Do you remember the last time you had a dream about flying? Or you laughed in your sleep? When you put a full stop in whatever plans and took off your shoes to wade in a kiddie pool? Or ate a carrot out of the dirt without rinsing it? I did the latter two this week and its only Wednesday. And that sleeping/flying/laughing thing -- that's my next goal.

That stuff we crave in our 20s -- get a good job, buy a house, live overseas for a year, get married, have a kid, write a poem, look hot on the beach, argue politics with a politician, canoe rapids -- it's done, and the results make up lots of who I am. In other words, I succeeded at some, enjoyed all (some, only for a time), and could readily revisit a few.

What I'm looking for in a date: honesty, laughs, intelligence, and yes (to be so bold), someone that is exciting, challenging, thrilling.

This is part of my old (original) profile and still is true so I'm leaving it in: smart, fun, educated, packs light (for camping or a trip overseas), self-sufficient, willing to admit when changing a tire/installing a gegaw in the doohickey is beyond my ability.

(Oh yeah: please include more than a whussup if you really want me to write back. Bulk mail has never done it for me).

A place, two chairs, a table, a conversation. That's the minimalist version. I would hope you'd bring some of your own to the above, making the place memorable, the chairs comfortable, the table bountiful, and the conversation stimulating.