In no particular order:Leading a nomadic existence, exploration, reading voraciously, writing(when I'm not procrastinating), arithmetic(okay, not so much with the math), swimming, hiking, climbing, just generally being outdoors, watching and studying the behavior of people, causing social and political unrest, massages, attempting to read every National Geographic magazine published since 1895, drinking Mountain Dew, drinking more Mountain Dew, waiting to see if I turn green from drinking so much Mountain Dew, eating foods dyed blue, history, studying and discussing world cinema, theatre, unsigned bands, Trivial Pursuit, Jeopardy, as well as stealing candy from babies, smelling my food before I eat it, skateboarding(rollerblading sucks), and a whole lot more that I just don't particularly feel like typing at the moment. God forbid I catch a nasty case of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
Bibliophiles, writers, painters, singers, songwriters, explorers, filmmakers, actors, visionaries, philosophers, street corner preachers, carnival barkers, sideshow "freaks", conspiracy theorists, con artists, massage therapists, smartasses, William Jefferson Clinton, and those who are not content with staying in one locale for their entire lives and want to see the world for all it has to offer. There's more out there than McDonald's, shopping malls, SUVS with mini tvs, and that desk in the air-conditioned office that most sit behind from nine to five for forty-odd years until they collect their retirement checks.
If I would have learned to play the piano, I'd probably be a famous composer, like that Beethoven guy, but without the powdered wig. But, alas, t'was not to be. I can, however, play the first part of 'Lean on Me'.
My friends and I made a film once. We never titled it, but t'was about two brothers, one good, the other a troublemaker, who were trying to coexist after the sudden demise of their parents. I, of course, played the role of the troublemaker and I was great at it. I had this moment where I was all emotional and using a Bic lighter as a prop to show my frustration. It was method acting all the way, baby.
I don't watch much television these days, as books are better. HOWEVER...When I was a kid, people would tell me that I wouldn't learn anything by watching television for hours upon hours during my summer vacation from Navy Point Elementary School in Pensacola, Florida. Well, they were wrong, for I have learned quite a bit from television. For instance, I can perform open heart surgery thanks to all of those Discovery Channel documentaries. Nobody is willing to be a volunteer patient yet, but I'm sure it'll happen sooner or later. I also know the mating habits of not only the cane toad, but also the fruit fly. Those cane toads are kind of freaky. And lastly, I know that skydiving without a working parachute is a bad idea after watching a documentary about disasters. One unlucky bloke packed an older parachute that didn't function properly and he crashed to the ground at about 6,000 miles per hour. So, I'll be sure to pack a parachute that nine out of ten pediatricians approve of the next time I go skydiving.
Lately...'An Army at Dawn' by Rick Atkinson'Hate Mail From Cheerleaders and Other Adventures From the Life of Reilly' by Rick Reilly'Best American Travel Writing 2001-2007' by Tim Cahill, et. all 'Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before' by Tony Horwitz'Best American Sportswriting 1996-2006 Editions' by Various Authors'The Time-Life WWII Collection' by Various Authors'December 7, 1941' by Gordon Prange'The War: An Intimate History, 1941-1945' by Geoffrey C. Ward'D-Day - June 6,1944' by Stephen Ambrose 'A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas' by Chuck Klosterman IV'The Boston Irish: A Political History' by Thomas H. O'Connor'The Republican Noise Machine: Right-Wing Media and How It Corrupts Democracy' by David Brock'Red Lobster, White Trash, and the Blue Lagoon' by Joe Queenan'The Mammoth Book of Oddballs and Eccentrics' by Karl Shaw'The Lost Continent' by Bill Bryson'A Short History of Nearly Everything' by Bill Bryson'Exile on Main Street: A Season in Hell with the Rolling Stones' by Robert Greenfield'Hold the Enlightenment' by Tim Cahill'Last Trout in Venice' by Doug Lansky'Cad: Confessions of a Toxic Bachelor' by Rick Marin'Russia's War: A History of the Soviet Effort: 1941-1945' by Richard Overy'Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis, And The New Biology Of Mind' by Eric Kandel'This Mighty Scourge: Perspectives on the Civil War' by James McPherson'Saxons, Vikings, and Celts: The Genetic Roots of Britain and Ireland' by Bryan Sykes
I'll tell you who isn't my hero. Dr. Phil. Not him. I would rather go play in traffic than listen to his "sage" advice.