I should begin with a sort of forewarning: if you have an issue with developing a long distance friendship (which may become more), then you should stop reading now. As well, if you are looking to play around, you should stop reading now. And obviously, if differences in race and religious beliefs are issues, then you should definitely stop reading now. If you are still reading at this point, then this is what I am prepared to divulge to a stranger.

I have spent my life working, believing that it would not be difficult to find someone that I am compatible with to form a friendship that grows into love. Unfortunately, finding the right gentleman has proven to be rather elusive. So I am here on this site.

I love to travel and explore old ruins and artifacts and places that require a lot of walking. Additionally, I love to read, learn new things, browse antique shops, and when time permits, watch movies, especially foreign movies. I would like to be more active than I am, but my job requires a lot of sitting in front of papers or a computer. I believe in being truthful--it's easier to remember the truth than a lie. I am polite but not passive and love a great debate. My sense of humor is oftentimes sarcastic but not intentionally cruel. I can be very talkative around someone I am comfortable with, but I can also be quite pensive, enjoying the comfortable silence that can exist between two people.

My ideal match is someone who is himself and does not pretend to be someone or something else. He is intelligent, works hard, loves to travel, is charitable, and kind.

Working too much
Trying to be a better person
Learning to laugh more. . .

My smile

Favorite books include The God of Small Things, This Side of Brightness, The Swallows of Kabul, Beloved, A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Things They Carried, The Grass Dancer, Possessing the Secret of Joy, The Knowledge of Angels, The Golden Compass trilogy. I am currently reading The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson. My favorite movies/series include The Lover, Veer-Zaara, Carnivale, Deadwood, Dor, Rang de Basanti, Lage Raho Munnabhai, Raincoat, Anwar, Earth, Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, Out of Africa, Schindler's List, The English Patient, It's a Wonderful Life, Lord of the Rings, Au Revoir Les Enfants, The Killing Fields, Jacob the Liar (German version). I don't watch a lot of television, but I enjoy the History channel and watching Fringe, Glee (once in awhile), Criminal Minds (my favorite), Without a Trace, and Dragon Ball Z Kai (while I grade). I enjoy Hindi music from movies; Islamic singers Sami Yusuf, Mesut Kurtis, & Ahmed Bukhatir; lots of easy listening music (Tracy Chapman, Susan Boyle,), classical (Yo Yo Ma), Broadway show-tunes (love the theatre), and various artists (Sting, Alanis Morisette, Al Jarreau). If I like the music, I will listen to it. I enjoy Indian food, Southern food, Chinese, Japanese, some Thai, almost ALL seafood, and anything that is spicy. Some of my favorite poets are Rumi, Mary Oliver, Seamus Heaney, Yusef Komunyakaa, and Billy Collins. I like children and most animals, though I don't have either.

Curiosity
Being told the truth
love and laughter
Silence
Books
Great friends and family

Why it is so difficult to meet one special someone

You are a single intelligent man over the age of 50; you think that we might be compatible and would like to find out if we are.