I think it’s difficult to capture something as subtle and complex as a personality in a few paragraphs, but here it goes. I've been divorced since mid-2009, having been separated since early 2007. I’ve dated on and off since then, and met some nice people, but have come to the conclusion that I’m looking for a longer term relationship. With that being said, it all has to start with a meeting and a date somehow, so here I am.

First and foremost, I’m a father of two fabulous kids. They’re the most important thing to me and will always come first in my life. I have the kids with me every other week, and we’ve settled into a good routine, which is now giving me more time for myself on the weeks they are not with me.

I’m well educated and I have a great career with one of the world’s best known companies. I love my career, although it sometimes bites into my personal time. I enjoy most kinds of music, but I’m not a fan of country. After many years of talking about it I finally started learning to play guitar a year ago. I won’t ever get to the point where I’m playing on stage, nor would I want to, but it brings me enjoyment.

I enjoy good food either in a restaurant or at a home. I love to cook and enjoy making a meal with someone else, especially if there’s a nice bottle of red wine involved. I like movies, live music, and theatre. I can be creative, although I can’t draw anything better than a stick figure (Pictionary anyone?).

I’m a dog person, though I like most animals. I don’t have a dog right now, but I’m sure there will be one in my life in the future.

I’m a coffee drinker (partly because I’m not a morning person, partly because I like it), but I don’t consider Tim Hortons or MacDonalds real coffee. That’s what a good friend of mine calls “emergency coffee”. I’ll drink tea occasionally, and enjoy it in the proper setting such as green tea with Chinese food or Chai with Indian food.

I take a lot of pleasure from the simple things in life. Hearing my kids laugh is one of the best sounds I can think of. I also love the sound of rain on the roof and thunder rolling across a lake. I enjoying sitting on my deck with a cup of coffee listening to the birds sing in the trees and the sounds of the breeze in the leaves. I also enjoy the sound of the waves crashing on the shore.

I wouldn’t consider myself an “eco-nut” but I try to respect the environment and do what I can. I try to eat healthy, but I’m not fanatical about it.

I believe that almost anything in moderation is acceptable. But there are at least two things that I can’t accept. I don’t smoke or do drugs and I’m not interested in meeting someone who does; even occasionally.

I’ve travelled across Canada, down the east coast of the US, around the Gulf states, and I’ve been to Aruba. I’d really like to get off of North America sometime soon. Scotland, Greece, Italy, Japan, Egypt and parts of Africa would be tops on my list.

Well, that’s a long, rambling introduction, but there is still a lot to know. So let’s start off with a meeting, and see if that leads to a date, or more.

The standard coffee shop or cafe is a good first meeting place, but that's not really a date.

A first date has to be somewhere that is good for conversation, so a movie or the theatre (or the library) wouldn't be my first choice.

There are 2 suggestions that I would make. They aren't terribly creative, but are comfortable.
1) Grab a hot coffee or a cold drink depending on the weather and go for a walk along the waterfront, in a park, along the beach. Be outside, enjoy the scenery,enjoy nature and enjoy the company and conversation.
2) Have a dinner in a nice restaurant where we could find a quite table and slowly enjoy a bottle of wine, a nice meal, and good conversation. If things are going well it would be the kind of conversation where when you finally paused to notice your surroundings you'd find that everyone else in the restaurant had left except for the staff.

Of course number one and number two could be combined in either order if the first one was going well.