Hey there, I'm a former Los Angeleno and Montrealer, looking to meet the right woman for dating or, preferably, a long-term relationship. If I were to have my female friends write this, it would probably read along the lines of “He’s smart, super funny and creative, and good-looking in a kind of intense way. He’s agreeably geeky, but it works on him. However, he’s a bit shy and doesn’t sell himself very well, which is no small handicap in a dating city like Toronto. He does that Lloyd Dobler nervous talking thing a lot. And also…” at which point I’d beg them to stop trying to help me. Sigh.

Things that make me happy: living within walking distance of the beach; Sterling Morrison’s guitar playing, especially on “Live at Max’s Kansas City”; the day in late August when the catalog for the Toronto Film Festival is released; making friends in other cities and taking road trips to visit; Halloween; cool tattoos or piercings; seeing a live band or standup comedy; reviving old friendships via Facebook; listening to foreign accents or being fooled by a fake accent; curling up in front of the teevee with a bowl of popcorn and an old episode of Mystery Science Theatre 3000; cheesy '80s songs that have that swirly synthesizer sound during the chorus; the day when all the snow finally goes away for good; trying to stay fit without being a gym bum; the way that on old British sci-fi shows everyone's on video until they go outside then they're on film. I also like the Discovery Channel, but I find a lot of the hosts oddly smug...is that just me? I just took my first trip to England, and fell head over heels in love with Wales and London. So if you're also an Anglophile (or, for that matter, British) I'd love to hear from you.

Fave music: Velvet Underground, X, Pere Ubu, Pixies, Tom Waits, The Streets, Replacements, David Bowie (especially Berlin-era), Elvis Costello, Nick Cave, The Clash, Richard Thompson, Joy Division, Madchester sound, Prince.

Fave movies: Until The End of the World, Thelma & Louise, Taxi Driver, Videodrome, Dr. Strangelove, Almost Famous, Blade Runner, Kicking & Screaming, Double Life of Veronique, In Bruges, Watchmen, The Invention of Lying

Things that turn me right off: humourlessness; an air of entitlement; dogmatic religiosity; dogmatic politics; chain smokers.

I'm not perfect, so I know Miss Perfect isn't out there either...I don't really have a "type" per se, or rather I have a zillion different "types." If my perfect woman was out there, she'd probably have the creativity of Tracey Ullmann, the fashion sense of Emma Peel, the aggressive sense of humour of Janeane Garofalo and the rock 'n roll cool of Kim Deal. See? All over the map. But all kidding aside...I like to think that despite all evidence to the contrary, we aren't defined solely by our experiences, and that hopeless romantics still have a shot in this cold town. So I guess what I'm looking for is someone smart, maybe a bit nerdy, a city slicker--I'm just not much for canoeing and sleeping in the woods, my idea of a great vacation is exploring some European capital armed with just a subway map and a camera--takes care of herself, honest and affectionate. The numbers game holds no appeal for me...I guess you could say I'm always hoping that the next date will be my last "first-date." I'm definitely looking for a committed, monogamous relationship, but it's important to me that it be with the right woman.

"Anyone who ever had a heart wouldn't turn around and break it" (Lou Reed)

For a getting-to-know-you time, coffee or dinner is always good. A movie is a great way to gauge mutual tastes, but obviously kind of limits conversation, so we should probably throw a post-flick coffee in there as well. Which isn't to say I'm not open to...bowling, a gallery show, a live concert, or anything else fun and entertaining.