Before I begin I need to clarify a few things. If any of the following apply to you please move on to the next profile.

1. You believe anyone who lives in Detroit is: a drug dealer or junkie; a murdering carjacker who is dirty, uneducated, stupid, or just plain crazy. (OK, there might be some truth to that last one) (grin)

2. You think Detroit is a cesspool.

3. You would NEVER set foot past 8 Mile.

4. Where is Detroit?

It has been brought to my attention that a few people believe that I am not interested in anyone living in the suburbs. To that I say: "Why would I do that?!?!" Just live within an hour's drive of Detroit. AND . . . Just because I chose to live where I live does not mean that I am blindly in love with Detroit or that I won't live anywhere else. I just believe in making the best of what one has. "Think positive thoughts." My grandmother once told me.

On to my profile . . .

Why should you get to know me? Because I am fun and loyal and loving and a great friend. Because I am dependable AND spontaneous. Because I have depth and I've got my head on straight but since I've "grown-up," I realize that this entails knowing less exactly of what is going to happen in life (though some things I'm totally sure of). Because I have a genuinely good heart.

Here is what I am NOT: married, separated, recently divorced (or recently out of a long term relationship), involved with significant other(s), any "babies' daddy", a druggie or alcoholic, or looking for just sex-partners.

I am goal oriented and family oriented. I usually have fun no matter what I am doing. And there is much more . . .

I've started another business in a completely different field than my last (I guess I didn't want it to be too easy). I've run and owned my own businesses since I was eighteen. I was lucky enough to be born into a great family. Perfect? No. But they are good people and I am proud to admit that I am related to them. Life throws us curve balls. My sister's husband died a few years ago so I am helping my sister raise her two kids.

It’s time for a change. I was beginning to feel that my life has become a little too predictable. I’ve spent a good part of my life chasing “The American Dream” and lately I have been asking myself why. Why do I need a lawn to mow, fertilize and weed? Why am I worried about crabgrass, Ash Bores and staining my deck? Why do I need four bedrooms and two and a half baths? (and how do you use a "half bath"?) Why do I need to own such a large house? So, I have moved out of my house and started building a loft in the city. Not a “hip” loft in Royal Oak but a real loft in a one-hundred year-old warehouse. So here I sit in an old pair of jeans and a sweatshirt amongst the sawdust and piles of lumber, pipes and drywall contemplating what project I should tackle next.

I've played piano since I was four. You'd think I'd be good by now, wouldn't you?

I've been told I am a good listener.

I am calm during high pressure situations.

I am handy with tools. We're not talking "Tim the Tool Man" handy - I don't generally blow up things but I can usually repair things around the house and on the car.

Physical: My eyes and my smile.

I love music. There is always a song running through my head.

Music: Some of the usual stuff but I tend to gravitate toward music you wouldn't hear on the radio: Leonard Cohen, A3 (Alabama3), Tom Waits, Bonnie Raitt, Dread Zeppelin, Leo Kottke, Bob Marley, yello, Keller Williams, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Oingo Boingo, Eric Clapton, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett, Little Feat, John Hiatt, Lucinda Williams, Toni Childs, Odds, NRBQ, Beth Ortin, Santana, Annie Lennox, Jonatha Brooke, Lou Anne Barton, Eden Atwood, Chris Isaac, Timbuk3, Jack Johnson, Damien Rice, Bob James . . .

Just because it is popular doesn't mean it is good. Or that I want to listen to it.

Classical, Jazz, Blues, Rock, some Country . . .

Books: I read almost anything and everything. Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series, John D. McDonald's Travis McGee series. I'm currently reading: The Art of War by Sun-Tzu and Selected Poems by E.E. Cummings.

Movies: Old Boy (Korean); Love Actually; Serendipity; The Sixth Sense; It's a Wonderful Life; The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Casablanca; Pulp Fiction; Sherlock Holmes; The Bourne series;
O Brother, Where Art Thou?; And many more.

How about six things I would prefer to not do without . . .

Friends, Family, My piano or at least some creative outlet, A sense of humor, Love, Affection, And number 7 . . . The ability to learn.

"a LOT of time"?! Music, Philosophy, Religion, crab grass (OK, not so much about crab grass), How to be better (more efficient, more successful) at my career . . . Self development.

There is no typical Friday night. I may meet friends for dinner or a concert downtown. Driving up north for a weekend at a friend's cottage or camping. I might take my niece to a movie or help my nephew work on his car. A walk in downtown Rochester (or Royal Oak or Ferndale or someplace in Detroit) for dinner or ice cream or a rainy evening inside reading a good book by a warm fire. Maybe listening to a podcast of "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me". Then there are all those home improvement and remodeling projects - plumbing, drywall, painting, carpentry, etc.

Once we get to know each other better . . .

Where are you?! You're smart. And playful. Attractive, athletic (maybe a little?), can be laid-back, at least a little creative, bonus if you're artsy but responsible, maybe a little bit wild sometimes. You know that "a lot" is two words. You know when it's best not to say anything. And when to tell me to be quiet (Yes, it happens). You get me (and I get you). We're on the same page. No games (unless they're consensual). We're both supportive. We don't fight a lot. There's no need.

Extra Credit Question: What brings you joy?

It has been said that absence makes the heart grow fonder but in reality the challenge of starting a relationship when we live far apart is too great. So, if we live more than fifty miles apart please move on to the next profile unless you can somehow convince me that "you and I" are written in the stars. :)