Music: saxophone (classical), saxophone (jazz), barbershop singingScience Fiction: Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Harry Turtledove and others that require you to THINK when you read.Comic Books: Warren Ellis, Mark Millar, Neil Gaimen, Peter David - not necessarily in that order. Again, stories that require you to think and to know stuff in order to comprehend what's going on. Either that, or comics that have lots of stuff blowing up - think Independance Day with a plot.Teaching: private saxophone / clarinet lessons, public school music, barbershop choruses (chorii?).
Interesting people. That means, you must be capable of forming coherent sentences with reasonably correct grammar. Occasionally creating a thought of your own would be nice. Having some amount of competance would be nicer.
Artists that don't suck. Bach, Beethoven & Mozart, yes; Schubert, Wagner, Brahms, Mahler (not so much, but still...). Louis Armstrong, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Michael Brecker, Joshua Redman. The Beatles, Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler, Green Day. Linkin Park, Jay Z, Beastie Boys.
Comedies or explosions, preferably both. LOVE Arnold Schwarzneggar. My taste in movies is definitely escapism - I want to get away from life when I go to a movie theater. If I can watch it at home and get the same effect, I'll wait a year until it's on HBO.
I love curling up with my TiVo for some serious snuggling. Babylon 5 is my favorite show, all-time; Battlestar Galactica is creeping up on it. Doctor Who, 24, South Park, Drawn Together, Family Guy, Simpsons, American Dad, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! G/X. Add to that the 4400, The Dead Zone, Blade, Lost, Heroes and Entourage. Major League Baseball, minor league baseball, college baseball, and anything that requires a ball and a bat. College Football is great; pro football less so.
Right now, I've got a bunch of baby books sitting there waiting for me. I finished the one on Jewish babies - nothing that I haven't gleaned from conversations with Molly's fam. I'm midway through Brad Meltzer's "The Zero Game," and just finished his "Book of Fate." I was just given a John Irving book to read - loved "The Fourth Hand" from a few years ago.
My wife, for being my inspiration and reason for being; My father, for showing me that a musician doesn't have to be college-trained; My best friend, for being the most loyal & loving person on the planet (also showing me that intelligence doesn't need a college degree).Joe DiMaggio - class & dignity; Donnie Baseball (Don Mattingly) - class & dignity, hard work; Peter David - humor & intelligenceGlynn Fluitt, from BAC - for reminding me what's important in my favorite hobby; Bob Murphy, from my quartet - for being the most relentlessly positive person I associate with.