Stuff I Like:
Reading.
I lovelovelove to read! I'm one of those people that can't sit down to breakfast
without reading the paper or a magazine or the back of the cereal box. I am a
bookworm, and proud of it, baby, yeah! I started learning how to read at around
age 2 1/2, and I haven't looked back since. My tastes in literature run the
gamut-- from comic books to the "classics". I particularly enjoy
science-fiction and investigative non-fiction, too.
My favorite authors are Isaac Asimov, Jorge Luis Borges, William Gibson, Michael Moore, Melanie Rawn, Kurt Vonnegut, Anne McCaffery, and Mark Twain. Unfortunately, work doesn't really leave me with a whole lot of time for reading, :P I recently finished the Dragon Prince Trilogy, by the wonderfully talented Melanie Rawn. Speaking of which, that brings me to my next thing that I love...
Dragons!
Dragons just plain RULE! Ever since I was little, I've been fascinated with
dragons. I prefer the "western" look (large bat type wings, squat
body), but the eastern designs (slender, curly-snake-ish appearance) have thier
own beauty, too. I have 3 dragon stuffies (that two-headed dragon from The Quest
For Camelot, a cute 12" purple stuffy that looks like Figment from those
Disney rides, and a cute little red beanie dragon about the size of my hand.
I am a loyal follower of Anne McCaffery's Pern novels. I have a tiny collection of dragon artwork. I've seen "The Flight of Dragons" four times. Dragons just rule, okay? And I think my site mascot in the upper right corner would agree! ^_~
Singing.
I love to sing. From the time I was 6 till the time I was 12, I sang in a church
choir. I've been involved in school chorus since about 4th grade. I've actually
had an honor or two bestowed upon me for my singing. In junior year of high
school, I was part of the county's Gifted And Talented Choral Section. I've
gotten a little rusty, since I haven't really done much organized singing since
I graduated high school, but my range is still pretty close to where it used to
be. I can't quite reach as high as a tenor, nor can I go as low as a baritone.
So, I'm more of a "bari-tenor". :-p
Writing.
I took that long drop off the cliff-- erm, I mean, step towards the light of
becoming a writer around age 12 or so. I don't really consider myself much of a
poet-- the only times I ever wrote good poetry were when I was in love, and one
I wrote to help myself work thru a painful past actually got printed in our H.S.
literary magazine. I really consider myself more of a prose writer.
I think my two strong points are dialogue and setting a scene. For me, writing was a way to escape from the mundane and/or harsh reality around me. And, when on the school newspaper, a way to spleen-vent in editorials. I am currently scripting a PC role playing game, Vendetta. I also participate in an interactive story board. (To learn more, go to the Unofficial Eblana Warzone Companion Pagethat I happen to maintain!)
These Musicals:
Les Miserables, Guys and Dolls, Miss Saigon, Little Shop of Horrors, and Grease.
Miss Saigon and Les Miserables are my two favorites out of the bunch. They both
have wonderful lyrics and music, and the stories are incredibly moving. I'd say
that Les Miz and Miss Saigon are modern-day opera. Guys and Dolls and Grease
are just so well grounded in their respective periods, and the costuming and
dance routines are enjoyable... and Little Shop of Horrors is just plain funny.
Heh, my best friend Dave sang "Grow For Me" for our auditions for G&T Chorus.
And, yes, I like musicals. Yes, I'm straight. The two aren't incompatible. :Þ
Music:
I'm not a very good composer (usually I'll come up with a simple melody or loop,
and Dave (see Thank
You's) will put in the baseline and harmonies. I'm a decent arranger. I did
do an arrangement of "Aria Di Mezzo Caraterre" from Final Fantasy 3
for my Senior Year Concert. That took me about a year to do. Yeesh.
My tastes in music are pretty malleable. I don't really dislike any one type of music, though there are ones that I just won't actively seek out. I especially enjoy Classical (esp. Bach, Brahms and Vivaldi), Jazz, Techno, 60's rock, and anything by Nobuo Uematsu! I'm usually listening to music all the time.. working on the computer, reading, etc.
And if you want to see just what kind of music I can create when I have the chance, why not check out my tracks and CDs I've produced at mp3.com?
Video Games. I've played em 'since my cousins had a dinky ol' Atari, and loved 'em ever since. The family's owned an NES, and a Super Nintendo. I myself splurged over Xmas and bought myself a PlayStation, and Final Fantasy VII. (When I worked at Blockbuster, I readily took advantage of the allotted 5 free employee rentals, which meant that I had no need to actually go and BUY a game ).
I've been something of an RPG fanatic in recent years, but I'm willing to try almost anything once. The only category I really stay away from is sports (One Notable Exception: NHL series).
I also enjoy puzzle games (dang, they're addictive), shooters (Einhannder... what fun!) and action games. Of course, there are the games that can't be stuck into any one real category... like Parappa The Rapper! I gotta believe, ya know? ;) And Bust-A-Groove... kickin' tunes, simple to learn game play, and leisure suits! I picked up the import soundtrack, and that's in my CD collection at work.
That's all I can think to put here for now... hope you've enjoyed the peek inside my mind. Mwa ha ha ha ha...