Music:
in no particular order (aside from alphabetical)... i'm a sucker for melody and fun instrumentation if that helps to narrow things down.
the appleseed cast
beck
beulah
broken social scene
death cab for cutie
the decemberists
elliott smith
fang
fembots
final fantasy
the folk implosion
the phoenix foundation
pinback
pine
the postage stamps
the shins
sigur ros
spoon
sufjan stevens
the weakerthans
wilco
Books:
favourite authors include:
michael chabon
douglas coupland
dave eggers
tom robbins
susan sontag
kurt vonnegut jr.
jeanette winterson