PERSONAL  STUFF

2.  Marital status:  Divorced over 8 years, married for 7.  

3.  Height:  5'9"  Not too tall, not too short.  Jusssssst right! 

4.  Weight:  153 lb. (plus or minus a couple of pounds - honest!  I work hard at keeping it that way.)

5.  Hair:  Short, dark.  Neat, closely-trimmed beard and mustache with silver (sounds a lot better than gray) highlights.

6.  Eyes:  Big brown wonderful eyes.  (My kid calls them my "fill indicator," which is why they're brown.)  Wear contacts.

7.  Health:  Excellent health and in darn good shape.  Non-smoker (always), light to moderate drinker.  No drugs

8.  Sign:  Libra.  I hope no one really cares about this, as I place astrology is in the same category as reading tea leafs and animal entrails.  

9.  Location:  Norcross, Georgia (a northern suburb of Atlanta).  Pretty nice place; there are a lot worse!  Have been here since spring, 1980.  As long as my son lives here and still likes me, I won't consider leaving Atlanta.  When he goes off to college - who knows?

10.  Born in:  Baltimore, Maryland.  Have also lived in Tampa, FL, Norfolk, VA, near Chicago, IL (school), and Raleigh, NC

11.  Religion:  Jewish (raised Reform).  Basically, I've been a "practicing agnostic" for the past 40 years.  I don't care what religion you are as long as you're not too wrapped up in it.  I've found that religion is one area where differences are impossible to resolve.  I'm not out to change your beliefs and expect the same.  I'm a firm believer in "Freedom From Religion."

12.  Personality:  I would describe myself (hopefully, others would too) as intelligent, honest, sensitive, persistent, creative, witty, verrrry passionate with the right person, and possessing a somewhat warped sense of humor.  I'm also loyal, trustworthy, dependable (sounds more like a dog, huh?), and never cheated when I was married.  (Hey, I'm semi proud of that!)  Aside from all that, I'm almost normal, keep the toilet covers down, and my mother still loves me!  Did I mention that I'm also a terrific snuggler?

13.  Politics:  Hardly one of my favorite subjects, but I'm proud to call myself an Independent.  I vote for the issues and the candidate and don't believe any label fits very well.  I'm registered as a member of one of the major parties, but only to permit voting in the primaries.  Beyond that, I agree with what George Wallace once said about Democrats and Republicans:  "There ain't a dime's worth of difference between 'em!"  Might have been one of the few things he was right about back then!

14.  Exercise:  I workout at the gym 4 days per week, but I'm sure no health freak.  (To tell the truth, I hate every miserable, sweaty, agonizing minute I spend there, but it sure beats getting old!  No kidding, I can't get by without it.  Who can?  I do it for me, for my kid, and maybe even for you.  Hope you appreciate it!)  Sometimes I run (mostly walk) and swim in the warmer months.

15.  Dancing:  Sorry, but I evidently have two left feet. However, with a little encouragement and a bit more alcohol, I'll give it a go.  However, let's keep it to slow dancing.  Without the touching, we might as well be in an aerobics class.

16.  Family:  One terrific son, age 13, living with his mom in Atlanta.  We're very close, talk almost every day, and see each other often.  (My kid, not his mom!)  One younger brother in Sarasota who's a CPA with his own accounting firm.  Other younger brother in Myrtle Beach is a psychiatrist and is married to a psychiatrist!  They have two daughters.  My mother moved there last spring from south Florida.  That's pretty much it!

17.  Favorite foods:  Seafood, Chinese, Cajun, deli, American, and good ol' BBQ.  Obviously, I'm not a vegetarian.  Hey, I didn't climb to the top of the food chain to eat only fruits and veggies!  Believe that almost everything goes well with champagne.  

18.  Favorite mixed drink:  Manhattan on the rocks. (I mix the best there is!)  Actually, I'll drink almost anything except tomato juice.  Usually have a mixed drink (or a glass of wine or a beer) with cheddar Goldfish crackers when I get back from the gym in the evening.  No way am I going to munch down on celery sticks and gulp carrot juice after a hard workout!  Not to worry though, I've been having a drink a night for the past 30 years and haven't gotten hooked yet!

19.  Favorite movies:  Amadeus, Forest Gump, House of Games, Speed, The Devil's Advocate, Ghost, After Hours, Blind Date, Romancing the Stone, Somewhere in Time, Cat People (the remake), Glory, 2010, Point of No Return, Little Big Man, Blade Runner, and many others.

20.  Favorite holidays:  Groundhog Day and Thanksgiving  (see LINKS)

21.  Favorite animal:  Turtles, of course, although I get along well with all animals.  Prefer cats to dogs.  Hate spiders.

22.  Favorite color:  Green

23:  Favorite season:  Fall

24.  Pets:  Stuffed animals - all turtles; they make the perfect house pets.  They don't bark, chase cars, tear up the furniture, or require a lot of maintenance, as their diet consists solely of marshmallows and peppermint schnapps.  Of course the droppings are kinda gooey, but they don't smell bad!

25.  Sports:  Other than scuba diving, snorkeling, and swimming, I play tennis, shoot pool, and bowl.  That's it!  (Chess doesn't count, does it?)  Couldn't care less about watching professional sports like baseball, football, and basketball.  That should be good news to some of you!  Really, why would I want to sit on my butt watching a bunch of millionaires run around chasing each other and fighting over a ball?  (Of course, I do watch my son play baseball, basketball, and soccer.  I also carry his golf clubs, which makes me a Daddy Caddy.)

26.  Outdoors:  Of course I like the great outdoors.  Nothing like sitting on a sandy beach, leaning up against a coconut palm, sipping a cool one, while watching a few white puffy clouds drifting slowly above the turquoise sea.  (Excuse me, while I wipe the tears from my eyes!  I can almost hear the steel drums in the distance!)  Likewise, I like hiking through the woods, driving in the mountains, watching a thunderstorm, and gazing at the stars on a clear, crisp night.  However, by the end of the day, I want a hot shower, nice meal, and a comfy bed.  My idea of camping is the Holiday Inn!

27.  Clubs and organizations:  Health club, scuba-related organizations, and the NAAWT (National Association for the Advancement of White Trash).  Am also a semi-proud member of The Order of the Tortoise.  (see LINKS)

28.  Vacation:  My idea of a great vacation is visiting a tropical island and scuba diving.  If there're good casinos, edible food, drinkable water (not to mention beer or rum), and friendly natives, that's even better.  Las Vegas is always fun - no matter how many times I go there.  Cruising isn't the worst way to spend a week either.  If you don't need a vacation when you return home - then you probably didn't do it right!  

29.  Vocation:  (Not nearly as much fun as "vacation.")  I've been an electronics engineer and manager for 30 years for a variety of large corporations.  About 5 years ago, I tried my hand at being a "young and aspiring" entrepreneur, "doing my thing" with my own company.  Unfortunately, it didn't achieve a wonderful storybook ending, but it was always interesting.  It's a long and sad story, but at least I tried and would like to do so again.  Hey, I'm still young.  Why not?

For the last couple of years, I've been an independent consultant - among other things.  However, in the interests of mental stability and social interaction (not to mention a steady paycheck), I rejoined the rat race in January 2001 as Manager of Research & Development for a startup company in Alpharetta.  A few months later, the company ran into funding difficulties and went poof!  Sure was nice while it lasted.   

Since then, I've been writing a book on gambling, particularly blackjack, which should be finished by the end of the year.  What that might mean financially - I don't have a clue!  Have also been dabbling with investments, working on new inventions, and occasionally even looking for a "real" job. 

Sorry, but I can't tell you a whole lot more until you first promise not to tell my mom.  She still thinks that I play the piano in a whorehouse, and I wouldn't want her to find out what I really do!  (Just kidding - I can't really play the piano!)