A little bit about myself.  This page is a work in progress.  I will get to it when I get to it. :)

music.jpgI really don’t listen to too much music, but when I do I prefer it loud and angry.  It can be utter garbage and that’s OK, especially if I am using the music to block out the noises of other people in the cube farm or at the gym.  For example I have Kid Rock, Wagner, Twisted Sister, random Techno, and eclectic crapola like that on my iPod Shuffle right now.  I tolerate country music but only if the song is of the Party Redneck genre (no sad songs, nothing “deep”).  I like classical in general but hate classical piano -plinkity plinkity plinkity.  I hate morning radio shows (I don’t like people being wacky at me first thing in the A.M. - thank God for XM radio). 

book.jpgI will read pretty much anything: classics, garbage thrillers, comic collections, history, science-y stuff, manuals on how to make things like sundials, stained glass windows, etc.  I used to like Stephen King, but, man, has that guy gone over the edge or what?  Maybe he has always been that way, though.  For instance, I was appalled at the choice of Molly Ringwald for Fran’s character in the TV adaptation of The Stand (my then favorite book).  After re-reading the book I have decided that the casting was perfect and the book is garbage.  I guess I am just angry about the ending to the Gunslinger series… Anyway,  my current favorite book is a series by Larry Gonick called the Cartoon History of the Universe.  Check it out. 

tv.jpg

As with the music, I really don’t watch a lot of TV.  Don’t get me wrong, I like to watch TV but I also like to do a lot of other things so I make liberal use of the DVR to catch shows like Family Guy, Venture Brothers, old Star Treks and standard geek fare like that.  Believe it or not, I have never seen a reality show except for Big Break II.  Because of these viewing habits I feel a little stupid when someone at work asks me “Can you believe what happened on Idol last night?” and I immediately “go tharn“.   But it’s not like I am avoiding these things for stuck-up reasons… I just don’t care enough, I guess.  To redeem myself, though, I have started watching Lost, but I think they really need to put LoJack on that baby and have the mother go mute for about the next 5 seasons…

film.jpgAnything with car chases or explosions or cartoons is about the level of entertainment I demand from a film.   I don’t go to the movies too often - too much of a hassle - unless there is something that really looks cool.  Like Independence Day.  The last 3 Star Wars movies were an abomination unto all that is holy, as were the last two Matrix movies and the last two Pirates movies.  I collect terrible PG-rated 1980s movies on DVD (do a search under Haiku at this site for more details).  I am partial to time-travel stories.  I want all movies to be inviolate.  That is, no director’s cuts removing voice-overs (Blade Runner), changing bad-guy behavior (E.T.), changing good guy behavior (Star Wars IV), etc.  Sure, include them in the gold/platinum/palladium box sets, but leave the originals alone, please.

food2.jpgAny sort of fast food (especially pizza and wings) from Western New York falls into my “favorite food” category, with the exception of Beef on Weck.  For those of you that don’t know, Beef on Weck is a sort of half-sandwich half-soup thing that is sort of like drinking a big bowl of bland gravy.  Think grown-up baby food but toss some caraway seeds in there.  That said, I would rather eat a Beef on Weck than any randomly picked Southern food.  I mean it.  Favorite wine: any Merlot, but especially Greg Norman 2002.  Favorite beer: anything yeasty or hoppy - on tap, I’ll have a Purple Haze… bottle, La Fin Du Monde (it’s smooth, smooth, smooth, and 9% alcohol, people!).  Mixed drink: mojito, but only from this one restaurant in San Diego.  I forget the name…  Coffee: Seattle’s Best Henry’s Blend.

politics.jpgI have no political affiliation, and I think the notion of political parties is stupid.  It never used to matter to me which millionaire got to be King of America, but that’s before the current… um… unpleasantness.  Now it matters to me like crazy.  It would be nice to see Democrats and Republicans working together but, to paraphrase Chef, “Donkey and Elephant DNA just won’t splice.”  I look forward to pretending to vote for president next year.

random2.jpgQuotes I like: 1) Life is just one crushing defeat after another until you just wish Flanders was dead. 2) Build a man a fire and he’s warm for a day.  Set a man on fire and he’s warm for the rest of his life. 3) When Fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.   Other Stuff: Other stuff to follow “soon”.