Pen-and-paper roleplaying games (D&D, GURPS, etc.)
Writing fiction (mostly Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and speculative fiction)
Cartooning & digital painting
SCUBA diving (beginner; only 3 dives so far)
Reading
Listening to audiobooks
Just spending time talking with friends
In truth, I have so many interests and ideas that I can't pursue them all at once, so I tend to flutter from one to the next as my muse leads me.
Music
I have VERY diverse tastes in music. Here's a sampler of what's currently on my iPod:
Caedmon's Call
Coldplay
Dido
Evanescence
Ginny Owens
Goo Goo Dolls
Great Big Sea
Jars of Clay
Jewel
John Mayer
Lacuna Coil
Michelle Branch
Nichole Nordeman
Nickelback
Nine Inch Nails
Linkin Park
Ozomatli
Paul Shanklin (parody artist)
Plumb
Rachmaninoff
Rebecca St. James
Relient K
Rich Mullins
Sarah McLachlan
Tom Smith (filker)
Movies
This year:
300
Howl's Moving Castle
Stranger Than Fiction
All-time favorites:
Big Fish
Bruce Almighty
Casablanca
Dracula 2000 (No, I'm not kidding, and every fan of vampire fiction should see it) The Ghost Breakers (1940) Girl, Interrupted
Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade
Les Miserables (the Liam Neeson version) The Princess Bride
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Serenity
Star Trek II, IV, and First Contact
The Star Wars Trilogy
Television
American TV:
Alias
Angel
Babylon 5
Battlestar Galactica
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Firefly
Heroes
The Pretender
So You Think You Can Dance? (Cat Deeley is too cute for words!) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Veronica Mars
Anime:
Blood+
Cowboy Bebop
Full Metal Alchemist
Love Hina
Noir
Samurai Champloo
Trigun
Witch Hunter Robin
Wolf's Rain
Books
Favorite Authors:
Jim Butcher
Orson Scott Card
Tara K. Harper
Kim Harrison
Robert A. Heinlein
C.S. Lewis
George R.R. Martin
Richard K. Morgan
Terry Pratchett
Spider Robinson
J.K. Rowling
J.R.R. Tolkien
Timothy Zahn
Recent recommended reads:
The Alienist by Caleb Carr
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword by Tee Morris
Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs
A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian D. McLaren
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
The Rookie by Scott Sigler (a podcast-only novel)
The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian D. McLaren
Self-Made Man by Norah Vincent
Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell
Heroes
Jesus (compassionate counter-culture revolutionary, son of God)
Thomas Jefferson (political reformer, archetype of libertarian thinking)
Pope John Paul II (a remarkably wise and devout leader who fought against the Nazis, worked to end Soviet totalitarianism, and reached out to Protestants and even the scientific world to find common ground)
Aung San Suu Kyi (democratic reformer whose courage and personal sacrifice in the name of freedom for Burma is an inspiration ... and proof that you can still accomplish great things even if you live the first 40 years of your life in relative obscurity)
Orson Scott Card (award-winning author and just about the best storyteller I know)
Joss Whedon (TV producer and movie director, who is both very funny and very insightful in the comments his shows have made on the human condition)
Rebecca St. James (Christian music artist who has managed to avoid being sucked in by the B.S. of the music industry, and who has worked hard to make abstinence cool for a whole generation of teenagers)
Hey there! Thanks for coming to visit my page. I am Chris Lester, aka Etherius, a Michigan native and a former resident of the weird and wonderful city of Santa Cruz, California (which I hope to get back to when I can manage it). I'm always looking to meet new friends, so feel free to send me a message. :-)
Vital Statistics
Born: May 19th, 1979
Birthplace: Rochester, Michigan
Siblings: One brother, born 12/13/1982
High School: Clonlara Home-Based Education Program
Research Interests
My master's thesis focused on water conservation strategies during fasting in Northern elephant seals. I realize that probably sounds incredibly weird and obscure, but my time at UCSC was one of the best experiences of my life, and we learned some cool things about what mammals are capable of in the struggle to deal with extreme environmental challenges. The paper I wrote for that project was published in October 2006 in the Journal of Experimental Biology, Volume 209, pp. 4283-4294 -- feel free to request a copy if you're interested in reading it.
When I get back to working in science -- I've had to take a break to pay off schooling debts and save money for the next round of schooling -- I want to continue focusing my efforts on physiological ecology, the study of how the way an animal is built enables it to do what it does. I love marine mammals and want to find out more about how they deal with the unique challenges of being an air-breathing, terrestrially-derived critter living in a marine environment.
Goals
My long-term professional goal is to become a tenured professor of biology at a major university, balancing my interests in research and teaching. Right now that goal is on hold, due to the miserable condition of funding for scientific research, so I am focusing on the more immediately-attainable career path of entering a teaching fellowship program for the California high school system. Cali is in desperate need of good teachers in the sciences, particularly in their inner-city schools in places like Oakland.
My hope is to enter the Oakland fellowship program in Summer 2008, where after six weeks of "boot camp" I will join the teaching staff of an Oakland high school with full pay and benefits. (My teacher certification is something that I'll earn gradually over the course of the first two years, through a combination of part-time classes and on-the-job training.) I figure it's a good place for me to hone my teaching skills until an opportunity for grad school presents itself -- and if that opportunity never comes, then I'll be doing something meaningful with my life that will help a lot of kids to do better in school.
I would also like to do some writing for the mass market someday, helping to bring the concepts and ideas of science to the general public. I would enjoy writing science fiction and/or fantasy novels, as well, but for now my writing is just an enjoyable pastime; I'm not seriously trying to make a career of it.
What I'm Looking For In A Relationship
I'm looking for a smart, strong woman, age 22-30, who shares at least some of the same interests I have (look around on this page for more details). I like people with a wry sense of humor who aren't afraid to express their opinions (or listen to other people's) but don't take themselves too seriously, either.
Religiously speaking, I don't really conform to any denomination that's out there, but I take my faith seriously and I would want anyone I was in a relationship with to respect that. I'm open to differences of opinion on a lot of subjects, but I can't see myself in a relationship with someone who doesn't accept the basic idea of Jesus Christ as the one sent by God to rescue the world and save us from our own foolishness.
On the other hand, meeting new friends is always cool, so if you don't believe any of that but you're interested in talking about it, feel free to send me a message. :-)
How to contact me:
I check MySpace every couple of days or so; if you need to get ahold of me sooner than that, you can email me at "cwlester [at] comcast [dot] net" or Skype me at "cwlester."
Women interested in dating/serious relationships (see above)
Scientists with similar or related research interests
Fellow "Slugs" (UCSC students and alumni)
Fellow writers interested in "talking shop" and trading stories to improve our writing skills
Fellow gamers
Anyone who enjoys good conversation on the issues of faith, science, and philosophy -- or just enjoys "geeking out" about any of the interests mentioned on my page :-)
Thank you so much for the add. I would like to let you know that my first CD called “Have Faith” has finally been released and is now available at www. cdbaby. com/elizabethsouth and iTunes. Also, if you get a chance, check out my new profile page (with videos on the right side) and my new Website. Stop by any time and leave me a comment.
Oooohhh...I'd be careful about inviting people on the internet to send you free stuff...lol..all I'm saying is that if it has a funny odor or is making a weird noise, ya might think twice about opening it!! Yes, in case you were wondering, I listened to the latest episode.
The talented part is yet to be determined...at least in voice acting, anyway. I showed a few other sand sculptors my Metamor City logo I sculpted and they were impressed (one was a master, and the other specializes in logos, so I was happy to hear their praise). What did you do w/ that pic anyway?
side note. my co-workers and i had a chuckle about your bumper sticker that said "come to the dark side we have cookies". So that prompted me to immediately change my "myspace" quote...
Man, I wish I had (and knew how to use) some sweet video editing software!! I'd put together a Firefly montage to this song!! Obviously to the original, not this really good cover (only decent recording I could find on youtube).
