Most of my free time is spent reading - books of my choosing rather than ones assigned by professors. I also enjoy cooking, music, photography, and virtually any sport involving water.
Friends
I listen to just about everything except country, but I do make a few exceptions for this genre as well. Mostly, I listen to alternative rock, jazz, and R&B. Some of my favoritie artists are Counting Crows, Maroon 5, Raul Midon, Miles Davis, Usher, and Alicia Keyes. The album that has been in my CD player most recently the new Maroon 5 album.
I love movies of all kinds, except horror. My favorite film is "Crash," but others I like are the new "Pride and Prejudice," "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Love Actually," "Legends of the Fall," "The Matrix," "Bable," and "Stranger than Fiction".
I haven't had cable in a while so the TV hasn't been on as much, which is mostly due to the fact that there is very little worthwhile to watch these days. But of the shows I do watch are CSI: (the original) and Veronica Mars. Although for the month of July cable has been added just so I can watch the Tour de France.
Anything by Paulo Coelho, but my favorite book of his is called "By the River Piedra I sat Down and Wept." I also enjoyed "The Historian," "The Eyre Affair," and my sister has recently gotten me hooked on the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich. More recent reads have included "Wicked: The life an dtimes of the Wicked Witch of the West" and "The Blood of Flowers," which was superbly written. Books on politics, political economy, and biographies - most notably "Team of Rivals" - are also on my shelf.
Abraham Lincoln. Not only did he rise to the presidency out of his own hard work and determination, but his personality and values were such that all those who knew him came to respect and admire him. His diplomatic skills are perhaps unmatched even today.