What can I say after such a great introduction?

I was born in Egypt, and I am of Greek, Syrian and Austrian descent. I grew up in the suburbs of Montreal and am still living here. I am Fracophone, but was educated in English (that was before Bill 101 made French schooling mandatory for all immigrants to this province).

My interests are varied.

I am an avid reader who enjoys everything from "Cathy" comic books to "Shakespeare". Or from "Astérix le Gaulois" to "Molière". I have seven bookcases bursting with books on almost every subject imaginable in both English and French. Mysteries, humour and science fiction (mostly Steve's stuff) alone fill two bookcases. At any given time I am reading two to three books as well as "National Geographic" and "Maclean's" magazines and whatever else I can get my hands on.

I enjoy classic television shows and documentaries, movies and music. I hate reality television. I am a sometimes gardener (when the ground is not rock hard from years of neglect), a softball player (when I am not injured or my teams decide not to play), a camper (I hate mosquitos), a skiier (I love the thrill of going downhill), a cyclist (I cannot sit down after the "Juvenile Diabetes Cyclothon" or the "Tour de l'île de Montréal").

I love to travel. I have visited many Canadian, American and European cities, towns and villages over the years. I enjoy day excursions as much as vacations which can last one to six (when I was single) weeks. I have been known to take my car to go on road trips with no particular goal in mind. Leaving for a weekend trip is great too. We go skating on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa in February, apple-picking in September, pumpkin-picking in October. We go to The Greater Toronto area, (where many of our expatriate Montreal friends live) whenever we get a chance.

I am a bigger kid than most kids that I know. I have a great Disney, Looney Tunes, Muppet and assorted cartoons, video collection; Disney, Garfield, Looney Tunes, Smurf and Muppets figurines and stuffed animals; toys and trinkets picked up here and there.

I am a good cook, but a lousy baker. I do laundry, but I hate ironing (that's why I have a husband). I am a so, so housekeeper. As long as everything is clean, I do not mind a mess.

Taking care of kids, a house, a garden, pets and working keeps me on my toes. Steve and I have a good social life, but depending on the current activities of our friends, we see them more or less often.

I enjoy life. We both enjoy life.