Meet Jerod.

He’s weird. And he’s going to be my new roommate.

He actually rivals me in the weirdness department – and that’s hard to do. Here’s a sampling.

ONE Check out his pic. I think he’s unsure of which generation he was born in to. He’s kind of a cross between a 70s hippie and a 90s hipster, and gosh, I don’t know what else. But every time I look at him, I smile (okay, so I laugh, but not to be mean.). Oh, and he got cornrows yesterday. Classic.

TWO He calls me sunshine. We all know I am no ray of sunshine. Not even close. But he seems to think I am. Which either means he’s going to be in for it when we move in together, or that he’s just a weirdo and actually enjoys my disposition. I’m going with Option B.

THREE He regularly reads Charles Bukowski, William S. Burroughs, Hunter S. Thompson, Jack Kerouac – not so weird. But what is weird is that he actually gets something out of these books, more than the usual drug-induced gibberish that most readers get. It takes a weird mind to be on the level with the Beats.

FOUR Jerod and I play this game where we ask our iPod’s a question, then hit shuffle, and the first five songs that play are supposed to answer the question. We both truly believe in this game. Mine turns up pretty much a solid mix, not shocking that all five artists are on there. His, however, is always off the wall.

The last question we asked was, “Will we find Portlandian love?” His iPod answered with: The Update by the Beastie Boys, Under African Skies by Paul Simon, Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran, My Heart Would Know by Hank Williams, and Dotted With Hearts by the HorrorPops. He was pleased with this response. Me, I have no idea.

FIVE Jerod is from Kansas City but he uses words such as “pow” and “back bowls” in everyday speech. The other day, I lost him at “cat track” when he was taking a “chute through the windows.” Huh?

I think much of this Portlandian adventure will consist of me reminding Jerod that he is a white Midwesterner in his mid-to-late-twenties, and that it is the year 2008.

I couldn’t have picked a more perfect Adventure Partner. Jerod, my AP.