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alexandra_k said:
i worry sometimes that i misrepresent myself. that he wouldn't like me much if he knew what my day to day life was really like. if he knew the way that i chose to live it. i console myself with the notion that i'm fairly adaptable. that if we lived together then i wouldn't be doing exactly as i'm doing now because my circumstances would be different.
anyhoo... just... miss his physical presence... and wonder if things will ever work out for us.

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I realize I "clipped" your quote a bit, hopefully that isn't going to alter the context.
That one group of statements is what concerned me about the entire post. I was divorced after nearly 10 years of marriage, and I knew the second time around was going to be different because of what I had learned. The main thing I learned was, I am what I am. I cannot change that. I can adapt, as you said, to a point, but my essence is and will remain the same. Self improvement may be an ongoing part of our lives, but your day to day life is what you are. If he, or anyone else is not capable of dealing with that now, then why assume that would change further along in a relationship? Give him the chance to know all there is to know about you. Eventually, if the relationship progresses, he will anyway.
Believe this or not, when my current wife and I had gotten to the point that our relationship was getting serious, we sat down and talked. I told her "This is who I am. I cannot change myself, so please, either be able to accept me, or let's not go any further." Sounds like ******** I know, but after my first marriage I had decided I like me, and I'm not willing to change me for someone else. Luckily, for me, it has worked for the last 11 years and the birth of my son and daughter. I don't mean to make it sound like I told her "It's my way or the highway," because I didn't. But our conversation definitely made it clear that I didn't want her to act, or speak, or live a certain way to please me, or vice versa. We were seperated by over 500 miles the first 5 months of our relationship, and that makes it even easier to "misrepresent" your life or attitude in those precious few days you have face to face time. Lastly, none of this is to insinuate that it would even be a concious decision to hide or misrepresent. It's human nature to do what we have to when it comes to making someone like or love us.

Best wishes to you