TURN-ONS:
the universe and theories surrounding its nature; herbal teas and finger sandwiches at the Grand America; making to-do lists; philosophy, deductive syllogisms, proving people wrong; Sugarhouse/Avenues cottages, downtown lofts, and their associated pedestrian lifestyles; philanthropy, activism, and social awareness; thesauruses, fractals, chemistry, and quantum mechanics
TURN-OFFS: frat boys and valley girls; rampant spelling alterations like "kars," "gurlz," and "qwik"; political/religious extremes on both ends of the ideological spectrum; sweaty moshpits; the ignorant and inbred teenage "straightedge" scene; hyper-patriotic Americans who don't know how to speak, read, or write grammatically correct English, yet insist on weeping to the Star-Spangled Banner; Christmas tunes in November; Blacks who demand entitlements and reparations for century-old slavery claims; emo boys who speak/write in obscure poetic expressions because it sounds "cool"; presidential speeches brimming with pathos and logical fallacies; lumps in my lotion and mashed potatoes
Barely educated and marginally attractive people to make me feel better haha. And a boy named Adrian.
NO rap/country/smooth jazz!
MUSIC I LOVE: Muse, the Goo Goo Dolls, 30 Seconds to Mars, Imogen Heap, Placebo, Yann Tiersen, AFI, Under the Influence of Giants, Joshua Radin, Angels and Airwaves, Franz Ferdinand, Linkin Park, Motioncity Sountrack, Goldfrapp, The Sounds, Queen (gotta love some classic Freddy Mercury), Kasabian, Dredg, The Postal Service (because it makes me happy), Elefant, Fischerspooner, Portishead (music so sexy Victoria's Secret used it in in their commercials), The Killers, Bright Eyes, Blonde Redhead, Deathcab for Cutie, Kill Hannah, The Beatles, Blink-182, My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco, Hot Hot Heat, Morningwood, Kaiser Chiefs, The Dresden Dolls, Rammstein, Straylight Run, The Arcade Fire, Dashboard Confessional, Garbage, Snow Patrol, Benny Benassi, techno (depending on the mood), certain Russian artists, and...some old-school Ace of Base
[I'm always open to suggestions too]
BANDS I HATE: Trapt, Nickelback, Three Doors Down, The Foo Fighters, Hinder, Papa Roach, Pearl Jam, Audioslave, and 90's grunge except for Nirvana
Movies with a purpose, films that make you question, and comedies that parody numerous pop culture references. A few favorites: Amelie (and anything with Audrey Tautou), Fight Club, Lord of War, Blow, The Virgin Suicides, A Very Long Engagement, Delicatessen, Crash, American History X, Requiem for a Dream, Moulin Rouge, Chicago, Closer, Sexo Con Amor, Trainspotting, Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears, The Thief, Brother (and other Russian classics), Napoleon Dynamite, Garden State.
Occasional entertainment such as: Family Guy, Futurama, The Simpsons, Discovery Channel, The Science Channel, The History Channel, Jeopardy!, The Weakest Link, Sex and the City, Best Week Ever, Fuse, and America's Next Top Model.
The Poisonwood Bible (by Barbara Kingsolver), Russian authors, anything by John Steinbeck. I've been really into Henry Miller lately. His stuff is pure crack-and-starvation-induced genius.
Matthew Bellamy of Muse is a music GOD!
And my favorite Jew Ben Stein!