I am an emotionally stable, financially secure, intelligent guy with a campy sense of humor who really doesn't like dating all that much. I don't have a lot of baggage, mainly because I can really say I haven't been especially serious about anyone up to this point in my life. I am also pretty fiercely independent, although that does not mean I want to be alone. I want a family, but I'm not going to jump into something like that without being pretty darn sure that we can both be happy, not just now but 40 years from now.

I'm looking for someone I can be comfortable with. I'm just not looking for "fun and excitement." I'm thirtysomething, and the days of night clubs and bar hopping are pretty much gone. A good movie and a bottle of wine sound much more appealing. For "adventure" I take my camper and go places during the summer, then hibernate during the winter, with my butt usually planted at my computer desk.

I have 2 cats and a fairly large reef aquarium. I like dogs but I don't like cleaning up after dogs. I like other furry beasties (and scaly ones too) but they tend to smell.

I'm pretty good with kids, and kids seem to like me pretty well too. I am not at all religious, but I respect other people's beliefs as long as they are not pushy or mindless.

What I find attractive in a woman: presence of mind, intelligence, competence, independence, humor, forward-thinking, prudence. If she's a supermodel, all the better, but I'm no Brad Pitt and I'm not expecting an Angelina Jolie. There are other superficial things that make a person attractive but I think it's kinda pointless to try and describe that here.

If you're still reading this, I'm impressed. My Yahoo! IM is too_stubborn_to_die, and I'd be interested in hearing from you.

A first date is dinner and a movie, isn't it? Dinner is for casual conversation while seeing what kind of an ass the guy makes of himself at the dinner table, and then a movie where you see if you feel comfortable being around him without having to deal with those awkward lulls in the conversation.

Right?