CZARSDARKSTAR: Czar is my German Shepherd's name; Darkstar is the title of a song by The Grateful Dead.

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I'm creative, intelligent and have a wickedly witty sense of humor. There is no "trauma-drama" in my life, and I share it with a magnificent German Shepherd.

I'm an excellent listener and communicator.

What I am searching for is a kindred spirit to dance, love, play, flirt, laugh, and share life with.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE QUOTES:

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit." -- Aristotle

The bulk of my work has been dedicated to photojournalism, investigative reporting, editing, and some graphic art. Positions I've held in print journalism include: photo editor, chief photographer, reporter, columnist and editor / managing editor.

I've also held positions of researcher, investigator and paralegal working for a "people's attorney" in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Currently I'm a media consultant, writer, and photographer for a small liberal arts college in West Virginia.

Listening, communication, strategic problem solving & critical thinking. I stay true to what I hold important, and speak with "just one clear, deliberate voice."

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My music tastes are varied: Tom Waits, Tori Amos, Zero 7, the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, CSNY, and Fiona Apple to name a few; the range goes from Rihanna to Jazz, to rock, Acid-Jazz & Trip-Hop.

I doubt there are six things that would fit that category. Part of this journey is learning how to be impeccable and poised in the face of loss that comes to all of us.

Those rare moments when people are equally truthful with their self and others who speak with their "one real voice," throwing political correctness and a need to sing Kumbaya with everyone happily out the window.

I make a conscious efforts to support environments giving everyone the opportunity to make the best choice for all concerned.

I make time each day to be still inside and out, be thankful and cherish the years I've had with my German Shepherd who is now a very old happy, happy boy.

And last but not least, I remember my parents and grandparents often. I was brought up in a home filled with love and encouragement -- including planting and caring for the seeds that prepared me to find my own voice in this world through reinforcing my independence.

There were never loud angry voices in our home. The kind of sounds I remember most from my childhood are the happy sounds of my mother, grandmother and father all cooking together in our kitchen.

I live my life in all the moments, not by a calendar.

John Lennon said, "Life is what happens while you're planning
to do something else."

OK..how about weird? Sometimes I eat mustard and sweet relish on toast for a snack.

Speaking with your one real voice, deliberately and consciously, would get inside the outer edge of the center.

Understanding that "heart-quality" trumps mental acuity at every turn is a few degrees nearer to the center.

If you have an appreciation for Sun Tzu, Rumi, Kundalini yoga, The Dalai Lama, The Fourth Way, or other alternative "old school" means of honing our awareness and clarity would get bonus points -- providing you aren't on a mission to convert anyone to anything.

And then if that person has a playful sense of humor, a delightful compassion for humanity's predicaments, and have a slender or average (but not obese) build, who feels completely comfortable in their own skin.... I suppose that might be Nirvana.