What are you a fan of?

[KarmaContestant]

I am a fan of many things. Some of my favorites:

Plants and gardening. I've been intrigued by plants since I was a kid. While interest goes up and down it's always there - my focus right now is vegetable gardening, though most of my gardening past has been more ornamental or houseplant focused. I really love HGTV, but certainly do wish they would put more emphasis on the Garden part of their moniker. I get the most excited about unusual heirloom color variations, like yellow podded peas or red carrots or purple brussels sprouts.

I *love* beer. And wine, but I am unabashedly snooty when it comes to both. When it's up to me, I only drink wines from Spain or Argentina, and only varieties that are endemic. So, while I love tempranillo and malbec, you won't catch me drinking a Spanish merlot or an Argentinian chardonnay. Interestingly, the malbec grape is French in origin, though almost exclusively grown for wine in Argentina. I'm more open when it comes to beer, but it has to be craft beer and it has to be brown in color - none of that mass market yellow pilsner swill that dominates the palate of many American beer drinkers. I like porters, stouts, black ales and nut browns or scottish ales the most. I buy beer and/or wine almost every single Friday on my way home from work.

I am a fan of books. Anne Rice & Clive Barker are my favorite fiction authors, though I love books by dozens of writers. I especially love non-fiction books about science or history. There's a picture of John Waters circulating on Facebook, at a desk surrounded by books with a quote that says something like "If you go home with someone and they don't have any books, don't fu*k them." I completely agree - book collections are the sign of an intelligent, open, and independent mind, and *that's* sexy.

For a long time, I was a huge fan of Transformers. They were my favorite childhood toys and I still follow the franchise through blogs and fansites, though it's been a long time since I've bought a toy robot. Michael Bay and his unholy union with Hasbro ruined them for me, turning them from affable robots disguised as cars, planes and trucks, into hideous metallic alieny-robot-things that look like monsters.

Punctuality is one of things I am a big fan of. It might very well be one of the most important qualities a person can possess. I learned at a very early age - if you are not 10 minutes early, then you are late. I do not like being late, late people, schedule delays, rescheduling, slow or fast clocks and I HATE HATE HATE WAITING FOR SOMEONE WHO IS LATE, especially if it involves meeting for drinks or food. Seriously, if you say you'll be there at 3:00, be there at 3:00, or even better be there at 2:50 because I will be. When I learn that a friend of mine is chronically late or has developed an issue with punctuality, I just stop inviting them to do things or meet. Don't waste my time. I wouldn't do it to you.

Music instead of TV. I cannot stress this enough. I grew up with parents who played the stereo every day. On weekends, it was on from morning to night. TV was rare and as an adult I prefer to keep my lifestyle the same way. Music entertains and stimulates creative activites and thinking that are often squandered when watching TV. To quote from Depeche Mode's song Painkiller, "Uh, my stereo man is my number one high."

Originally Posted by chiliD

Ancient Aliens

At the end of the day, I've always got time for an episode of Ancient Aliens. I love that show.

[I'msoAfraid95]

Bands/artists- Stephen Stills( and all of his bands), Def Leppard, Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Saxon, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Bad company, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, AC/DC

Tv Shows: M*A*S*H, The golden Girls, Frasier, The Nanny, That Metal Show, any Star Trek series, any Scooby Doo series, Looney Tunes, World's Dumbest, Mysteries at the Museum, most anything on the history channnels

Movies: Smokey and The Bandit I & II, Gettysburg, Gods and Generals, Holes, Saving Private Ryan, The Green Mile, The Hannibal Lector series,

Sports: baseball,football,basketball and sometimes soccer & extreme sports skateboarding,snowboarding,BMX,motorcross,snowcross, & skiing

I enjoy most American( particularly the Civil war) & British history as well as Greek and Roman mythology.
I also enjoy reading books about mystery, drama, murder, or history.

[Jondalar]

Battlestar Galactica, Xena, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, True Blood

Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks, The Doors, Bjork, classic rock in general and movie soundtracks....

The Exorcist, Jaws, Shindlers List, Goodfellows, the God Father Movies.

Anne Rice, Terry Brook, Raymond Fiest, Piers Anthony, Robert McCammon

Interview with a Vampire, Lestat, Clan of the Cave Bear, The Color Purple, Swan's Song, The Sword of Shannara

Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Kathy Bates, Daniel-Day Lewis, Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones...

[Blueletter18]

I like this thread!

Like LouieLouie, I am obsessed with water, and I basically go crazy if I can't spend the majority of my summer weekends at my cottage at a Michigan lake.

Music (besides anything FM related): Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, Stephen Stills, Maria McKee/Lone Justice, Joss Stone= my essentials. Could listen to nothing but them for the rest of my life and be happy. I also love learning about musicians and bands as well as the history of popular music.

Great Lakes invasive species. I have been interested in the invasive zebra mussel, quagga mussel, spiny water flea, and bloody red mysid (which I am currently doing my senior research project on) since I was in middle school. I care so much about the Great Lakes, because I grew up in Michigan, and by learning more about invasive species, biologists can help the government develop regulations to help control them and protect our waterways. If I was not going to pursue arts journalism, I would want to become a biologist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Writing (my undergraduate minor). All kinds: journalism, creative nonfiction, fiction.

I have worked at a fast food restaurant since I started college, and I love it-- no joke! The people I have met working there have the best sense of humor and they are some of the most down to earth people I have ever met.

[KarmaContestant]

Originally Posted by Blueletter18

I like this thread!

Like LouieLouie, I am obsessed with water, and I basically go crazy if I can't spend the majority of my summer weekends at my cottage at a Michigan lake.

I'm from Michigan - Traverse City / Suttons Bay - and after 21 years in Denver, Michigan summers are the only thing I miss.

[Blueletter18]

Originally Posted by KarmaContestant

I'm from Michigan - Traverse City / Suttons Bay - and after 21 years in Denver, Michigan summers are the only thing I miss.

Traverse City is a gorgeous area, I try to get up there every summer. I agree, I think the only thing I'd miss about Michigan are the summers and all of the lakeside towns and cities.

[FierySequences]

where to start?

Music: All Mac/Stevie and 70's, 80's in general. Heart, Eagles, Elton John, and (once) Madonna

Books/Poetry: Fried Green Tomatos (or any Fannie Flagg), Adrianne Trigianni, Poet Dylan Thomas and am recently getting into Tennesee Williams. I am intrigued by Joyce Carol Oates, Virginia Adair Hamilton, E.M. Forrestor, and Alford Hitchcock

Musicals: I love 'em! Wicked, Jersey Boys, Young Frankenstein, 9 to 5, Mamma Mia

TV: I am a reality junkie: SURVIVOR, won't miss a season, but I also like Amazing Race, Hell's Kitchen, Top Model, Masterchef

Agnes Nixon, aka creator of One Life To Live and All My Children. Love AMC!

I love red wines and blends, but not a wine snob. Merlot, Malbec, Syrah, Red Blends. have a nice Shiraz from Argentina right now

I love to travel (but really only to New Orleans) I'm obsessed with the city and history.