"A relationship is very important to me but you just
can't go out and grab the first girl you see," says 5'10
Ed, who is Mr. February in the 2003 FDNY Firefighters
calendar. "I have this crazy belief
that I can find my soul mate and I'd rather hold out for
that." Born in Long Island, N.Y., this 36-year-old
firefighter, who just bought a home near the beach, describes
himself as "outgoing, tenacious, sympathetic and
approachable." What can a woman who is in a relationship
with this brown-eyed Taurus expect? "Absolute pathetic
devotion. Poetry, massages, flowers," says Ed. "I'm
a giver, that's for sure."
Born: Long Island, NY
Resides: Long Beach, NY
Birth date: 5-12-66
Sign: Taurus
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 185 lbs.
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Nationality: Irish
Family: In the middle of one brother and one sister
Single, never married, no children
Education: BS in marketing at St. Johns College. Wanted to be
a psychologist.
Occupation: Fireman for 4 years on 8-16. Ladder 15 with engine
4 down in Wall Street.
Nonsmoker
On being a firefighter: "It's the best thing I ever did.
It's the most rewarding job, it's enriching in every way. The
thing I love most about my job is the effect we have on the
children, when they come by the firehouse and they see
us."
On being a hero: "No, it's a silly phrase. The only
heroes are the guys who were standing in between those floors
when they came crashing down and there are no other heroes who
are standing. All firemen believe that."
On being a calendar boy: "It's for a good cause, fire
safety and education and that's what it's all about. It
teaches all people and children, especially about the dangers
of fire and how to fight it and how to look out for
themselves."
... on HIMSELF
Ed is a man who ... "enjoys life and living by the beach
is proof. (Just bought a house three months ago)
Best Qualities: "My loyalty to my friends. I'm a bit
misunderstood, my bark is worse than my bite. I'm over the top
until you know me and then you realize that it's just a façade.
I'm definitely outgoing, tenacious, sympathetic and
approachable for sure.
Strengths: "My loyalty. My friends can always count on
me, I'm always there for my friends."
Weaknesses: "I'm definitely impatient."
What I see in myself that others may not see: "I come off
wild and outgoing but deep down I'm really easygoing."
I've been known to ... "say what all my friends are
thinking and that is the truth. I'm not the shyest
person."
Interests: "Anything athletic, anything that tries you
physically. Recently, I've got into surfing. But out here in
NY, they're not the biggest waves. I like to bicycle and I
love to jump rope."
Turn ons: "A girl who can laugh at herself. Definitely a
sunset here, living by the beach, that's the best part. I'll
put Dark Side of the Moon on (Pink Floyd) and I'll just watch
the sun kissing my patio. I have a nice cold Corona and I just
sit there and I say, `It's all good.' Having the nerve to get
up and sing an Irish song like I did on vacation and I won
second prize the singing competition. Hearing someone tell a
great story, something about their own life."
Turn offs: "A girl who thinks the world revolves her;
liver; girls who don't trim the hedges, you got to mow the
lawn, keep a tidy garden."
Special Talents: "I like to play guitar. Sometimes we jam
at work, oh big time, in the firehouse. We have a complete
setup, drums, bass, etc. We actually mess around but it's just
for us. I also sing."
Charitable involvement: "When I heard about what the
calendar was for, I put myself behind it 100%."
My 15 minutes of fame: "The calendar has been my 16
minutes of fame. I was just in Ireland and shamelessly I had a
few calendars on me so I gave them out to the girls. It was
nice."
Where I was born and my ethnic origin or ancestry: "My
parents were born in Ireland. I spent at least 3-4 summers
there when I was a kid."
Places I have lived or traveled: "I have lived in San
Diego, CA and Arizona."
Spiritual and/or religious views: "Karma is a ____. What
goes around comes around. I absolutely believe in God. I was
raised Catholic but I only believe in a higher power. I think
everybody's religion comes down to one point, a higher
power."
My fashion sense: "Knee highs and red stiletto pumps. No,
I wear jeans and t-shirt. If I go out, I dress to kill."
How I stay healthy and in shape: "I jump rope and I go to
the gym every day for an hour. I don't always eat good but I
lay off the bread."
What touches my soul: "I had a girlfriend who I went out
with for a couple years and she actually cried when we made
love. It just blew me away; I could not believe it. I thought
I did something wrong, but it was amazing, it was just
wild."
... on WOMEN
Views on relationships/marriage: "I'm usually a long-term
relationship guy. My longest was five years; my average would
be a couple years. I absolutely want to be married. When she
comes along, I'll let you know. I don't want to do what other
people do and that's settling. People find somebody who's
comfortable, they have a lot in common but I have this crazy
belief that I can find my soul mate and I'd rather hold out
for that. A relationship is very important but you just can't
go out and tackle a girl. I want to have kids. Every time kids
come by the firehouse and I pick them up and put them on the
rig and put a helmet on them, I just say to myself, `man I'd
give anything to hold a child that was mine.' But you can't
just grab the first woman you see."
A woman can get my attention...: "by saying something off
key that would throw me. Probably a woman can get my attention
if she could put up with me for five minutes. I definitely
have a weird sense of humor. It's an Irish thing. Definitely
if a woman has a good sense of humor, if she can laugh about
anything."
Ideal woman: "Confident but yet willing to let the man
take the lead when he wants to be chivalrous. She should be
open, willing to let herself go and fall back and know that
I'll catch her. I'd probably want a woman who wouldn't be
afraid to say things in a public place, maybe whisper
something in my ear that nobody else would hear and drive me
crazy. I'm not fanatical about it but I would love a woman to
be fit, just staying toned."
Keys to a great relationship: "Trust and honesty. What's
given to me, I'll give in return and it comes down to honesty,
really. I'm loyal in a relationship. Of all my weaknesses,
that's definitely not one of them. If I'm with a woman and I'm
in love, or even think I'm in love, I'm only about that
person. I'm wearing blinders. "
What makes a woman unforgettable: "When she isn't your
complete life but rather she completes your life."
A woman who is in a relationship with me can expect:
"absolute pathetic devotion. Poetry, massages, flowers.
That's all I am, I'm a giver, that's for sure."
What I expect: "That's the problem, I'm a giver so I
don't expect anything. I do expect honesty and devotion. I do
expect when we make love, that I lose fact of everything and
anything of where I am and where I'm going to be, we're both
completely lost in the moment."
The greatest lesson I've learned from a relationship: "Be
yourself, don't fake it. Because if you pretend to be somebody
you're not, you'll always resort back to the person you are
anyway."
Ideal date: "I like to have romantic dinners with really
good scenic value. Like in Manhattan, it's got to be a high
rise, a penthouse with big glass looking at the city, a nice
bottle of Chirose and just talking, getting lost in the
moment. I also like hand massages on a first date."
**I can't resist a woman who ...: "can look sexy without
even knowing it."
How I show a woman I care about her: "I write little
notes all over the house, everywhere, just like silly, sappy
love notes, inside the microwave, under the bed, in the
sheets, in her purse, on the mirror. It's like an Easter egg
hunt for love. Just to let her know."
One thing a woman has done for me that has made me melt:
"Wearing lingerie. It's made me beyond melt, melt is a
kind word."
One quality in a woman that is more important than anything
else: "Loyalty."
What puts me in the mood: "A funny movie."
I feel my sexiest when ...: "After I've make love with a
woman. It's the most empowering feeling a man can ever have.
It has to be with someone I'm in love with."
Why I'm such a great catch: "Because I only have eyes for
the one I'm with. It's the truth."
What I wish women understood more about men: "That we're
really easy to please. And honestly, they shouldn't
shortchange us with emotions because it comes to us. When we
watch Patrick Swayzee kissing Demi Moore at the end of Ghost,
we get choked up, you don't need to hear it, but it's true, we
really do."
... on HIS FAVORITE THINGS
Favorite Movie: "Highlander."
Favorite TV Show: "Law and Order."
Favorite Music: "I'm partial to Brian Ferry and ACDC
which is quite a contradiction."
Favorite Food: "Rib eye steak."
Favorite Season: "Fall, when I came back to NY when I was
12, it was unbelievable to see the leaves falling."
on ... LIFE
How I plan to make my mark on the world: "Just being a
firefighter is enough for me, it really is. It's phenomenal;
it's so great. When you're there and you're doing it and you
see people when you come out of a fire and they look at you
and they're practically clapping when you come out in the
street. And they know what you're doing, we're living for New
York City and everybody."
Responsibility to Society: "To give to New York and love
her."
One lesson that life has taught me: "If you get knocked
down, you get up again."
What I try to get out of life every day: "Live it like
it's your last day. Before I was selfish, I didn't really
care. But after September 11 and knowing that the guys in my
company were on the 74th floor and that was it, it came
crashing down. I think to myself that you have to live
outrageously every day. I watch every sunset, I really do. I
see it and I enjoy it. I came home from work today and I raced
down to the beach and looked at the sunset and the waves and
if it's my last, then so be it, but it was beautiful."
Three things I must do in this lifetime: "Skydive, scuba
dive, in a big way, deep down, and have a family."
Best advice I've received: "It was from Lt. James
Blackmore who died in a fire in 1998. He said, `don't sweat
the small stuff.'"
Best advice I've ever given a woman: "I got this one from
my mom. Chase and they will fly, fly and they will
chase."
I would like to change places for 24 hours with: "General
Tommy Franks. He is the supreme commander of the Armed Forces.
He came by the firehouse. In Afghanistan, he's kicking their
butts. He's 6'3" and kicking ass and he told us, `we're
taking care of business.' He knew what we wanted to hear. We
lost 14 guys in our firehouse. He told us, `Don't you worry;
we're going to make them pay.' That was the most wonderful
thing."
The person I would most like to hang out with: "George
Best, he is a God in English Soccer. Quite a Playboy in his
time; they called him the 5th Beatle."
Nicknames I've been called: "Daddy. I'll give you the
number to the firehouse and you can call them and say, `Is
Daddy working today?' Who's your daddy?"
Tattoos/piercings: "Both arms and my back. One is a code
of arms for my parent's hometown in Ireland. The other is a
steer head with flaming eyes for my memories of Arizona. On my
back is a shamrock."
Wheels: "1994 El Dorado Cadillac and I have a 1966 El
Dorado convertible."
Pets:
Items always in my refrigerator: "Corona and fresh
juice."
Hottest possession: "1973 poster of Live and Let Die with
Roger Moore. The original movie poster from a theatre."
A character in a novel or film who best describes me:
"Any book by Clive Cussler."
Me, a deserted island and ... "the extreme sport Playboy
models. I saw them, they're really physically fit."
Secret fantasy: "I will tell you this. I promise you,
I've fulfilled almost all of them. So don't be shy, just let
your imagination go to the end of the earth. As far as you can
go, you're probably close."
One word that best describes me: "Inexorable."
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