Today's quote: "At every step one has to wrestle for truth; one has to surrender for it almost everything to which the heart, to which our love, our trust in life, cling otherwise. That requires greatness of soul: the service of truth is the hardest service. What does it mean, after all, to have integrity in matters of the spirit? That one is severe against one's heart...that one makes of every Yes and No a matter of conscience." -Friedrich Nietzsche, in The Antichrist


Before you become hopelessly infatuated, there are a few things I think you should know...

Yes, as you might have guessed, I am another of those wacky, life of the party, devil may care, INTJs. (Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging) A non materialistic, unpretentious, nonjudgmental, unargumentative, non Luddite, nonconformist, who, when I hazard a look, can see the bigger picture, if only what I imagine it to be. No nonsense given, or taken. No pets, or harmful vices, harboured, except, so I'm told, a wry sense of humour and a ladylike irreverence about most of life. Nice, in the old fashioned sense, you know... kind, considerate, et cetera. A risk taker. A Bohemian, perhaps even a vagabond, if you will. (I do own, and use, an iron, though, I'm not talking unkempt, here...) Not swayed by flash and/or dazzle. If we're stepping out, I'd rather go to a good diner than a five star joint. Difficult to believe, I'm sure, but I'm very health, and holistically, oriented. I am also concerned about the environment and my influence, upon it. (If there's anything else, you'd like to know, just ask...)


I believe there are lessons we can learn from every situation, in life, and from everyone we meet, on our journey.

If you find yourself on my friends page, it's because, from what I've read, in the forums and/or on your profile, and/or communicating with you, I recognize you as a fellow traveler, in the greater sea of life, of which this pond is only a calm, shallow, respite. You look like you're enjoying yourself, clinging to your piece of drift wood, and, if we happen to get within speaking distance, we might be able to elucidate one another, as to the mystery of all this, exchange a witticism, or two, or discuss the weather. Either that or I think you're hot. Feel free to remove yourself...


If you're searching for more than friendship, please know...

I don't take relationships, or suffer fools, lightly.

My idea of a perfect relationship: Mutual respect, kindness, trust, reliability, appreciation, commitment, love, intimacy, communication, caring, sharing, honesty, spiritual growth, conversation, humour, adventure, and, most importantly, friendship... an harmonious congruity, with someone warm, sweet, and cuddly, to sleep next to, at (not necessarily every) night. I can appreciate the term "peaceful co-existence".

Yet, as fantastic as it may seem, I'm really not interested in seeking perfection, in a relationship or a significant other... and a relationship is whatever two people decide theirs to be.

I am of the opinion that any worthwhile relationship should start as "Friends" and I don't believe "Long Term" has any chance of happening, otherwise.


Further considerations:

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"To be trusted is a greater complement than to be loved." -George Macdonald

"For it is mutual trust, even more than mutual interest that holds human associations together.
Our friends seldom profit us but they make us feel safe...
Marriage is a scheme to accomplish exactly that same end." -H. L. Mencken

"It's better to have loved and lost than to have to do forty pounds of laundry a week." -Laurence J. Peter

"Cheer up, the worst is yet to come." -Philander Chase Johnson


I am an advocate of the philosophy of exceptions.

My idea of a first date: For the pre-date, we can meet in the potato chip aisle of a, mutually agreed upon, grocery store. I'll start at the cash register end, and you can start at the frozen food end. We'll each push our carts up, or down, the aisle, as the case may be, slowing down when we reach each other, in the middle. When we get to the other end of that aisle, if we both turn to look, again, we can meet in the coffee shop, next door, in ten minutes, for our first date. If not, we can each do our shopping, and go home, and no harm done. (Oh, and, if I'm sighing, out loud, in that aisle, it could be you or it could be I've noticed the olive oil kettle chips are on sale.)

My idea of a third date: Why don't we go to the tuxedo store, in the mall, and you can try on a few... When my cries of ecstasy disturb our fellow shoppers, or the sales clerks realize we're not buying, and they throw us out, we'll do whatever it is you'd like to do... (Yes, I like cruising the aisles at Home Depot!)

My idea of a last date: "Come,... let us go. Let us leave this festering hellhole. Let us think the unthinkable, let us do the undoable. Let us prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all." -Douglas Adams

Or, if it's more to your liking: "Show up & choose to be present, pay attention to what has heart and meaning, tell the truth without blame or judgment, and be open rather than attached to the outcome." -Angeles Arrien