Hi, nice to meet you.

I'm kind, reasonably intelligent, and very polite.

As far as interests go, well, I'm all over the map. jazz and classical music, hard-edged rock also. I'd rather check out a museum or art gallery than a bar; poetry over TV, or a motorcycle ride in the country over anything! I read a fair bit, and try to alternate between books that challenge me and those that amuse. I work out at the gym on a regular basis, and It's a busy life, one that doesn't have enough hours in the day.

I have an established career and write for two magazines in my spare(!) time. I test motorcycles for one of those magazines -- that means I attend track events and race off-road bikes amongst other activities. I listen to and love all forms of music (other than mindless pop and new country) and don't watch television. Despite these activities, I still value quiet time, although there's not quite enough of that to make me happy.

Good wine and good food are as essential as oxygen. Ask me about my Cajun blackened chicken, superb steak and flambe'd crepes.

I don't feel any need to move at warp speed. Perhaps we could watch a movie, or check out some live music....? Good conversation first and foremost.

If you're active, intelligent, have a healthy distrust of popular culture and a desire for adventure, there's a good chance we'll find something interesting to talk about.

Drop me a line and we'll chat.

Wow, what a minefield! What would our first date be like? Well, you'd think that the ideal first meeting should be accompanied by cherubs singing hosannas and rose petals falling from the sky. It'd take place in a meadow peppered with delicate daisies, and undoubtedly segue over to a deserted Caribbean beach, upon which we could stroll barefooted while the waves lap over our feet. We may walk in slightly-out-of-focus slow motion.

But that's just not gonna happen. We're both well-rooted city people, and we know that the idealized television date is an impossible construct. Instead, I'll probably be inside the coffee shop, trying to see out of the fogged-up window, wondering, with tightly-coiled anticipation, whether you'll be the one with whom I'll instantly mesh.

You'll walk through the door and scan the crowd for me, trying to match up my photo with my physical presence. Our eyes will meet and we'll shyly get through the initial introductions. Spoons will clink in mugs, and we'll cautiously look at each other out of the corner of our eyes as we choose dessert (very important stuff, dessert).

The conversation jumps from topic to topic. I lean forward as I speak, all the better to pay close attention to your every word. You laugh politely at my stories, and are hopefully charmed by the enthusiasm with which I relate them. You tell me about your childhood, about your aspirations, those both achieved and those yet to be fulfilled.

Time passes quickly. The conversation doesn't lag, instead it rolls along without effort.

As we depart there's some tension... we are both wondering whether we should kiss. A kiss on the first date? Well, that's a rash move. But the evening felt so right. What can it hurt.

The chaste peck on the lips takes us both by surprise. We smile and part.

We will meet again.