  I think that men,  when they are first introduced to me,  forget that I am a woman.  It is easy for them to see me as the embodiment of a label,  a definition.  They think that they know everything there is to know about my life,
 because I call myself a feminist.  Assumptions get made at the drop of a hat;  I am most definately a man- hater,  I am probably a lesbian,  and it is incredibly suspect that I have a good,
 healthy relationship with my father.  If I were to place an open advertisement for a life- partner,  it would read single,  open- minded,
 slightly- dorky,  academic- type woman seeks single,  open- minded,
 funny man for a life- long commitment,  which will include evenings of intellectual ramblings on feminist theory,  very bad cooking,  obsessive devotion to the art of shagging,  cat hair that covers every conceivable surface,
 eventual birth of children,  a house by the sea,  and a woman who will stand by your side,  no matter what life throws at you.  I am too honest for my own good.  Most women hide those dark parts,
 waiting for the moment to reveal thier true nature.  I do not live my life in such a manipulative fashion,  chosing instead to be completely honest and open about who I am as a woman,  for better and for worse.  I do not believe in the artificial and it is that dislike for artifice that creates my disdain for dating.  In my mind,
 in my experience,  dating is fake.  I do not want a romantic illusion,  I want a real person in my life,  to share my life.  I want someone who forgets to leave the toilet seat down and can laugh at his own mistakes and weaknesses.
 I want a man who thinks that I am beautiful without make- up and who understands that kissing is not a prelude to sex,  but a pleasure that is to be explored and enjoyed on its own merit.  I want someone who will not run out the door,  but will chose to stay by my side the morning after we have made love.  I want passion,
 truth,  and someone who is not afraid to love me.  Most of all,  I want a man who understands that I am a strong- willed,  take-
charge,  opinionated,  refuse- to- be- a-
doormate type of person;  however,  at the end of the day,  I want to come home and have someone take care of me.  In a word,  I want acceptance .
