I dance a mean salsa! And I can kickbox. I'm into long-distance running, as well -- it's one of the few physical activities I do that I can truly bliss out and enter some sort of Zen state. Otherwise, my mind is usually going at warp speed ... try zoning out during kickboxing, dude. One of my greatest fears is deteriorating into a narrowminded conservative stick in the mud, so I like to challenge my boundaries, both physical and mental. Physically pushing my limits, and mentally challenging the way I think/perceive, help me to keep things grounded.
Kindred spirits -- the race of Joseph (yeah, we're having an Anne of Green Gables moment here). I like bundles of contradiction: the Type A overachiever who knows when to have a laugh, for instance, or the anal retentive who's surprisingly laidback about his/her bathroom shelf. Openmindedness and a sense of humour are vital; a love of puns and arcane information will pique my interest. Like-minded creative souls whose passion and drive define who they are, but do not box them into the black hole of workaholism. A man with duende -- spirit, passion, sensuality; a wicked, childlike sense of humour, and a penchant for puns. I like a man with intellect, who is open to new ideas, and can hold his own in a debate. The ability to dance is a bonus ... I love, love, LOVE salsa dancing, and in my universe, there are few things sexier than a man who can rrrreally dance. If you can dance (salsa or otherwise), give good voice and have a shaved bald head, I'm yours!
It's easier to state what I *don't* like: Country and western, polka, Celtic music and for some reason, grunge (which I find terribly unsophisticated musically). Anything else pretty much goes ... I like anything with a groove and soul -- and by this I mean it touches me in some way. Most of the Top 40 charts have lost me, but now and then something blips on my radar. My CD rack spans the spectrum of musical forms. Classical (but no Grieg -- too damn depressing). Jazz. 80s New Wave. Heavy metal! Punk. 70s pop. Cheese. (I'm a Barry Manilow fan, and proud of it!) Soul, funk, hip-hop. Electronica and chill (but no trance -- boring). Latin. Indian and Arabic. Disco. And the beat goes on ...
Too many to count. Spinal Tap. Amost Famous. The original Star Wars and Indiana Jones trilogies. Ong Bak! Banlieu 13. Zaitoichi. Lady Snowblood and Kill Bill (Mr Tarantino wasn't so original, after all). Pulp Fiction. Collateral (Jamie Foxx, what a revelation.) The rambling musicality of Buena Visa Social Club. Leolo. Shawn of the Dead and Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town. The Curse of the Golden Flower (Gong Li was fabulous, as was the cinematography).
I'm loving CSI and CSI: NY -- no Sunglasses of Justice for me! Buffy and Angel. (R.I.P.) Little Britain! Family Guy. Anything on Discovery Living & Travel. So You Think You Can Dance. And back in the 20th century, I was a compulsive X-Files and, umm, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys geek. Blush.
Food porn (and that includes Anthony Bourdain. I'm afraid). Erotica. Jeffrey Deaver, Kathy Reichs, Caleb Carr. JK Rowling. Harry Potter. Just about anything on rock 'n' roll and fashion. Graphic novels: The Books of Magic, Promethea, Hellboy, Sandman. I'm happy to report that I tried, and failed, to read The Life of Marquis de Sade, based on letters he wrote.
Coco Chanel. Madonna (circa Blonde Ambition up to Ray of Light). And on some sick level, Donald Trump.