Monday, November 05, 2007

Stuff I like that everyone else likes

I posted awhile ago on stuff everyone else likes except me and stuff I like that most people don't know about. This time I'll try a different angle--stuff I like that everyone else likes too. Ho hum... What's so special about that, you say? Well, I'm usually such a weirdo that I miss out on popular stuff, so this list won't be as long as you might think.

Popular things I like . . . on TV:
This will probably be the shortest list of the bunch. I don't watch much TV--and no, I'm not one of those pretentious people who sniffs derisively at any TV program not on PBS. I just don't have a lot of free time, and I prefer to spend most of that free time on other activities (like eating and sleeping). But I can come up with a couple things:

  • The Daily Show: Honestly, if it weren't for Jon Stewart, I don't think I'd ever know what was going on in the world. And of course I love the snark.
  • The Colbert Report: Stephen Colbert is a crackup, and I'm a sucker for well-executed irony.
  • The Simpsons: especially the Halloween specials.


Popular things I like . . . on the radio:

  • Satellite radio: A huge variety of music, no commercials, and I can get my favorite stations almost anywhere in the US. What's not to love? Hair Nation on Sirius rocks!
  • Goo Goo Dolls: OK, they're kinda 90s, but for me that's positively recent, and they're as close to alternative as I get. And John Rzeznik... yum.
  • "Paralyzer" by Finger Eleven: Finally a recent song I like! Satan must be strapping on his ice skates...
  • Classic rock from the 70s through early 90s. My music is popular again! Turn it up to 11!


Popular things I like . . . actors/movies:
This'll be my longest list. To keep it manageable, I'll stick to the major ones.

  • Oldies: Original Star Wars trilogy, Star Trek movies (well, most of 'em), Indiana Jones movies, 80s slasher flicks, James Bond movies (again, most of 'em), The Princess Bride
  • New stuff: newest James Bond movie, Bourne movies (Matt Damon... *sigh*. And the car chases and explosions are cool too.), Harry Potter movies
  • Actors: Tom Hanks, John Cusack, Harrison Ford, Matt Damon, Nicholas Cage


Popular things I like... books:
I just realized my last post didn't have a category for books. How could I miss that? This list is shorter than I thought it would be, but that's probably because I read a lot of older stuff, especially nonfiction.

  • Harry Potter: love 'em! I wish there were more coming. The audiobooks are great too, but then I could probably listen to Jim Dale read the phone book.
  • The Da Vinci Code: I avoided this one for awhile because of all the hype, but a friend loaned me a copy, so I thought I'd give it a try. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. I could argue the theology and find holes in the plot, but why ruin a great read?
  • Sherlock Holmes stories: A century old and still wonderful.


Popular things I like . . . when it comes to people:
Well, gee, this one will be a little inane. I'll probably start sounding like a singles ad or a Playboy caption ("and I like sincere people and puppies and long walks on the beach..." Gag!)

  • Sense of humor: The single most important requirement for anyone in my life! You need to be able to laugh--at yourself, at nothing, at stupid stuff, whatever. And when we women say that a sense of humor is the most attractive quality a man can have, we aren't kidding.
  • Sincerity: Try not to set off my BS detector more than once per day, please.
  • Kindness: "Kind" is a bit like "nice" -- a word that's usually seen as wimpy and nondescript. But both "kind" and "nice" are actually really important qualities. Life is short and sometimes difficult; don't make it worse than it needs to be. If you can't treat people well, especially people from whom you have nothing to gain, please just go away. Sarcasm and snark are great, but underneath that, try to be a decent human being.
  • A spirit of adventure: No, I don't mean bungee jumping or other pastimes that attract people with more adrenaline than brains. But be willing to visit new places, try new things, and meet new people. There's a whole world out there, ya know.

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