know exactly who I am, and I don't know if I ever will. All I can do is make a constant effort to know myself more, and along the way come to love myself, others, and God.
I compose, arrange, sing, and play music. Music is the single most important material pursuit in my life, and it's what I hope to make my living with, somehow, some day.
I also love social dance, especially Tango, and how it helps us learn to be in our bodies, express ourselves, and connect with people.
I consider myself a hippie/geek hybrid. Hippie values, geeky interests.
My most important pursuits are spiritual/personal growth and artistic expression.
I like to bang on stuff and make noise. I also like to write down little dots on paper so other people can bang on stuff the way I want them to. I have a myspace music page here. In fact, a few years ago I wrote down enough of these dots to convince the mucky-mucks at UCSC to let me do this in a recital hall. That was a lot of work, but not as hard for me as the kind of work needed to be a concert pianist, which I mistakenly thought I wanted to be when I grow up. It's a different type of work. One that doesn't require Me Of Short Attention Span to hole up in a practice room for 4 hours a day. Or 6. Or 8.
I also like to build stuff. Big stuff, small stuff, whatever. I love it.
I'm not insecure about my masculinity so I don't have to hunt or binge-drink or drive huge behemoth trucks or lift huge weights or watch movies with tons of explosions or play/watch football or any of that crap. In fact, if you watch football regularly, it's not super-likely that we'll get along, though I invite you to make me eat my words.
Here are a bunch of completely useless, random tidbits about me, in no particular order:
* I like movies but don't watch them much
* I'm not very funny when I'm really trying to be funny
* I can be really funny when I'm not really trying
* I'm a huge astronomy geek
* I like to cook
* I'm a grammar/spelling/pronunciation geek
* I can get really excited about useless tidbits of information
* I think exercise is important but I don't do it enough
* I believe that what I want isn't all that important
* I eat too much ice cream
* My car's name is Jed (I didn't name it! I swear!) and it has 162,000 miles on it, and I'm not currently using it
* I like to work with my hands even though I'm the sensitive musician type
* My hair grows fast
* I'm very sure-footed and like to rock-hop
* I fell on my bike once while talking on the phone and it was really embarrassing
* I don't have a best friend
* I sometimes read the dictionary for fun
* Whenever I do laundry I often forget about it and leave clothes sitting there for hours
* I get excited when someone calls me but I try to hide it
* My 8th grade teacher sometimes jokingly called me "Jim" because I used to act like Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura
* I incessantly drum on whatever surface my hands/fingers are near
* Whatever opinion you've formed about me from these tidbits is probably wrong!
I believe in God, I believe in music and its ability to change people's lives, I believe in people's ability to change themselves.
Don't worry: I won't start banging you over the head with it. A spiritual path has to be a conscious decision, not a decision made for you by your parents or your church or your priest. Despite what some may say, no one should be pressured into believing something they don't find to be true for them.
The idea of trying to prove God or spirituality is really kind of pointless anyway. I could converse with an atheist (ok, argue) all night and neither of us would budge. So rather I just try to live my life and be a positive force, being in the world but not of it, and if someone is interested in listening to my rambling ideas about God, great.
Here's a video I did with Joel:

My Interests

I'd like to meet:

People who get this picture:

Mainly I'm interested in people who share my values. Shared interests are good, of course, and definitely help lubricate a friendship. But without shared values, it won't go anywhere. My values are spiritual/personal growth, environmental responsibility, self-care, and good communication. I also value honesty, integrity, responsibility, accountability, humility, tolerance, respect, detachment, adaptability, and loyalty. The list goes on.
I try to be drama-free and prefer friends who are similar. I am not perfect about that, but I try. I've had drama in my life before, and the results are icky. (There are people I'd like to apologize to as well, but that's a whole other story.)
My ideal friend is someone I feel comfortable with, where there's chemistry, someone I don't have to impress, someone who likes me for who I am, and with whom I can have good conversation.

You Are 72% Open Minded
You are a very open minded person, but you're also well grounded.
Tolerant and flexible, you appreciate most lifestyles and viewpoints.
But you also know where you stand firm, and you can draw that line.
You're open to considering every possibility - but in the end, you stand true to yourself. How Open Minded Are You?

Your Linguistic Profile:
55% General American English
20% Yankee
10% Upper Midwestern
5% Dixie
0% Midwestern What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

You Are More Mild Than Wild
You're confident, and you really aren't concerned with how "hot" you are.
Other people's ideas of what's sexy don't concern you. And this is exactly what makes you attractive. Are You Hot?

You Are Incredibly Logical
Move over Spock - you're the new master of logic
You think rationally, clearly, and quickly.
A seasoned problem solver, your mind is like a computer! How Logical Are You?

You Are 47% Feminine, 53% Masculine
You are in touch with both your feminine and masculine sides.
You're sensitive at the right times, but you don't let your emotions overwhelm you.
You're not a eunuch, just the best of both genders. Are You Masculine or Feminine?

You Are 40% Weird
Normal enough to know that you're weird...
But too damn weird to do anything about it! How Weird Are You?

You Are a Dreaming Soul
Your vivid emotions and imagination takes you away from this world
So much so that you tend to live in your head most of the time
You have great dreams and ambitions that could be the envy of all...
But for you, following through with your dreams is a bit difficult

You are charming, endearing, and people tend to love you.
Forgiving and tolerant, you see the world through rose colored glasses.
Underneath it all, you have a ton of passion that you hide from others.
Always hopeful, you tend to expect positive outcomes in your life.

Souls you are most compatible with: Newborn Soul, Prophet Soul, and Traveler Soul What Kind of Soul Are You?

My Blog

Cut my hair

I have a friend who maintains that hair is the one area where even the most manly men can get vain, and she's probably right.Anyway, it's all gone, save an inch or so. Why? Well, one reason is I'm in ...
Posted by on Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:50:00 GMT

photobucket fun

This is my own, slightly modified version.Answer the questions with photobucket images.. just paste the links.NameJob:Relationship status:Favorite kind of music:Favorite animal?What's your latest inte...
Posted by on Fri, 16 May 2008 16:30:00 GMT

Im high as a kite, I just might stop to check you out

Seven times seven is 77. E equals MC, no exponent. I actually have only one eye; I just fool you by having a mirror implanted on my nose. I counted the number of hairs on my head; it's 83 trillion. S...
Posted by on Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:42:00 GMT

Smells like India

So I accidentally burned some chai spices today; it wasn't too bad, nothing stuck too much to the pot, really, but it filled up the kitchen with smoke. I was right in the next room so there was no dan...
Posted by on Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:55:00 GMT

I’m applying to GRAD SCHOOL!!!!1

After two years of kicking around (among other things), I have decided to do what it is I was kind of planning to do all along: apply to grad school. Specifically, the Master's program in music compos...
Posted by on Tue, 02 Oct 2007 17:04:00 GMT

Eugene, one year later

I have been here in Eugene for a year as of Monday, 2 AM. My feelings are mixed: - I really like this city. Eugene calls itself the greatest city for the arts and outdoors, and it's true that there is...
Posted by on Fri, 10 Aug 2007 11:32:00 GMT

shai-hulud

I am rereading Dune. I remember the first time I read it; it took me a long time. But it changed me, somehow, in a way I can't articulate, even if I could fully remember the experience. One of the mos...
Posted by on Mon, 30 Jul 2007 16:34:00 GMT

bloggety blog

Did you hear that Pluto is no longer a "planet?" Kind of silly, as there's no real technical definition for planet anyway. In other news, there's another "planet" called Eris that has a rather strange...
Posted by on Thu, 14 Jun 2007 10:51:00 GMT

fun + boring = foring

Have you ever had unexpected time off from work (or school, or whatever)? And then you have all this time on your hands? And then you start thinking, "oh, there's so much I could be doing with my time...
Posted by on Thu, 31 May 2007 13:04:00 GMT

more formulas

Your handiness quotient H is derived by: H = ((y/x))a) /(b+1) Where x is the number of dollars worth of tools you own, y is the number of dollars worth of tools you actually use on a regular basis, a ...
Posted by on Tue, 15 May 2007 19:27:00 GMT