I am in search of friendship and companionship first, and if that works out, a committed relationship. I'm seeking more than just a pen pal or Email buddy and I won't engage in endless e-mails, texts or chats. Those modes of communication have about a week-long shelf life before I pull the plug and disconnect. I don't expect to find who I'm looking for in a bar. I'm 52 years young and keep myself active. I normally ride 100 miles a week or more -- except during the winter months. I'm intelligent, and have a good sense of humor. I live in Chicago, have my own business in the Loop. I work hard during the work week. So when the weekend arrives, I play hard -- especially when the weather warms up. Whenever possible, I try to head outdoors, sometimes out of the City and near the water. But sometimes, I just want to relax and will head to a neighborhood bar to hear some live music, try a new restaurant, or entertain friends or that special someone at my home. More important than having something to do, though, is having somebody to share the fun with me and maybe inspire me to try something new and different. I'm not sure that the "ideal" match really exists, but if she did, she would be both educated and intelligent (there is a difference), articulate and have a good sense of humor. She would be well-informed, know what is going on in the world and be able to participate in an intelligent conversation from time to time, but not necessarily every waking minute we're together. She would be equally comfortable and at ease attending a black-tie event, a backyard barbecue, or meeting my friends for a beer at a neighborhood bar to watch a Sox, Bears or Hawks game. Liking dogs is a definite plus, even though I don't have one right now. Ideally, she would share my enjoyment of the great outdoors, the water, and trying new and different things. She would also be self-confident, attractive, affectionate, considerate and caring. She wouldn't notice that I have blocked the following cable networks: Lifetime; LMN, and OWN. Bonus points will be awarded to those who've never seen or heard of those networks.

Living it. One day at a time. And in the process, learning something new each and every day.

to be continued . . . .

What I do for a living, particularly persuasive writing and advocacy in the courtroom. I'm very fortunate to be able to use my mind, not only to make a living, but to gain the satisfaction of helping real people (i.e., living, breathing human beings -- as opposed to the faceless Fortune 500 companies that I used to represent in what now seems like a prior existence).
I've also been told that I'm a fairly talented writer and speaker beyond the practice of law. It's been said that my way with words can make the reader or listener think, and sometimes feel what I feel inside.
I'm also pretty good cook. Self-taught, but good. And I love to entertain my friends in the kitchen.
When I was a young boy, my father was a tree surgeon and gardener for the Chicago Park District. Although Dad took me to work with him, I never really had his knack for gardening. For years, I had a "black thumb" and was capable of killing anything with chlorophyll -- even cacti. But since my father passed away a few years ago, I somehow acquired the green thumb I never had while he was alive. Now I grow my own herbs and veggies in my backyard.
I like to think I'm a pretty good amateur photographer. My vision may be less than 20/20, but I still have an eye for a good shot and have been known to stop and get off my bicycle, or out of my car, just to make a photograph (not "take a picture," there is a difference) -- even if I have to climb a fence or a hill, lie down on the ground, or wait for just the right light.
I sometimes do impressions of public figures, actors and celebrities including Joe Pesci, Jack Nicholson, Televangelists, Chrostopher Walken, Kevin Spacey, Jesse Jackson, Bill Clinton, and the Kennedys (I love saying "Hyannis Port")

I'be been told my eyes or my sense of humor. Beyond that, most people notice that like Yogi, I am a little smarter than "the av-er-age bear."

Movies: Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window; Casablanca; Twelve Angry Men; Witness for the Prosecution; Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; The Godfather I and II (but not III); The Big Lebowski; Mars Attacks; Stand By Me; Apocalypse Now; Cape Fear; Goodfellas; The Shining; Silence of the Lambs; Hannibal; The Shawshank Redemption; American Beauty; Reservoir Dogs; Pulp Fiction; The King's Speech; Scent of a Woman

Shows: I'm not a big fan of television. For the most part, television has contributed to what I call "the Dumbing Down of America." And the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Maury Povich, Jerry Springer, Wendy Williams (is she really female?) and shows like Divorce Court, Entertainment Tonight, The Bachelor (a/k/a "Who Wants to Do it For Cash?) and any of the plethora of "Reality Television" programs have caused millions of Americans' brains more decay and damage than the scourges of dementia and Alzheimer's combined. Perhaps that's why nursing homes have so many televisions . . . to babysit the inmates as they had been babysat before they were placed in the facility? [I am not poking fun of people confined to nursing homes; I've visited loved ones in them. Most of them are deplorable dumping grounds and the way our elderly are treated in this country is a national disgrace. ] Far too many people's capacity for reason, logic and critical thinking have been atrophied to the point of being supplanted by what my late father euphemistically referred to as "the Idiot Box." I don't spend much time watching television -- least of all, when the weather is more conducive to outdoor activities. There have been entire weeks this summer when I haven't even turned my TV on, except to check the weather forecast before a long bike ride along Chicago's magnificent lakefront trail. But when I do watch television, it's usually something worthwhile and enriching. like the Food Network, the Cooking Channel, America's Test Kitchen; Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations; Gordon Ramsay; Burt Wolf's Travels and Traditions; Rick Steves Europe; Discovery, the History Channel, WTTW, or the National Geographic channel.

Music: Just about anything except Gansta Rap and Hip Hop. My tolerance for country is pretty much limited to the older, more genuine country (Hank Williams Sr., Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins) and Outlaw Country (David Alan Coe, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson). There are more than 1,200 songs from 27 genres by 180 artists on my iTunes. You'd find the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Allman Brothers, Pink Floyd, Bowie, Clapton, Pete Townshend and Van Morrison. Blues, Motown, Jazz, classical and even Opera (yes, Luciano Pavarotti and Angela Gheorghiu). And everything from Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin and Louis Armstrong to the Pogues, the Chieftains, R.L. Burnside, Dave Alvin, the Squirrel Nut Zippers, Ravi Shankar and lesser known musicians and bands including Angelique Kidjo, Chevere de Chicago, Lokua Kanza, Kiran Ahluwalia.

Food: Italian; Greek; Mexican; Spanish; Portuguese; Japanese; Thai; tapas; sushi; a USDA Prime steak; fresh seafood, especially lobster; anything with chocolate.

Books and Periodicals: Homer's Odyssey (in Greek); Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon; Boss by Mike Royko (a must read for anybody who wasn't born in Chicago and doesn't understand how politics still works in this City); Wordcatcher: An Odyssey into the World of Weird and Wonderful Words by Phil Cousineau; The Lexicon: A Cornucopia of Wonderful Words for the Inquisitive Word Lover by William F. Buckley, Jr.; Anything written by Wm. F. Buckley, Jr. or George Will (politics aside, their mastery of the English language makes them required reading); On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, by Harold McGee; Cooking For Friends, by Gordon Ramsay; Cooks Illustrated; National Geographic

Restaurants and Bars: Cafe Bionda; LaScarola; Athena; McCormick & Schmick; King Crab; Gibson's Steakhouse; Carmichael's; Red Lobster (threw that in to see if you were paying attention); the Map Room; Cafe Laguardia; the Hop Leaf (best selection of Belgian ales and excellent food); the Woodlawn Tap; Richard's (maybe the best jukebox in town); the Matchbox (probably the smallest in town)

to be continued . . . .

1. The companionship and support of good friends.
2. Chicago's magnificent lakefront, parks and conservatories.
3. My bicycle.
4. My cameras
5. The ever-growing collection of music in my iTunes.
6. A roomy, well-stocked kitchen that has all of the cookware and gadgets I need.
7. My US and EU passports
Yes . . . that's 7, or even 8 if you count #7 as two. But I couldn't cut my bicycle or cameras from the list.

What could possibly have motivated those two to build bombs to kill and maim innocent people in Boston? Where does that anger, that rage, that hatred come from?

I run my own business Monday through Friday. So, at the end of a long work week -- filled with deadlines, schedule conflicts, crisis management, emergencies (both real and manufactured), demanding and sometimes unreasonable clients, and the satisfaction and disappointments that come from trying to help people in difficult circumstances -- when the whistle blows at 5 p.m. Friday, I'm like Fred Flintstone sliding down the tail of his dinosaur and out of the workplace. Decompression typically begins with a happy hour near the office, sometimes commiserating and swapping war stories with colleagues who labor in the same vineyard. Other times, with friends who have nothing to do with the law business.

On the advice of counsel, I'm invoking my 5th Amendment privilege against self-incrimination . . . at least until we know one another better. And even then, I wouldn't put it out here for all the world to see!

If you were interested enough to read all of my profile, or enough of it to have piqued your interest and you:
- have a profile that lists more than your age, location and marital status; and includes recent photos. If you don't have photos, I will not respond. What's there to hide?
- are not married, engaged or still in an unsatisfactory relationship, and testing the waters to see whether other options may be available;
- are not seeking a pen pal or a buddy exclusively for text messaging, instant messaging or email;
- are intelligent, self-confident, and have a sense of humor;
- and are emotionally available;
- think we'd have a mutually enjoyable time meeting one another; and,
- you're either offended, annoyed or intimidated by my intermittent bouts of critical thinking about matters that are important to me.