*** UPDATED Profile*** I value curiosity, passion, independence, energy and spontaneity. Also, the willingness to learn about and understand things that may at first be completely alien and unknown. From an early age, I was instilled with a deep aversion to pretension and hypocrisy. To compensate for that, I have developed a very quirky sense of humour.

My life so far has consisted of long solitary stretches, punctuated by shorter periods of being one half of a happy pair. Only now, at what is usually considered a mature age, do I find it possible to try to break out of my shell, fully and once for all. I would enjoy taking the halting but joyful steps to share my ideas and my passions with the right lady.

I value a calm and aesthetically pleasing environment, and a simple lifestyle. Not being the most sociable person, I prefer small gatherings to large crowds. I enjoy movies with a social theme, so I am frequently found at places that show "foreign" films. Although I sometimes listen to 70s rock music for the nostalgia value, I find that I prefer classical, blues, and jazz these days.

I look only to the future, and I am looking to blend my life, as it is today, with someone else's life, as it is today. And I try to give my all to each relationship, as if it were the last and only one, which, as a result, has left me feeling empty for a long time afterwards. What I can say about my past is that I have long reflected on it and learned from it. I am the end result of that history, rather than the sum of its parts. As far as I am concerned, the parts and details are almost irrelevant.

I am a contradiction. On one hand, I am self-contained and self-sufficient. On the other hand, I am most effective when I act in concert with someone else. I am trusting and naive in some ways; wise and deep in others.

I have managed a successful home-based business for about fifteen years. I am now busy repairing the areas of my life that I neglected while I was busy building financial security. I was born in Iran, and have lived in Canada since the age of 17. I tend to be a bit of a workaholic, and of a rather driven personality in other ways as well, so my leisure traveling has been rather limited. When I do go, though, I really get into the mood of the place and enjoy myself...

And yes, I do look (a lot?) better in person than in these cellphone camera pictures...

But enough about me . . . I would be expected to say something here about the type of lady I was looking for, but I am not going to do that, for three reasons. First, I don’t think people should be pigeonholed into types; to use a cliché, everybody is an individual. Second, I don’t think one should approach this sort of thing with a shopping list in hand. Our most valued relationships are often with people that we may not have picked, given the choice. Third, if my profile appeals to you, there is really no need for me to say anything further, because I would definitely be interested in hearing from you no matter what “type” you are.

A walk, drink, coffee, and/or picnic, to find out whether we enjoy each other's company. Everything else will take care of itself.