First off, the pic was just taken (12-15-2008). That takes care of the pic issue..long overdue.

I am only looking for friends for now. Just not in dating mode.

I am Japanese-American and semi-retired. Born and raised here in California and pretty much down to earth. I speak English well. Do not speak or understand any other language so the lady should have a good command of the English language, both verbal and written. As seems typical with asians, people tell me I look younger than my age. I think a person is as young as they feel. I could date the right person or I could keep her as a friend. You can never have too many friends but my primary goal is to find that special lady.

I work in computers, but I don't consider myself an expert or a novice. I am somewhat in between. A lady who is computer literate might be a good idea.

I love the beach, mountains, nature, and would love to camp again. I go to the movies about twice a month. I love live music but prefer to stay away from crowds. I like to try to fix almost anything; it doesn't matter what it is. I'll usually work at for hours, regardless of the complexity. So I am very mechanically inclined. Auto mechanics was my major in high school. I played drums for a long time until I had to give it up; so I still have a passion for them and most of the music I like has a lot of drums in it.

I like most kinds of food but I generally eat american. I like most types of music but (either soft or hard)rock is probably still my fav. I don't have a favorite musical group but I tend to lean towards some form of rock. I download most of my music and leave it on my computer. If I'm on a long drive and want something relaxing, then I can listen to classical. So it depends on what I am doing and the mood I am in. I watch a fair amount of tv; I love comedies and drama. My fav drama is probably "24"..I have seen all the episodes at least once. The last movie I saw was "Transporter 3". I have seen all the Bond films, including "Quantum of Solace". I also like CSI and pro football. As car as comedies, I sort of watch "According to Jim" and there are still episodes of "Seinfeld" I am finding that I have not seen. I never watched that program much when it was an active series and now I watch it. Go figure!

I am somewhat spontaneous; I often do things on the spur of the moment. My last trip was to Las Vegas. I was sitting in the airport waiting for a trip to the bay area and decided to fly to Vegas after looking at a mag. Some day, in a better economy, I would like to visit the homeland (Japan) and also certain parts of Europe.

I don't consider myself to be a natural conversationalist; I don't have the gift of gab like some people although past dates say that I don't have any trouble in that area. Nonetheless, I don't think I am a natural talker; I consider myself to be on the quiet side but I know the right person can bring it out. So maybe the ideal lady is a good talker and likes a good listener and has similar interests.

That is it in a nutshell. As I think of more, I will add it.

Something casual like a lunch or cup of coffee or just a walk to get to see if there is any spark.