Stillwant2believe

More about me:

Falling in love is like driving 80mph at a steel wall and hoping the seat belt holds.

OK, so you're actually down to reading this now, because let's face it the first thing we all look at is the pictures. No, I'm not shallow, but I think that we can't help the fact that looks influence us at first. If you saw my picture and went "ugh" then you wouldn't be reading this, that's just reality. So since you've made it this far, that's probably a good start. I've been on here long enough now to get a little better idea of this whole online dating thing, though I'm still fairly new to it. We're all "scared" to message someone because no one enjoys being rejected, which leads to a lot of people saying "ask me if you want to know more" when in reality we need to know more to see if it is even worth the risk to ask. I've also come to the conclusion that Plenty of Fish is the largest collection of honest, non-game playing people in the world. I'd be lying if I said I didn't see myself that way as well, but honestly if I wrote that how much are you going to believe me? Let's face it, we're all just a little bit nervous about the idea that these are just clever, pretty words and the person it just as deceptive as we fear.

So, how can this whole thing work anyway? Well, I guess it is just opening ourselves up to some risk that the other person isn't as amazing as they think. Realistically my experience has been that you can meet someone with almost entirely the same interests and even then that's not enough, you need chemistry and "zing" as I've heard it called. You can't force feelings, if it isn't there then it just isn't there. When you think about the odds of finding someone you actually have that spark with when you have all these steps involved it can be a bit daunting, but then again I try to be an optimist. By this point you're either probably at least somewhat agreeing with me or you would have bailed on my profile already, so we're still doing OK.

I suppose the next logical step is to talk about me, and this is where it is going to be tough to avoid cliche. I don't think I've seen a profile yet that says "I'm an incredible liar, I love playing head games, I hate treating people with respect" because we all want that and at least want to believe we're that way. I can't convince you anything I say here is true based on just these words, but for what it's worth from a complete stranger - it is true. Like everyone else here, I am a big one for honesty, but I mean real honesty, not just what you say is true but actually telling the truth, not omitting things or concealing them. I know this is hard especially when we're trying to impress each other and all, but I firmly believe that I'd rather lose someone with the truth than keep or win them with a lie. I've reached a point in my life where I'm looking for something serious. It doesn't have to be love on the first date (actually that would be kind of scary) but someone I can feel a real connection with, that makes me think about her when she's not there, and that is excited about knowing me as I am her. Something real takes time, but in all honesty I think you can tell relatively soon whether or not you see any kind of future with a person, and if it isn't there I'd rather just know then so we can both move on. If it isn't clicking I think you owe it to the other person to let them know, in case they're feeling differently.

This may sound like an oxymoron coming from a person on a dating site, but I want to find someone who still believes in romance. Someone who could appreciate a poem or an occasional rose. Even though we may meet in this unique environment, I want to find someone who enjoys those little things, respects chivalry and appreciates a gentleman. I want to be able to tell a woman how beautiful she is without having it refuted or minimized. Sadly it seems that any more society has made many women feel like they don't measure up, I'm not a believer in Hollywood beauty being the bar. It could be your eyes, your smile, but if I'm with you or want to be then I see some beauty there and it is kind of annoying to be told "I'm not all that" because if I think you are then it makes me wonder what I'm missing.

I'm a walking contradiction when it comes to my interests and passions. I say passions because I'm the kind of person that when I get into something I really put myself into it. I love movies and have a DVD collection of films and TV shows over 3,000. I love sports and have jerseys, helmets, etc of my favorite players. I don't see a point in doing things halfway. I don't want that to make me sound like an obsessive lunatic, it's not like that, I just give myself to things that are important and that is the same in relationships as well. As for films I love almost all genres, except I'm not a big fan of musicals. It really depends on my mood to what I feel like watching. Sometimes I want a deep, dramatic Miramax kind of movie and then other times I'm ready to watch Airplane! for the umpteenth time. I love to watch a movie with an actor or actress that I like even if I'm not a big fan of the subject matter, I've discovered a lot of amazing movies that way. I love to read though I tend to do it in phases, I won't read for a while then I'm into the book as much as I can each day until it is done. The last novel I finished was Les Miserables and I thought it was amazing. I recently started the Divine Comedy but that wasn't as engaging. I don't just read the classics though, I'm a big fan of Thomas Harris and I enjoy biographies as well. I really enjoy writing, and am working on a novel, also I write poetry as well.

I love sports, and usually can find some reason to root for one team or another if I watch long enough. My favorite is the NFL, but I also love the WNBA (women's pro basketball), college basketball (men & women), and the NHL. I enjoy many others, but those are the tops. It would be nice if you at least liked sports, but that is not mandatory as long as you're not anti-sports, that probably wouldn't work. I also love theatre, and am looking to get back into acting after having not done it in years. I really need to get out and see more plays, so it would be a plus if that's something you'd enjoy. I enjoy hanging out with friends (I think I'd worry about people who don't) and have a blast doing anything from karaoke, Rock Band, Ladderball, grilling out, or whatever comes up. When it comes to friends, family and significant others I think what you're doing is not as important as who it is with.

Speaking of family, it is very important to me. My brother and I are very very close, and my father is one of the gang, we have mutual friends my age and even though he's over 60 sometimes we can't keep up with him. I get along well with my mother, even though she's not as social a person as the rest of my immediate family. We enjoy getting together and playing games like Scene It, Catchphrase, Balderdash and so many more. I've never been married and don't have any children myself, but I'm willing to see what happens if we really click, though I've never dated anyone with kids so it would be brand new for me. I just recently got back into the dating scene, kind of happened on this site and thought why not. I have met two amazing women, but it didn't click so I'm still here. That has given me hope that it is possible to meet good people through here so I'm willing to give it another try. I'm comfortable being single, I'm not one of those people who feels defined by having a significant other, but I also would like to meet someone special to share things with as well. I guess you could say I'm cautiously optimistic and don't plan on settling for anyone that doesn't make me feel really alive. Working for a decade at an elementary school doesn't give you a lot of dating options and all of my friends and the people they know seem to be married or engaged so I thought this could be a nice way to meet people.

I feel like I should at least warn you, I'm no cookie-cutter guy. I can be dead serious when it is appropriate and downright ridiculous when it is called for. I believe in hard work and responsibility, but I also see no reason why we can't cut loose like children sometimes. It's funny, when we're young we're so full of wonder, hope and excitement and then somehow we get taught we have to suppress all that as we age, I refuse to. I like who I am, and I want a woman who likes herself too. I'm by no means perfect, and I don't want a perfect woman because she's either lying or an alien and I'm not into either ;) I'll treat you with respect, affection, support and I want the same in return.

Well, if you're still here then maybe there is a chance we're compatible. Obviously there is so much more I could say, but I'm running the risk of writing a novel here, so if you're interested please drop me a line. I know it feels a little awkward, and I'm sure I'd feel the same if I were interested in your profile right now, but take the chance, I promise I won't be rude even if I'm not interested. Thanks for making it this far, I'm hoping to hear from you.

P.S. If I don't get right back to you it just means that I haven't had time to write a meaningful response - not that I'm necessarily uninterested.