When I am not online, I am a really huge college basketball fan. I have followed the NCAA men's tournament since I was six and the women since my junior year in college. Other sports I enjoy watching on t.v. include baseball, football (the NFL when I am not busy running around on any random weekend), college...and what may surprise some people, Canadian football during the summer and Arena football in the spring. I find their wide-open styles of play as really fun and exciting to watch. I also enjoy watching volleyball (both the indoor game and the beach variety), and a little auto racing (can't get enough of the Indy Racing League).Playing wise, I played volleyball in college intramurally for five years (one year as a coach/captain and another year as a co-playoff MVP) and also was in bowling for three years. I wish to regain that itch to get back in somehow, somewhere (but please...don't sing me that song, ugh!).I also enjoy cooking on a frequent basis, especially during the harsh cold winter months. I recall reading in some Web link in 2003 that one of the keys to winning a woman's heart is via her stomach. Still not convinced? Please be kind to PM me a brief note and I will be happy to forward you a recipe or two. Other days, I would be lucky enough just to fiddle around with my Rubik's Cube and video games that don't take forever to download from certain websites (shows you how much I have not outgrown the 1980's). Long live Pac-Man, Q-Bert, Donkey Kong, and Frogger!Speaking also of guilty pleasures...I have four. In the winter, I can't get enough of having either Eli's or Sara Lee cheesecake...topped with cherries, raspberries, or strawberries. During the summer, I usually crave a root beer float with either vanilla or French vanilla ice cream...really, you can't beat that! Any time of year, for all you chocolate lovers out there...check out the Frango mints inside the former Marshall Field's stores in and around Chicago. Having just one piece is top notch in my book!However, nothing tops glancing and sometimes kicking around the newly fallen orange, bright yellow, and sometimes red colored leaves when you pick your own apples and drink freshly squeezed apple cider during the autumn months. I also enjoy having apple flavored donuts and certain preserves and butter to spread across your toast for breakfast. Great times, and has been for over half of my life. If you are curious to learn a bit more, I will be happy to forward to you a slightly revised article I wrote for my college newspaper in fall 1993 along with some sites on the web that feature the places I really enjoy visiting. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy glancing at my pics (albeit there was very little foliage to speak of during fall 2006). It is truly a spectacular sight to see, either by walking or driving during the months from June to November--pending on when the snow begins to fall. Then and only then, I would not recommend visiting those single-lane roads tucked in the farmlands.I also found one of my true passions since high school in helping do things to save our environment. I am a true believer of the adage that we can save more trees if we become more of a paperless society. Below is a link that tells you more about groups and individuals making a difference through the Myspace Impact Awards. Reading and viewing clips of their stories is truly very heartwarming indeed:
I'd like to meet:
A woman between the ages of 24 to 34 who is confident, enthusiastic, honest, motivated (having lots of self-esteem never hurts), sweet, caring, intelligent, and passionate. It is also VIP that any woman I plan on meeting is also a non-smoker (please keep in mind about the secondhand smoke affecting computers and humans).As far as drinking is concerned, a glass of wine here and there (largely for medicinal purposes) or having only a few beers should be fine. Another big factor on how I choose a woman carefully is how she handles her finances on a regular basis. What I mean here is in any economy, it is extremely difficult for many people to make ends meet. Borrowing a line from YCDTOTV circa 1983, 'What I want to know is'...how can people eat healthy, let alone have decent clothes and especially shoes/heels to wear at work or other fun activities like dancing in a club or attending fashion shows? At the same time, we all need to enjoy having proper shelter so we can sleep knowing we will be safe each and every night. As Charlie Brown often said...Am I right?Another case in point--I can understand if a woman buys, let us say three or four pairs of shoes on sale--especially if they occur during a sidewalk/department store sale. I did catch some heat from a few ladies about my long-standing comment during most of 2006 when I said that it boggled my mind when "any gal who buys just one pair of heels that cost upwards of $100, $150, or even $200." My mood has softened a little since a late April 2007 comment that came from Sabrina Maree, an enthusiastic 20 year old gal from California who told me simply that, "We are in a spend spend spend culture, but you also have to realize that the people that were born before and lived through the Great Depression, and learned to hoard and save EVERYTHING. I don't think that is necessarily right...life is here to live, and you should love every minute of it."I wish to mention that if any gal managed to earn a lot of take-home pay (regardless if it is working at a regular place of business or as a model), as long as the heels that they wear fit comfortably and they enjoy wearing them, I say more power to them. Whatever things which make most ladies happy will make me happy as well:)And to clear up another small notion that some of you might be thinking of getting or actually are engaged, I can relate a bit to the 2006-07 ABC series "What About Brian". If you recall, the title character was the same age as me. However, one major difference between him and me is that I have not had, and probably never will, have a crush on any woman who is engaged or is actually married (it may sound a wee bit strange, but it's true.)Otherwise, I hope to find some friends who share a few similar hobbies that I list here. I also wish to gain more opportunities to learn new and different things--although I have a huge fear of heights, so bungee jumping is definitely out. One cool thing I really want to accomplish is swap recipes and cook some new dishes, regardless if it is during the winter or summer. Speaking of summer, I am a general barbecue novice. However, I am willing and able to learn from some qualified people when the time is right (hope the ladies reading this understand exactly where I am coming from).Btw, take a look at these gals I linked on below--don't you agree they are nice to chat with? I do:)
Music:
Very passionate and huge fan of Jazz (Diana Krall, Mindi Abair, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington are my top four), R & B, 1980's pop rock music (anything from the Go-Go's to George Michael, B-52's, The Bangles, and the Eurythmics), a little Amy Grant when times get rough, and independent college rock music. Those artists range I have found cool to listen to include Death Cab for Cutie, Annie Marleau, Alicia Gatto, and the groups Basheeba and The Panderers (special thank you to the last four listings for finding me--rock on, everyone!) I also enjoy the sounds of Azure Ray, Rose Melberg, Apples In Stereo, Ladytron, Headlights, Annie Hayden, Tigerella, Efterklang, the Softies, Sleater-Kinney, and the Magic Numbers to name a few.Among artists in the 2000's I have enjoyed listening to include Liz Phair (the "Everything To Me" song has become one of my personal favorites), Michelle Branch, Nina Gordon, Jem, and Anna Nalick.Also, I have linked for your listening pleasure one pop artist whom I have enjoyed listening to since I was in high school and a trio of independent artists. The first that found me was back in summer 2006 from across the pond in jolly old England, number 2 during the winter of 2007 from Florida with a very simple one word name, and the final gal found me a week after Easter 2007 who has such a powerful mix of words penned into cool rock songs like "Come Closer" and her moving music video, "Temporary."I hope some of the readers enjoy liking this band:
ADD
Finchley
Walking with Angels EP
Click the picture to view my profile! add FInchley - he rocks and always comments back!
"Click here to hear the music"
Movies:
Any of the Rocky movies (Rocky III was the best), Ghostbusters, 13 Going On 30, Elektra, Daredevil, Catch Me If You Can, Jerry Maguire. Date movies I really like include Picture Perfect, There's Something About Mary, Reality Bites, and Mystic Pizza.
Television:
I am a really HUGE fan of Alias...long live on DVD and in sydnication. Other shows I enjoy surprisingly are not too many in the reality genre, since there are way too many copycats. For all the women that are taking the time to read this particular section of my profile, I try to at least watch a few key portions of the mega hit show, "Dancing with The Stars"--depending which celebs are on.
I also find truly addicting the NBC game show, "Deal or No Deal". Seeing the contestants confer with their families, friends, or bosses about how much money is enough to add a room to an apartment, starting a new home, or paying off huge debts from college, I find myself repeatedly screaming at the t.v., "Hit the button." Among past shows I have enjoyed in no particular order...Who's The Boss?, Growing Pains, The Dukes of Hazzard, Diff'rent Strokes, Benson, Melrose Place, Sports Night, and the short-lived 2005 drama Eyes. Favorite cartoons growing up: Laff-A-Lympics, Scooby Doo, and Pac-Man. Favorite sketch comedy, without a doubt was from Canada--You Can't Do That On Television, Nickelodeon's first big hit. I recall racing home from school during most afternoons in 1983, '84, '85, and '86 laughing myself silly during skits inside Blip's Arkaid, the locker jokes, and of course that very slick and gross substance when one unsuspecting person uttered the three magic words, which I will not say here to save myself from true embarrassment.Outside of that, I usually avoid looking at t.v. most waking hours unless there are any cool specials on or when there is any major story when either Samantha Harris or Kristin Veitch reports either on or off the red carpet for "E! News":). Speaking of E!, I will be waiting very, very patiently to view a THS on Alias, ("True Hollywood Story"). That is, whenever ABC eventually plans to possibly air a reunion movie down the road. Seeing once again Sydney Bristow, Michael Vaughn, Marcus Dixon, and Rachel Gibson trying to keep Julius Sark and Kelly Peyton at bay, that is going to be big-time FUN!
Books:
For most women (including those who model for a living--which includes some, not ALL of my top friends), please take heart. I have just the book for those who think their men only love to talk about nothing but sports. For most brides-to-be, I highly recommend Mike Greenberg (weekday morning host on ESPN Radio with Mike Golic) and his rather interesting and sometimes hilarious journal entries in his 2006 book, "Why My Wife Thinks I'm An Idiot." (I am not kidding about the title). Also, if you get the chance...check out anything by Sam Horn, especially "Tongue Fu!" and other cool self-organizing books from David Allen and Ronna Lichtenberg.
Heroes:
Anyone who has thrived (whether they are single or married with a successful career and true love of family and friends). I would definitely like to continue reading and hearing more heartwarming stories about these people and how they took steps to not only survive, but thrive in their daily life.
