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I am more of a book worm than a movie person. Brideshead Revisited miniseries – the only case I know when the film was nearly as good as the book! Das Boot – masterful, if not an easy view; Bunuel films; most Kenneth Branagh films – Henry V anybody? As you can see, I lean towards European cinema over Hollywood’s latest and greatest (What you have not seen it? Let me tell you about it: The world is in grave danger, about to end; A guy and girl are the only ones that can save it. They have loved each other, but are in a tiff over something or other; they heroically save the world; they kiss and make up. End credits. Deep, deeply thoughtful)

This is even harder pick! I love books, I love to read. Pretty much all Evelyn Waugh, though undoubtedly (and very conventionally) – Brideshead Revisited must rank as the favourite. Erich Maria Remarque: all books, but favourite by far is Drei Kameraden. Kaestner’s Drei Manner in der Schnee, Die Verschwundene Miniatur. Simmel’s Es Muss nicht immer Kaviar sein: pretty much what I think of the Secret Services. Some Steinbeck – the Tortilla Flat group in particular, Hemingway – some, Fitzgerald, too. Poetry: John Donne, Some Shakespeare sonnets, Byron, Goethe, Schiller, Heine, Shelley, Burns. Mikhail Lermontov; Pushkin to a lesser extent, though I recognize his genius (and yes – I have read them in original Russian, not translation).

European, Latin American, Caribbean. I am carnivorous. Here is where I was planning to write a lyrical essay on how good a cook I am, but… just recalled that a few days ago I allowed a Cordon Bleu to dry out! No mean achievement… So scrap the idea of bragging, but - suffice it to say, that I do not eat fastfood. And food needs to be consumed with wine! It has to be an esthetic pleasure for the senses, not just fuel for the body.

Classical - first and foremost, but I do enjoy Flamenco, Jazz, Classical Rock. I love Classical music in all its forms and expressions, but particularly Baroque: Corelli, Tellemann, Purcell, Bach (how original of me!), Albignioni, Biber. Love much of Bocherini. Yes, I do enjoy also the Classics: Beethoven, Mozart. One of my favourite pieces is Ravell’s Bolero. And here I am about to crash in the esteem of the true musical connoisseurs: I love the cheerfulness of Johann Strauss (both of them) – the ABBA of the 19th century. Felt in love for the first time while waltzing to the Blue Danube with a young lady of no more than half-head taller than me! ☺ Before you dismiss me as a stuck-up pretentious git, let me list Pink Floyd, Scorpions – kissed my first girl while dancing to one of their ballads: guess which! Dire Straits, Deep Purple. If you have not heard of these groups, you are far too young for me!

In comparison with most people nowadays, I tend to overdress. I believe I am the only at the university who still teaches in a suit, or at least a blazer and tie. If it was up to me, people would still be changing for dinner! Coat-tails and gowns anybody? Joking aside, it really depends on the occasion, but as a whole I lean towards smarter and more formal than casual.

British style: dry and sharp. Sarcastic. Usually it is targeted at myself. Others have become collateral casualties on occasion.

Sailing, diving, shipmodeling, reading, theatre, opera, Baroque music. For hobbies and interests, did I mention books? Wine? I am beginning to build a (very) modest wine cellar. I love sailing and am currently on the market for a small yacht. I like building ship models.

Far too much and mostly to inhospitable God-forsaken shores (literally). Work drags me to all sorts of strange places off the beaten track. Otherwise: Britain, Denmark, Sweden (lived there for two years), Ireland, Canada, Bermuda. Of the less civilized places, can’t miss Bulgaria and Turkey. And then come the outright barbaric ones like much of the Caribbean, though there still are more islands to visit than I have visited. The Dutch Antilles are on the list, return to the French islands is desirable. How about Tahiti in the Pacific? Probably by yacht.

First of all, my own background is culturally less than straight-forward; born in one place, spent most of my life elsewhere. Frequent travel and exposure to different cultures. Multi-lingual helps, too. Perhaps I may have slight advantage over fellow Americans in this search, as I speak understandable Russian, have experience, understanding and appreciation of Slavonic culture and its values, including family values. Why otherwise would I be on this site?

Ouuu… I can be pathetically prosaic: how about candlelit dinner, overlooking the sea? There is this restaurant in Bermuda that I know, where the maître d’ really knows his wine (a lot better than me, I am sorry to say!), their tuna steak is to die for and the staff are discretion itself. Swimming off a remote beach into the moon path on the water? Anchored in a cove on a tropical island, making love under the stars? Closed in a cabin in the mountains next to a fire, while winter storms rage outside?

Adventurous, intellectual, calm and steady. Level-headed. Which one, though? :)

Intelligent, with sense of humour. Feminine, elegant, slim, good taste for dressing. Enjoys art, classical music, opera, theatre, reading, travel, but ready for an adventure when it beckons.