I go through passionate phases where I do something for a month or two (sometimes longer) and then calm it down. Chess was one of those phases, but it lasted longer than most.. I played several hours a day online, striving to be better. I went to tournaments and joined the school club in high school and college. A fun game, I'm better than the average person, but not great by any means. I'm currently in a language kick, learning spanish.. which is fun because I work at a mexican owned company, so there are people to practice with. I've made a lot of friends due to my outward desire to learn the language. I'm currently reading Harry Potter y la piedra filosifal (first harry potter in spanish). I plan to travel the world at some point; Japan, Spain, India will be in my list of destinations, in that order. I love good food.. healthy food. I tend to go for the vegetable stuff instead of the greasy stuff. That doesn't mean I don't like meat, I'll order a medium-rare, bloody steak when I'm in the mood. I like to cook things, and I rarely make something that doesn't taste good to me. I like to get exercise, but I've been working too much lately. I drive a motorcycle, Kawasaki Ninja 250. I'd like to upgrade now that I've gotten to be a seasoned driver, but I don't want to sell my bike :PUpdate: I'm now learning japanese. I think I have a basis in spanish good enough that only real practice will hone my skills more. I enjoy reading novels in spanish, although many of the words I figure out from context. Japanese is a whole new ballgame, so far I'm going through the pimsleur cds in the car, as well as some books I bought on learning the alphabets and characters. It would be really cool to read japanese books... manga as well. Next is german.
Interesting people, people from other cultures.
I like emo, rock, alternative, electronic.. The Postal Service, Death Cab for Cutie, Modest Mouse, Lali Puna, Frou Frou, Hot Hot Heat, Dashboard Confessional, Ben Folds/Five, Ben Kweller, Dressy Bessy, Anniversary, Tullycraft, Counting Crows, Radiohead, Cake, Everclear, All-American Rejects, Beck, Dave Matthews, My Chemical Romance, They Might Be Giants, The Flaming Lips, Pizzicato Five (japanese), R.E.M., the beatles, led zeppelin, the cure, billy joel..
Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge, Strictly Ballroom) is a genius. I love any movie by the Coen brothers (The Hudsucker Proxy, The Big Lebowski, Intolerable Cruelty, O' Brother Where Art Thou, Raising Arizona, etc.) I really enjoyed Love Actually, Punch-Drunk Love, Boondock Saints, Adaptation, Four Rooms, Run Lola Run, Leon, American Psycho, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, The Butterfly Effect, Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, Equilibrium, Gattaca, Pi. (I got most of that list from my dvds.. I'd have to think harder to remember others, but that will give you a good idea)I also very much enjoy anime in general. Hellsing, Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, Full Metal Alchemist, Rurouni Kenshin, Ghost in the shell, etc.
I don't have cable anymore, but I enjoy watching bill maher, jon stewart, adult swim, and south park.
I like a lot of types of books.. I'll just list some authors and titles so you get the idea. Authors: Michael Crichton (The Lost World, Jurrasic Park, Andromeda Strain, Airframe, Prey), Louis L'Amour (too many to name some, I love the ones about Kilkenny - I have probably read over 150 of his books), Iain M. Banks (Use of Weapons), Kurt Vonnegut (Slaughterhouse Five, Breakfast of Champions, Cat's Cradle), Richard Feynman (The Meaning of it All, Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out), Douglas Adams (The Ultimate Hitchhikers Guide(all 5), Last Chance to See). I also enjoyed Harry Potter (1-3 so far), and Neuromancer.. as well as other sci fi and fantasy books. Anita Blake series..