Are there any real people on here? Anybody....anybody?

Alright, this is going to be streamed and unorganized...I tend to type it as I think it and I usually don't edit myself.

I look like Tarzan and have been known to publicly act like a monkey, yet I am surprisingly self-actualized. I laugh at fart jokes, yet I can discuss Greek philosophy. I am very honest and open, but I also tend to keep to myself. I make efforts to keep my physical form healthy and fit, yet my overarching plan in life is self-understanding. My car is very clean, yet my residence is a mess. I've lived in California all my life, yet only been surfing twice (this shocks outsiders). I love to make people laugh, yet I often overwhelm them with my mind...since I tend to let it stream without edit. I don't need new people in my life, but I cherish and am ferociously loyal to the quality people I do have in my life....so adding one to their numbers would be pleasant.

What I want...is someone like me. I want someone dedicated to the excellence of self and committed to being a real human being...someone healthy on a physical, mental, and emotional level. I will often ask someone what they are "about." I neither expect nor require that someone be "about" the same things I am, but be "about" something. I do want someone like me, but in philosophy and character, not necessarily personality and interests.

But, that's more of a set of standards for a deeper relationship. But what for a first casual email hello? Shrug...for starters, how about boobs and a good sense of humor? :c) Seriously, sense of humor is fairly paramount....a woman must be able to laugh at me, if not with me....or it's a dead end.

I'm generally receptive to people contacting me. I get an enthusiastic rush from the prospects of brand new messages: "Oooh...who is this? What did she send to me?" Even though part of me accepts that I am disappointed more often than not, I still maintain some 8-year-old-Xmas-morning glee for the what-if. However, there are three things that are clear deal-breakers: smoking, drug use and being particularly religious. If you go to church and/or regularly read the Christian Bible, we probably won't mesh well; a casual belief in some greater "god" level of being, however, is not really a big deal.

Somebody better shut me up now....nobody....nobody? On with the show...

I just saw the profile of a young lady on here....it had two interests. One of them was, "having fun." I sat there staring at it, blinking in awe. For the love of Lucky Charms, please don't be that person.

Why aren't we supposed to talk about things like religion and politics? I don't consider any topic to be off-limits when establishing conversations. If anything, those are some of the more interesting things to discuss, as they reveal much more about who a person is and how they live their life. Am I really going to discern credible character traits from your favorite color or taste in movies? Isn't it important to identify significant and potentially deal-breaking differences in values/philosophy? We shouldn't feel like we have to tiptoe around one another when trying to develop adult relationships.

I don't really like the I Am Looking For field on here. Given that it's an online mechanism, we're pretty much forced to start from a Talk/E-mail basis. If there's some mutual enjoyment and interest, then I would want to Hang Out together and see if the digital world personas translate to the real world. Should that progress decently, one could say we are Dating, although I prefer to use the term "casual romantic relationship" since dating makes me feel like high school. As we spend more time together as Activity Partners in a casual romantic relationship, we may find that our compatibility runs deeper and our intimacy grows as a whole into a Long-term relationship that combines being Friends and sharing Intimate Encounters.

So what the hell, yo? All of those are things I want, but they have to happen in a healthy progression. I can't just say any one of them is the only acceptable target or outcome.

I click on a lot of pictures around here, but I contact hardly any of them immediately. However, just because I viewed you without saying anything doesn't necessarily mean I was turned off. While half of the profiles will have something I don't care for, it is equally common for me to be at least mildly interested...but not have anything immediate to say about it. I might ping on a profile a few times before I figure out what my "hello" feels like (as they are typically quite distinct).

My new policy is that I will respond to any message sent to me, provided it is in the language I speak and generally follows its grammatical rules (I cannot respond to what I cannot understand). That response may be a polite, "Thanks but no thanks," but at least you'll get confirmation. I frown upon those who display cowardice by hiding silently behind a computer screen: I wouldn't ignore someone in person, so I won't ignore them here.

Ladies...you want men to be honest, and I get a fair amount of favorable comments about my honest, direct expression of thoughts/feelings. I appreciate this positive feedback. However, that standard points right back at you. If you contact me, I assume that: you like how I look, you like what/how I write, and you are interested in talking to me to find out if there is potential for something real. This is why I contact someone. If your intentions are otherwise, you need to say so. Now, none of this commits anyone to an endpoint or a timeline, so don't feel pressured. Let's just not be unclear and indecisive, as that can end up wasting both of our time.

Oh yeah...and, while I will respond to "Dork," feel free to call me Ryan. However, anyone who adds me to their Favorites and doesn't contact me...I will remove myself from your Favorites. The digital iceberg is the least anxiety-inducing means by which to tap someone on the shoulder, so just doodly-doo-ding-dong-doodly-do it.

I prefer to do casual things that allow for conversation about a diverse set of topics...to mix between serious and light. The awkward formality of structured "dating" is not something I terribly embrace. I prefer comfortable settings so people can relax a bit and let themselves be experienced....perhaps something that offers external stimulus for various topics....like strolling through a mall, down a main street, a boardwalk...or watching old GI Joe episodes! OK, so maybe nobody wants to do that last one with me. Ever. *tear*