Truff

Personal Data

Nickname (& aliases):  Truff.  It's short for Truffaldino, another name for the character Harlequin.  This is a clown character from Commedia Dell Arte, and it somehow seemed appropriate for a middle aged man with his first computer.

Email:  Unlisted

Personal Home Page:  None

Atheist/Agnostic/Theist?(& any subcategories):  I call myself an atheist because anything else seems like putting too fine a point on it.  This is with due respect for my agnostic friends and their persuasive arguments.

Approx date started visiting A/A Chat:  Late February or early March, 2000.

Location:  Springfield, Illinois

Gender:  Male

Birth date:  12/15/56

Height:  5' 8"

Marital status:  Single gay male

Children:  no

Pets:  no

Hobbies/interests:  Theatre, movies, philosophy, science, skepticism, silver age comic books, and many others too numerous to mention.  I tend to go on two year binges with hobbies and interests.

Occupation:  Lawyer.  I do legal research for a state government agency here in Illinois. 

Political position:  Skeptical to cynical

Favorite cheese:  Oh, please!

     ... animals:  Beef, pork and chicken are still my favorites.

     ... books:  All of Shakespeare's plays, A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell, and many others.

     ... foods:  Not an avid eater.

     ... movies:  2001: A Space Odyssey, Nashville, Persona, City Lights, Cabaret, Sunset Boulevard, Dr. Strangelove, Casablanca, Citizen Kane, La Strada, Singin' in the Rain, The Lion In Winter, Boogie Nights, A Clockwork Orange, etc. etc.

     ... music:  I have always loved showtunes, especially Broadway Musicals.  I think this is my one concession to gay stereotypicality.

     ... web sites:  Discretion forbids mentioning pornography, I suppose.  I'll say ebay.

What actress/actor would play you in the A/A Chat movie:  The one with the worst agent.

Ambitions:  Curiously absent.

Turn-ons:  Learning something new, especially in the language area.

Turn-offs:  Stupidity; and inconsiderateness, which is often a product of stupidity

Proudest accomplishment:  Quitting drinking many years ago without a twelve step program and, needless to say, without religion.  Also, graduating from law school summa cum laude four years later.  Sorry to blow my own horn like that, but it's probably the closest I ever came to an unqualified success in my life.

What brightens my day:  Speaking with intelligent people.

Never leave home without:  A pen.  I'm not sure why.

Rules to live by:  "You cannot choose where the heart takes you, but you can pull over and let your head drive."  "Just because you don't like someone is no excuse for not being nice."  "Nobody ever said it was going to be easy." I'll probably think of others after I send this.

If I were Queen/King of the world:  Don't ask.

Dream job:  Something that changes radically every two years, I suppose.

Last word:  Chatting with the people I've met at the About.com agnosticism/atheism chatroom has been one of the most enjoyable sustained experiences I've ever had.  Thank you to everyone involved for a continuing pleasure.