Okay ladies, I'm going to be honest with you to a fault. I'm not one of these guys who says he wants to be friends first and then after one date thinks that you're "friends" and that it's time for a physical relationship to start (and be the majority of the reason you're seeing each other in the first place). I'm not like that. When I say I want to be friends first I really mean it. Having a mental connection with someone is much more important to me than just being attracted to someone but having no other connection. I've never had a one night stand and don't see how I ever could. I could never approach a woman with only one thing in mind and say whatever I needed to say to get it and then just turn and walk away. How do guys learn to be that way? From a womanizing older brother? I don't know. I'm the oldest in my family so the only male role model I had was my dad, and he loves my mom so that's what I grew up around.

As far as my interests/hobbies.... I'm into health & fitness and work out several times a week and try to eat healthy, but I'm not over the top about my diet; I'll eat pizza and sweets, just not all the time. I play the guitar and bass, but it's just a hobby, I don't have any dreams about joining a band and going on a world tour. I also like to read and listen to audio books... "mind/body/spirit" type stuff I guess you could call it. Dr. Wayne Dyer, Eckhart Tolle, if those names mean anything to you.

Answer me this: what's the deal with all the "prefer not to say" answers on the profiles around here? Why would you prefer not to say if you have or want kids? I don't get it. Are you planning on winning some guy's heart with your words and then meeting him face to face and gently telling him you have 5 kids? Same with the question about body type. You are what you are, whether it's 95 lbs or 295 lbs. Unless you only want to have an online relationship with someone it seems kind of pointless not to describe yourself. As long as we're talking about appearance, here's a little FYI about my own. I've been here a while and have gotten some e-mails that have subtly asked about my weight, implying that I looked too skinny. I don't know how to respond to that other than to say that I'm not. I'm 5'11" and 195 lbs.

A few thoughts about geography. A woman on here from Florida contacted me and we exchanged a few e-mails, and I mentioned to her that if I look at someone's profile who happens to live in another state that I'll never write to them because it seems kind of pointless because of the distance between us, and she said soul mates aren't usually put within easy reaching distance, life would be too easy that way. She's probably right about that, but we all get so entrenched in our lives and routines that it's not an easy thing to take chances on long distance relationships or up and move halfway across the country, especially in this economy. I guess we all just hope we'll meet Mr./Mrs. Right while we're at the grocery store, bank, getting the car washed, or wherever. So where does that leave us?

Define "date." Anyone I've ever met from online I've met at a public place like a metro park for a walk. I walk my dog twice a day, so if we start communicating on here and discuss meeting you can pretty much expect that it'll be at a park. Does that qualify as a date? I want us to be able to communicate easily, and I think that's pretty do-able during a casual walk. Movies are out. Movies are for couples, not for people trying to get to know each other.