Swimming, Water Polo, Hiking, Camping, Climbing, Music, Guitar, Reading, Art, Museums, Scuba Diving, Travel, Theatre, Movies, Education
Danny Elfman. People who know him usually think of his music for movies. He collaborated on most of Tim Burton's films (Edward Scissorhands and such) but at one time he was the lead singer for a band called "The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo", then "Oingo Boingo", then finally, just "Boingo". I was a huge fan before they broke up. I saw their Halloween concert at Universal Studios four times. Their music was dark, moody, fun and sometimes political, especially later. They were amazing. Danny was the driving force of a band that had a perfect makeup of members. He seems shy and brilliant all at once. It was a huge part of my growing up during those turbulent high school years.
Barenaked Ladies, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, Van Morrison, Modest Mouse, Alison Krauss, John Denver, Tom Waits, Norah Jones, Cat Stevens, Beck, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Fiona Apple, Handel, NoFX, Dresden Dolls, Hayseed Dixie, Neil Diamond, Ben Harper, Rolling Stones, Simon and Garfunkel, Elvis Presley, Dave Matthews, Bishop Allen, Syd Barrett, Johnny Cash, Bklyn Jugs, Lou Reed, Willie Nelson, Gogol Bordello, Bob Dylan, Sufjan Stevens, Coldplay, Eminem, Oingo Boingo, Crooked Still, Jack Johnson, Peter Frampton, Bob Marley, Salamander Crossing, Shins, Tori Amos, Venus In Furs. Yes it is a lot and yes I listen to it all regularly.
All movies. I am a fan of Sci-fi and especially comic book movies. I think that movies should be fantastic, huge and loud. Film on the other hand, should be emotional, political and sometimes sappy. I am a sucker for a good romance. Wept like a baby through "The Notebook".
The new Battlestar Gallactica (right now it is #1 by far), Lost (a cast favorite and our post show Wednesday night activity), Veronica Mars (Love it on DVD), Arrested Developement (So sad it ended because it was maybe the funniest show ever), Futurama, and the Discovery Channel always on in the background.
Sci-Fi, Historical Fiction. I love Neil Stephenson. Do yourself a favor if you like technical adventures and read Cryptonomicon. Nazi Gold, WW II, modern day treasure hunting and crypto-analysis. What more could you want? Right now I am reading a lot of "How to play guitar" books. Also, I try and read the Pulitzer winner for fiction every year (and non-fiction if it interests me) as well as the Booker Award winner and the Hugo Award Winner. It sounds snobby but it isn't, I just find that if I am going to invest my time in reading a book then I want it to be good and the awards tend to be a good guide.
Hmm...I grew up on X-men so I am going to have to stick with Wolverine. However, I am a big fan of anyone able to blaze a new trail into a frontier previously unknown. Especially, technology. Science is the most exciting thing that is going on in the world. It is the only thing that will be able to stop us from destroying ourselves as a race. Depressing, but true.