Inspired by a great conversation I had this morning

Top 5 turn-ons:

1. Music: You could listen to Led Zepplin or Lauren Hill, the Beatles or the Pixies - the point is, a guy with an opinion about music is sexy. If you don't stick to the charts, and care enough about music to find stuff that really moves you (regardless of whether or not MTV thinks it's 'cool'), I'm going be interested in you, and we're probably going to have a lot to talk about. If you are just as comfortable in a jazz bar as you are at a Rage Against the Machine concert - then you've really got my attention.

2. Reading, intellect and general geekiness: There is nothing sexier than a guy who cares about the world around him. Drop the high school facade - being smart is hot and being able to carry on an intelligent conversation is even hotter. I'm attracted, nay, turned on by smart guys who can challenge everything I thought I knew about the world.

3. Let's be superficial for a second: cowboy hats and tan lines are hot. Coming from Calgary (proudly born and raised), there is little that I find sexier than a guy wearing a worn-in cowboy hat. As Alana can probably attest to, that's a no-brainer way to become the world's sexiest man. As an homage to my surfer-wannabe roots, I'm also going to throw in that tan lines are extremely sexy ... watch tans, bathing suit tans, soccer tans - I care not. Go out there and get some sun!

4. Sports and general competition: I love sports - that's not much of a secret. However, even more than I love to play and watch them, I really love to watch a guy play them. I'm partial to soccer - watching someone run, play smart, and do amazing things with a soccer ball is gorgeous. That being said, skiing, ultimate frisbee, and touch football rank high on my list. Watching guys play sports is sexy. Competition is also sexy - making bets, or going head-to-head with a guy (even something dumb like an arm wrestle or a race) is hot, and does count as foreplay.

5. Just make me laugh: Being silly, not taking yourself too seriously, and being able to laugh at yourself and at me are fantastic traits. I love having fun with someone, and it's a huge turn if they want to have fun with me too. Whether it's rollerblading, going to a concert, or just being goofy together - I am attracted to people that make me smile.

Top 5 Turn-offs

1. Nasty nasty habits: Namely, smoking. Sure, some people can get over it, but I think that it's filthy, and seeing someone smoke pretty much negates any/all of the aforementioned turn-ons they might have going for them. I respect my body too much to poison it, and I don't want to be with someone who doesn't feel the same way. Smoker's breath, yellow teeth, dying of lung cancer - these are all turnoffs in my books. Let's throw drug addictions and excessive intoxication into this category too; being sloppy, trashed, or too stoned to function really doesn't make me want to jump someone.

2. Bad manners: If someone that I'm dating doesn't have the decency to say 'please' and 'thank you', or to hold the door open for a little old lady, I'm going to lose interest really quickly. Etiquette is a dying art form, and while I don't claim to be the most polite person in the world, I sincerely believe that everyone deserves to be treated with respect. This also goes for guys that call girls their 'bitches' or 'hoes', and people that think it's okay not to tip when they go to a restaurant: grow up.

3. Facial Hair: This is so shallow, and I have no justifiable reason for including it in my list, other than that I have never been attracted to someone with a beard, moustache, goatee or any other form of facial hair growth. There's nothing appealing about it, although I'm sure some girls find it incredibly sexy.

4. That's right. I'm calling you judgemental. There is nothing worse, to me, than seeing the world from a negative point of view. I spent three years with someone who was never really happy - who didn't get excited at the first snow, didn't feel passionate about anything, didn't believe that the world really was a beautiful place. Sometimes, all you need is love, and if a guy can't at least accept that I'm an idealist and want to change the world for the better - then he's not going to keep me interested for long.

5. Electronics, in general. You are in charge of your cell phone - it's not in charge of you. Blackberries, camera phones, portable DVD players, ipods (which, actually, I think are pretty fantastic) ... guys whose lives are controlled by their gadgets don't fly with me. Why? In part, because I think it reflects a bigger problem of materialism, and in part because I don't think that I should have to compete with a cell phone for someone's attention. And in addition - do we really NEED all this stuff? Whatever happened to having an answering machine?