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*•. .•* Welcome to my profile *•. .•*
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About me. I am an Alaskan, and long-divorced. The fact is, I have been divorced so long I am not sure I am "ready" for dating; I have lived with only me for a long time, but I never deny the possibility. I am also an Overseas Brat and proud of it. That means I grew up not in the United States and am not "from" anywhere. It also means that I am very flexible and can be "home" wherever I happen to live. My 'home' is not a place - it's a state of mind. If you grew up in the U.S., in the same house in the same city as your parents, well, you probably won't understand that part of me. But it probably won't matter much. My ex didn't understand, either, and we were married almost 30 years.

What I want in a woman:

• Someone who doesn't make me feel like an underachiever, but rather who'll see me as an equal or collaborator, and as such, will consult on major decisions and actions and allow me to focus on my own personal and professional goals.
• Someone who feels no need to impress others and who prefers to focus on life's other matters.
• Someone who is generally calm and content, but who can also show great spontaneity and go on the occasional adventure when circumstances permit.
• Someone who cares about her appearance, health, and fitness, but who isn't high maintenance. She doesn’t need a 3-carat diamond.
• Someone who'll garner approval from my friends and family but not cause unwanted jealousy issues.
• Someone whose enthusiasm is infectious and keeps me motivated and feeling young and energetic.
• Someone who'll give me some physical and emotional space so I can focus on your personal interests and goals.
• Someone with the promise of offering a certain type of lifestyle.

My attributes:

Positive: Artistic, romantic and loving, a champion of good causes, intellectual, a good friend, strongly held beliefs, charming, sincere, a sense of fairness, excellent arbitrator and communicative.
I am: Fair, considered, collaborative, responsive, sensible, diplomatic, contemplative, indulgent, and rational.
I can be: Moody, sulky, flirtatious, egotistical, vain, manipulative, overbearing, and indecisive.

Still reading? Good!

You have some of these characteristics: Wellness-oriented, energetic, stimulating, balanced, spontaneous, aspiring, sensual, flirtatious, agreeable, accommodating, heady, attentive, supportive, grounded, collaborative and submissive.

Be honest with me; I have been honest with you, reader. Strong, healthy relationships takes daily care and feeding and BEGIN with "I love you"--they don't end there. I am very open-hearted. Like others my age, I have scars from life's battles, which I earned. I wear proudly and with dignity. I make mistakes and enjoy doing so. It shows that I am still alive! And I can be a bundle of contradictions; I am spontaneous and shy, mischievous and polite, headstrong and meek, overly self-confident and devastatingly insecure, quiet and outspoken, contemplative and daring. MBTI says I am an ISTJ and Keirsey says I have a Guardian/Inspector temperament, if you understand those preferences.

And more:

* No smokers. I can smell it and taste it. Really. To me, "Prefer not to say" means smoker.
* Open and honest communication. More than anything else, this is critical.
* If your profile sounds or looks like it was written by your 7-year old or your teenager, you will not capture my attention.
* If you have more than one woman in a photo, point yourself out. It is frustrating to see several attractive women and wonder which one is you.

I am not interested in dating a woman my daughters' ages--and I have them from 18 to 41--one who drinks heavily, or one who lives very far away. With gas prices as they are, my truck is a very needy mate. I am also not interested in dating your dog or cat, a foreign castle, any shoreline, your grandchildren, your ex-boyfriend or spouse, your car, or your flower garden. I know it's important to show what you like, but for me, pictures of those won't help. What will help are close-up pictures of your smile. And eyes.

Let me tell you about a recent "first date" experience.

We met in a restaurant and sat and talked. We kept telling the waiter we hadn't looked at the menu and he left us alone (he knew!) And we talked more and more. Finally, 3 hours into the date, the place was almost empty and our original waiter was off-duty, so we ordered the appetizer from the owner and continued talking. We were the last ones there -- and the appetizer was only about half-eaten. We learned a whole lot about each other.

That's the way a first date should be, I think. And it doesn't matter which meal.