First, my handle. A Play Bow is the posture a dog uses to say he or she is friendly and wants to play. You've probably seen it: front legs stretched forward, chest on the ground, hips in the air, tail wagging high. I incline towards a low-key, low-risk approach with strangers, building familiarity with minimal stress. I spend a fair chunk of time with my own dog. We take regular trips to a dog beach, and go for hikes and walks all around town. I take care never to walk her on the same route twice in a row, and often let her make a decision at a corner.

For many years, I volunteered at an animal shelter on weekends, where I walked and socialized homeless dogs. I also counseled visitors looking for a dog to adopt. Since about 2006 I've drifted away from that, mainly because I've been spending more time with my own dog. We *really do* go for long walks on the beach. At least I walk, she swims as much as she can. I spend a portion of my time maintaining my dog's social contacts as well as my own.

I'm a pack animal, very much at home in a coffee house or outdoor concert. By my second or third visit, people will have noticed my singing voice. By my fourth or fifth visit, I'll know a dozen or more people's names and collect three or four hugs (m or f) as I arrive. I occasionally host evenings at a couple of coffee houses near where I live. My most recent vacation was to a music camp in Cambria, CA, where I hung out with a few dozen other musicians, writing songs and making music.

When I'm out with a friend, particularly in a dating context, I want to interact with that person. I prefer restaurants, coffee houses or quiet clubs/concerts. I'm much less comfortable in bars, clubs or places where the music is intended to inhibit conversation. For much the same reason, I very rarely go to movies. The last film I chose to see was the Pete Seeger documentary, "A Life in Song", and before that were the three Lord of the Rings films. Invited, I attended Young@Heart and No End in Sight and loved both of those.

I'm not comfortable around people who drink or smoke until they're incapacitated. I'm tolerant about marijuana, but very intolerant about people (sober or otherwise) with no judgement, particularly when their lack of judgement begins to annoy or endanger their neighbors. In situations like that, my first choice is to try communicating with the offending individual, but I won't spend much time at that if I'm not making immediate progress. Then, it's time to get in the car.

I've minimal respect for religion, because I think it's often a cheap substitute for individual moral and ethical responsibility. I'm happier taking responsibility for my own moral choices, and subscribe to a paraphrase of Ammon Hennacy's line: "An atheist(agnostic) is someone who doesn't need a preacher to tell him how to behave". (If you can name Mr. Hennacy's most famous pupil, or quote the actual version of that line, we should talk!)

I think I've begun to cover this above. I work in a public library to pay the bills, and was volunteering at an animal shelter on weekends because I love animals and want to help the unlucky ones who can make it into a happy home with a little bit of support. I sing with a partner in clubs and open mikes around town. I'm also in a band. We've released an album in 2007 that's getting a bit of radio play here and there. I began recording a solo album in 2008, I expect to finish it some time in Winter, 2009/2010. I hang around places where there is music but no alcohol and often find ways to make myself useful behind the scenes. I'm in leadership positions in a couple of organizations involved in putting on concerts and festivals. I'm passionate about political issues, but political work is not fun for me. I've tried it, I don't like it. I have adopted a dog who's making good progress at overcoming her fear of humans. I'm spending a lot of time with her just now.

Communicating. You'll have figured out by now that I'm awfully long-winded. I also think I'm pretty empathic, more than one of my previous partners have complimented me on my patience and insight. One partner told me: "You gave me back my humanity."

I'm reliable. If I say I'm going to be somewhere, bring something, or call someone, I will, and on time. Then again, I don't think fifteen minutes is horribly late.

I don't know how to guess at this one. I'm not a particularly stylish dresser, though I own more than twenty hats and try to pick the appropriate hat for a special occasion. My hair is usually collar-length or less, and I trim my own beard about two or three times a month.

I don't suppose I'm particularly noticeable at first glance, unless I happen to be on stage. Then again, people new to a club often assume I'm the owner or manager, when I'm really just a regular guest and sometime MC.

It's also interesting to reflect that on three different occasions, I've been put in charge of handling large sums of money for different organizations. People who barely know me seem to trust my honor and competence with large sums of Other People's Dough -- and no, I don't treat that as a joke.

Books: Lord of Light (R. Zelazny) "He never claimed to be a god, but then, he never claimed not to be", Time Enough for Love (R. Heinlein) "Democracy is based on the notion that a million [people] are smarter than one [person]", the Postman (D. Brin) "Women, you must choose", Harry Potter (series, J. K. Rowling) "It is our choices, Harry, far more than our abilities, that reveal who we truly are"

Movies: Lord of the Rings, No End in Sight, the Princess Bride, Young@Heart

Music: lots of types, but particularly folk, a cappella, early rock, bossa nova, ragtime, singer/songwriter stuff, blues and Brazilian/Andean music. See above. I don't much care for the misogyny in a lot of rap/gangsta stuff, and I find classical music and opera dull, but just about anything else is worth a listen.

Food: Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Mongolian BBQ, etc. Pretty open, though I can't abide mushrooms and don't like peanuts. While I'm not a strict vegetarian, I'm not a major carnivore either.

My dog, live music, singing, friends, books, volunteering, restaurants -- oops, that's seven.

Lots of different things. People I know, people I'll never see again, work, dogs, books, music, and so forth. I often think about other people's problems and while I rarely believe I can solve them, I can often offer a useful insight regarding the first thing to address, or the first step to take. I occasionally find myself singing bizarre song combinations, like the words to "The Boar's Head Carol" to the tune of "Walk Like an Egyptian". I didn't know the words fit the tune until I found myself in mid-song!

Sipping a mocha, greeting the latest arrivals, applauding the last song, announcing the next act, logging the receipts and reminding myself to leave time at the end of the evening to take Penny for a long walk before bedtime.

That I'm not really all that private a person. I do spend a fair amount of time alone, and I'm *not* the sort of person who needs to have music or TV going in my ears constantly (in fact, I don't own a television). I'm quite comfortable inside my own head.

As a regular blood donor, I'm very cautious about sexual practices that could make my blood dangerous to use in a children's hospital. I'm perfectly willing to respect other people's choices for themselves, but I prefer to avoid involvement with people or scenes that could expose me to large numbers of recent partners in "secondhand sex".

You've actually read this far!