Pops
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When I hear "greenpoint rated," I reach for my shotgun.
Male
44 years old
Berkeley, Calif., California
United States
Last Login: 11/2/2009
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View My:
Pics
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Pops's Interests
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| General | I like language (thinking and talking) but also the life of the senses (taste, touch, smell, hearing, sight—five, right?). Regarding the latter, I like like the good better than the mediocre, and the great better than the merely good, but I tend to like whatever I have to eat or drink (with eating and drinking, for example, I'm not a gourmand, or a snob). Likewise with the former, I favor sophistication and depth, but can content myself pulling nails or playing shufflboard.
Projects of various sorts keep me going—I like to keep busy and be productive. For the past several years, my big project has been my house, but that's a few time zones away now.
I get a kick out of getting stuff out of dumpsters and off the side of the road. I find 'free' to be almost irresistably alluring—I have to fight my packrat tendencies. I appreciate things, materials, goods; but I'm not particularly drawn to the world of commercial consumerism (I fancy myself to be a savvy shopper, incidentally). My current obsession in this regard is empty pickle buckets, which I get in the pre-dawn hours in front of Saul's.
I like shipping containers. I have two twenty footers in my back yard in Atlanta, one full of junk, and one nearly empty.
I like building things, taking things apart, walking in crowds, helping women shop for clothing, having a well-stocked larder, recasting poorly constructed sentences. I also like mirrors, cats, coffee & beer, etymology, 1970s VWs, and the like. I'm not entirely comfortable being waited on, and generally prefer to eat out at casual places, and especially at ones where I can order my food at the counter.
I prefer 'natural' toothpaste and green olive oil soap, hand-washing my dishes, and cleaning my plate ('waste not want not').
A lot of my clothing is from thrift stores, some found in the trash, some purchased new. My style of dress is modest, and not at all flashy or fancy. I prefer informal clothing to match my informal manner. Cars: I have a couple old VWs (sitting back in Atlanta), but now drive a very basic '99 Toyota pickup.
Does all this tell you anything? | | Music | Music doesn't occupy much space in my life these days. I've become quite passive about it, actually. It's not hard to experience quite a lot of very good music without trying very hard at all; what's hard is getting away from it enough to really enjoy it when you hear it. I don't want my life to have a soundtrack. In any case, knowing what kind of music I like is not going to tell you anything interesting about me; and I'm certainly not interested in staking out my identity by telling you what bands I like. | | Movies | I don't see many talkies, especially at the cinema. One has to sit through so many lame ones to get to the few mind-blowing ones. That said, I do very much enjoy a good movie. | | Television | I think TV is more appealing as a social activity than as a solitary pastime, but it's not exactly my favorite social activity. I'm getting free cable, however, so I watch the Daily Show and Mythbusters. | | Books | Wouldn't a better heading be "Reading"? Why give priority to the book? How about magazines and newspapers and occasional literature? As it happens, it's been a long time since I read a whole book. With the notable exception of novels, what kind of book would one devour entire, anyway? Confession: I like to read material from other people's recycling bins—Berkeley's good for that, anyway. Ok, here are a couple books that permanently changed my world: Foucault's Discipline & Punish, Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morals. Do 'audible' books count? I started listening to A Confederacy of Dunces on my iBook and laughed myself asleep (ok, I admit it: there was a transitional period where I was just kind of spacing out). It's on my hard drive; I'll get back to it. Last book I read: The Builder's Guide to Running a Successful Construction Company by David Gerstel of Kensington, CA. |
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Pops's Details
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| Status: | Married | | Here for: | Networking, Friends | | Hometown: | Plattsburgh | | Body type: | 6' 0" / Slim / Slender | | Ethnicity: | White / Caucasian | | Religion: | Atheist | | Zodiac Sign: | Taurus | | Children: | Proud parent | | Occupation: | Odd Jobs |
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Pops's Schools
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Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MARYLAND
Graduated: 1995
Student status: Alumni
Degree: Ph.D.
Major: Political Philosophy, Social Theory
Clubs: Club Charles, Mount Royal Tavern, the Rendez-Vous
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1988 to 1994 |
Amherst College
Amherst, MASSACHUSETTS
Graduated: 1987
Student status: Alumni
Major: Political Philosophy, Social Theory
Clubs: WAMH
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1983 to 1987 |
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Pops's Latest Blog Entry
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Burning Man
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Writing "About Me"
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A new pet!
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"Responsibility": Heros & Cowards (Yech!)
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Media Naranja
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Pops's Blurbs |
About me:
I'm a former professor of 'theory' (of 'the political' and 'the social') who tired of administering discipline, and decided to engage in a little unalienated labor. So, now I'm a Jack of all trades and 'public intellectual'mostly minus the "public" part. I'm prone to laughter, and aspire to be funny; I settle for being considered clever and somewhat droll. I'm an easy touch for help 'cause I like being Johnny-on-the-spot. People generally like me, but it's not universal. I'll admit to being excessively fastidious, but am also decidedly casual. I've attended some fancy schools, but nevertheless seem to have avoided wealth and power. I'm a Marxist Nietzschean, so I'm liberal in my thinking and in my orientation towards others. I have a cat named Mister Nuts. I'm handy with tools and with words, and have a decent collection of each. I'm a mid-level manager at Sears--no, not the 'softer side.' My pants say 'rugged & capable,' though I don't get much work in these days.
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Who I'd like to meet:
I'm looking for some new friends and other people who can either help me make my way in life or help me enjoy the way that finds me. Also, people who like to think but also like being alive in the world, which is to say, people both thoughtful enough to approach something like reality and strong enough to be cheerful about it: optimistic non-believers, happy positivists, gay scientists, life-experimenters. Happy discontents who like to hang out drinking and talking. East Bay folks mostly, on account of how I'm not keen on driving over the East Bay Bridge.
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| Pops's Friend Space (Top 6) |
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