Being the new kid in town, I'm here to make some new friends who want to get off
the computer and out in the real world to enjoy all the wonderful things there are to see and do from Louisville to Kansas City, Fargo, Detroit and all places in between. For now, that's my primary objective. I won't rule out any possibilities for the future, like a long term relationship, and I'm not gonna' rush into anything, either. Let's start as friends and see how things go. I'll come back to that again in a minute.

With me, what you see is what you get – no games and the only rule is the golden one. Sometimes I feel like the only one who is keeping chivalry alive -- that's how my parents brought me up: opening doors for people, whether they are with me or just happen to be going the same way, helping a lady with her coat, her chair... standing when someone comes to the table or leaves it...

I've been a tinker, but not a tailor, a soldier and wanna’ learn to be a sailor, and some LeCarre fans have accused me of being the spy. I have a wide variety of interests, as you probably noticed above, and keep life in balance with the right mix of work, rest, and play. I like a wide variety of music, and prefer it live and in person, whether in concert, dancing at a favorite nightclub, or just a piano bar. I tend to go to plays more than movies, and enjoy comedy clubs, too. I do keep pretty busy, but I could never do it all without my personal quiet times, too. Relaxing evenings at home reading by the fireplace, playing board games or cards with friends, or just watching a movie are fun, too.

I travel a lot – mostly for work, and sometimes for rest and recreation. Whether by car or bus, airplane or boat, motorcycle or horseback, getting there is half the fun. I once spent a week driving to California and getting my kicks on Route 66. It was so awesome to meet all the interesting people along the way. Luxury resorts, quaint bed and breakfasts, and camping under the stars are all great places to spend the nights, as well as those quiet, out of the way motels in beautiful surroundings. It would sure be nice to have a companion on some of those trips in the future.

But I’m not always so serious – I’ve learned that if I can’t laugh at myself, the rest of you will, anyway. For Halloween a friend gave me a trifold card. On the cover, it says: "It's Halloween, and ya' know what that means?" Inside the first fold, it said "dressing up in silly outfits you wouldn't be caught in dead any other time of the year; being silly and playing pranks like a teenager again; trying to act frieghtning to people who never did anything to you..." And inside: "another 12 months of therapy down the drain!" Underneath my friend wrote: "Your therapist has a technical name for it, though -- job security."

Oh, from reading this, you might be afraid that you'll never get a word in. Well, ya' know that old saying about having two ears and only one mouth -- this profile is how ten fingers and a 101 keys factor in. :down: :down:
You'll just hafta' give me a chance on the phone and in person to show that I can share in a balanced conversation. I really am a good listener, too.

What I really want now are friends who will laugh with me, as we share the journey of life. You should be as comfortable dressed to the nines at a formal dinner or reception as wearing cut-offs and a t-shirt to play on the swings or jungle gym at the park. (Don't let that scare you, I don't do formals all the time... mostly Dockers or jeans.) If you look for the positive, lovable qualities in the people you meet, then we'll both enjoy meeting a lot of fun and interesting folks along this path called life.

Ultimately, I do wanna' find the love of my life. In my experiences -- and even moreso from my observations of friends, neighbors, colleagues... the best relationships take time, energy, and commitment to reach that level, and usually start as friendship. The important thing is to connect mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, before physically. Yeah, eventually I want the total package -- and it takes time to build that level of trust and achieve those facets of intimacy.

And if such a romance doesn't blossom for us, at least we'll each have a new friend, with whom we'll share some fun memories, whether the friendship lasts a few weeks or months, years, or the rest of our lives.

By the way, I usually shave once a month. (Big bonus if you understand why.) The rest of the time, I try to keep my beard neatly trimmed, although I occasionally just let it grow. If ya' hafta' have a man who's clean shaven, then all my best wishes that you find who you're lookin' for, and no hard feelin's.

In case you seriously care about such things: On here I'm an ENTJ: (1.8% of the population)

So what d’ya think? Could we explore the possibilities together? Now write and tell me about yourself. Ya' just hafta' say "Hi" t' start a conversation!

Let's not call it a date, yet. The secret to a great first meeting is that it be a comfortable environment to get acquainted and have fun in the process. You know, somewhere that makes us forget the butterflies swarming in our tummies, where we can talk openly and honestly, and keep it light and casual. I do believe in chemistry, but sometimes it takes a while for the chemical reaction to happen, so let's not try to rush anything.

When we do make a date, going out to dinner is a good way to start, whether out means an intimate candle lit restaurant or a picnic basket at the park. It's also a nice finish to a day of bummin' the malls, touring a museum, visiting a zoo, or exploring some historic site. When was the last time you felt like the giant on the hill, 'cause you were the biggest kid sledding down it? (Call me crazy, but this cold weather is no fun without the snow.)

Let's save the theatre or a concert for the second or third date, once our level of comfort with each other grows.

As summer's ending, I challenge ya' t' ask yerself: When was the last time that you made a sand-castle at the beach, raced some kid ya' didn't know to see who could get to the swing first, or just laid in the grass and described the images of the clouds in the sky? By the way, did ya' let the kid win at the swing?

Now write and tell me what you'd like to do to get better acquainted -- and if it's something I didn't list, well... I'm always open to a better idea.