history; foreign languages; travel; politics and current events (aka the crimes and follies of the Bush administration); Whedonverse; moose; Halloween; music; archaeology; astronomy; cephalopods; 18th and 19th century sailing vessels; the environment; long walks in the woods that don't end with me falling and breaking an ankle.
A live moose.
Skinny Puppy, Robyn Hitchcock, Franz Ferdinand, Dead Can Dance, David Bowie, The Cure, Siouxsie and The Banshees, The Stooges, Einsturzende Neubauten, Radiohead, Phish, Tori Amos, Nick Cave, Iron Maiden, Uz Jsme Doma, The Orb, Joy Division, New Order, Interpol, Current 93, Black Sabbath, Bob Dylan, Ladytron, Infected Mushroom.... In general, various 80s-90s college/indie rock, industrial, electronica, gothic, classical, synthpop, some classic rock, and more than a little heavy metal.
Blade Runner, Serenity, Young Frankenstein, Heathers, Goodfellas, Yojimbo, Loves of a Blonde, Trainspotting, The Nightmare Before Christmas, City of God, Pirates of the Caribbean, Ghost in the Shell and GitS 2: Innocence, Lord of the Rings trilogy, Master and Commander, Europa Europa, Kill Bill 1 & 2, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian, Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears, 24 Hour Party People.... I like a lot of East European movies, especially Czech new wave, both for themselves and because I like to hear the languages. And I can enjoy almost any movie that provides a striking visual spectacle, even if its plot and acting are weak.
I am what can only be described as a HUGE Buffy fan. Also Angel and Firefly. Other favorites are The Simpsons (first 10 seasons), Futurama, Invader Zim, The Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under, Freaks and Geeks, Deadwood, Veronica Mars, the new Battlestar Galactica, Metalocalypse, and The Shield.
Lots of history, popular and academic. In fiction, some of my favorites are Patrick O'Brian, HP Lovecraft, Umberto Eco, JL Borges, Neil Gaiman, William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, George Pelecanos, Jeff Vandermeer, KJ Bishop, Lindsay Davis's Falco series and Barbara Hambly's Benjamin January series.... I finally finished reading Ulysses back in June 2004; but, shamefully, I still haven't read War and Peace.
Rupert Giles