I've always enjoyed talking to people and making them laugh. I've done this through personal anecdotes, stories I've heard, and if I think the person is really special, I'll tell them about some of the rather stupid things I've done.

When I was younger, I dated many women. And while I was greatly attracted to them physically, I found it difficult to talk about gossip and who was dating who in the celebrity arena. I'm 25 now, and recently dated a woman that was a veritable plethora of knowledge on so many topics that I never ran out of conversation ideas. And she was quite pleasing to the eye as well, but like I said, what I really prized was the conversations.

And so as I try my hand at online dating, I will say that I am looking for an intelligent woman who enjoys a good conversation and is independant enough to back up her positions. She should have enough self-respect to take care of herself physically. I personally like to use the gym, and it would be enjoyable if my prospective date and I could do that occasionally. And lastly, she should be open-minded and patient as life is flexible and we should be too.

Military activities interest me as well. I enjoy defending freedom and accomplishing missions. For me, it's about achieving my goals. I like to have a set goal in mind, and then independantly take steps in achieving that goal.

When I was in college, I studied both computers and history. I enjoyed computers on a personal level, and sought the ability to program them so I could customize my computer precisely the way I wanted it. History is something I also enjoy, but I enjoy talking about it and teaching it more than anything. One of my goals is to teach history when I finish the Army.

One of my most esoteric loves is coffee. Not just the drip stuff you find in a college dorm room, but coffee brewed and flavored by a true barista who finds coffee to be an art form. I try to do this every day, and it's almost like a zen thing to me. Focusing on doing it right wakes me up more than the coffee does.

As I tend to be somewhat old-fashioned in my courting, I think a good dinner date is almost always the way to go. I envision a quiet restaurant with a pair of steaming dishes of Italian. A small dish of gourmet bread to compliment, with some nice butter or olive oil on the side. And to top it off, two glasses of fine Pinot Grigio or White Zifandel wine.

And then the discussion. We would talk about our greatest and funniest times in life, like the first time I attempted to grow roses and failed miserably until I learned that spent coffee grounds make the best fertilizer. What stories would you tell?