First and foremost I am the World's Best Dad. If you don't believe me just ask my son! And since he is the sweetest kid on the planet, I'm sure he wouldn't lie.

Everything else about me is pretty straight forward. I'm 29 years old. I grew up in Memphis, TN. But my roots are right in SE Illinois. Right after high school I joined the Navy and was handed an opportunity to travel to 20-some countries all around the world, meet some great people, and had a great time. I loved being in the Navy, but after 10 years and the birth of my son, I gave it up to move back here so he would have a more stable life.

Since then I've started up a tiny contracting company with my brother. But that's really only to pay the bills until I graduate from school. My ultimate plans are to be a high school math teacher. I realize teaching doesn't pay very well, but it seemed to be the best career field to get into if I wanted to screw up other people's teenagers, lol.

The reason I'm here on POF is pretty simple. Just like my headline states, I would love to meet a woman with character. By that I mean someone who is kind, sincere, and genuine. At the same time she should be assertive enough to tell me to pull my head out of my butt if I start acting like a guy. I've been washing my own underwear for at least 20 years, I don't need or want a submissive woman.

Physically we should be attracted to each other, of course. But my idea of beautiful may be different from other men you've known. No supermodels or remanufactured faces, please. Character still applies. A crooked nose or arched eyebrow can make a pretty face gorgeous. And a lopsided bottom lip is inviting to be kissed. At the risk of sounding corny - you can't be perfect without a few flaws.

What do you get in turn? Most important is honesty and sincerity and no arrogance (except maybe that best dad comment, lol). I know how it feels to be lied to and used. And I know what it's like to feel like you're not getting back the effort you're putting forth. If we are right for each other the best thing I can promise is that I will be the same guy no matter how long we know each other - be it one date or 60 years. I am completely, ridicuously romantic to the point of being the biggest dork you've ever met. And I wouldn't have it any other way. At least this way I know I don't need to be ashamed of the things I've done.

If this sounds interesting I would love to hear from you. And we can get to know each other a little better. If not, thank you for checking out my profile. I wish you the best of luck on the next click.

(A friendly disclaimer for those of you who like 'em clean cut. Please keep in mind that while all of these pictures were taken with in the last 14 months, right now I have long hair - regardless of which picture is my profile image.I will probably get a haircut when people stop asking me when I'm going to get a haircut, lol. But after 10 years of having to keep a military trim, this is the most unobstrusive way I can feel rebellious ;) )

-Eric

This feels childish but I feel compelled to add some rules after my most recent experiences.

1. If you're not a fan of the newfangled technology called soap, perhaps we aren't meant to be. I don;t think of myself as a stickler for many things, but showering is a must.

2. Meth-mouth is a dead giveaway that you lied about your drug use. I admit that I'm not the sharpest thingie in the whatchamacallit, but I can be observant. I respect your right to decide what you want to do to wind down at the end of the day, but at the same time please respect my decisions as well. NO DRUG USERS.

3. Tall women can be very beautiful and I have no aversion whatsoever to dating a tall woman. But please keep in mind that I am only 5'9". I dated a woman who was 6'1" for a while and she was an amazing girl. I did feel like Long Duc Dong from Sixteen Candles, though - "Oh, sexy American girlfriend ... Where are you?". Now you know so please dont act surprised when you find out I'm a midget.

4. Please stop sending me pictures of you standing in front of the toilet. I know the lighting is nice and the mirror can be very convenient but, yeah, not so romantic. Throw a towel over it or change your angle please, I can't see your throne and NOT imagine that you just got done when you decided, "hey my hair looks great! I should take a picture for POF". I promise the only people who find that sexy are not the kind of guys you want to know. He's the same dude who is going to steal all of your underwear and take pictures of himself in your favorite thong and post them on spam.

5. One more (for now) piece of unsolicited advice. Most decent men are more attracted to confidence than anything else. If you think you are too thin, 7 head shots will let this shine through. We are primarily concerned with what your write up says, anyway. The same thing goes for bigger women. Go ahead and let a shoulder show. There are plenty of people with different tastes, and you want to find the ones that are interested in women JUST LIKE YOU. Have you ever seen a beautiful woman with a bald guy in glasses or Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome holding hands with what most people consider a plain woman? That is usually exactly the type of TRUE attraction that most of us are looking for. Just don't hide who you are and then wonder why you can't be found. After all I posted my climbing pictures even though it looks like I have the shoulders of a 13 year old boy. Maybe there is a woman out there who really hates football players and gym rats...

6. Please no emails concerning webcams, lol. I'm not joining you're site. I really don't care about you and you're girlfriends and your slumber party. Real single women only please. No middle age alcoholic men with a downloaded picture of a porn star trying to earn a buck doing a little marketing on the side. That's right we know the truth.

7. Here I go being a jerk again, but it needs to be said. What is the deal with people waiting around for someone else to notice them? If I get one more email from someone telling me they noticed my profile 6 months ago, but were afraid to write I'm going to pole my eyes out with a spaghetti noodle. I don't really care what might be "conventional" - there are plenty of women with the courage to initiate a conversation with a man and that kind of confidence is a hell of a lot more attractive than perfect measurements and a million dollar trust fund. I'm sure there are plenty of women who may read my profile and have no interest in my hippy-geekiness ;) , but hopefully you will still take my advice: if someone on here catches your eye by all means let him know. The guy you are really looking for will probably be impressed by your assertiveness. I do not know ONE guy who doesn't dig bold women.

8. I realize this is getting longer and longer all the time, but I have to

No concerts. No movies. No dance clubs. I want to hear what you have to say, and get to know you. And I want you to get to know me, too. Too many times I've gone to a crowded bar on a date and really been impressed with a woman, only to realize later that we can't carry on a conversation or our sense of humor, beliefs, etc clashed.