Things I'm Into

Having a transient, disparate, make-believe entourage. At the present moment I roll with Mos Def, Shia LeBouf, Michael Cera and Demitri Martin. I was recently - earlier today in fact -extremely disappointed to discover that it's at least somewhat cliche for white people to have an affinity for Mos Def (see reason #69). I remain undaunted, if not un-cliche, because he's staying in my posse, at least for the time being. How could anyone not like a guy this multi-talented? His rap is so good that I'd almost consider listening to it on my own time, AND he's an amazing character actor. Ever see that flick where he plays Robyn to Bruce Willis' jaded aging cop Batman? 16 Blocks I think it was called? His shining achievement to date, however, is his portrayal of Vivien Thomas in Something the Lord Made; a seriously great movie that you should consider seeing. I remember Shia from his days on Nickelodeon. A younger sibling of mine was a huge fan of Even Stevens and I wanted to kill Shia LeBouf. Seriously. It's likely the juxtaposition of my early conception coupled with his performance in decidedly pedestrian Suburbia that combine to make him a must have. Plus, a pal of mine said he'd read somewhere that he's Hollywood's new Tom Hanks. Michael Cera was in Arrested Development, Superbad, and Juno. He's not necessarily diverse in his acting repertoire but his mannerisms, delivery, and apparent intelligence remind me a lot of my college buddy Emmett. Demetri Martin was the most recent addition. There's just something to be said for a kid that grew up on Jersey, went to Yale, then on to NYU Law School, on full scholarship, only to drop out in his final year to pursue a career in comedy. I knew we'd be the best of friends when I first saw his Hummer schtick (commences 37 seconds in). He's also written for Conan O'Brien and contributed to The Daily Show.


Letting my hair grow until it looks ridiculous, and then, instead of paying for a haircut, giving myself one. This has been my thing since middle school. I was on the wagon, so to speak, for much of college, but have since fallen off. For example, at present I couldn't tell you when I got my last haircut, but it's safe to say the next one isn't far off. By necessity.

Firmly entrenched in all that HBO had to offer, I never heeded the advice of close friends and co-workers that vehemently recommended Lost. Having cancelled my HBO subscription after the last season of Curb Your Enthusiasm to help subsidize wireless internet, I recently succumbed to what was once a benign inclination. And now I am balls deep in it. Not that the show is without flaw. To the contrary, I think some of the dialogue is awkward, cliche, and contrived. But the show's premise, its cast, and its mode of revelation have taken a hold of me. Moose and I are in the middle of season 1 and loving every minute of it.


Clementines. I love when they're first in season and I end up with that magical batch of clementines that I end up consuming 3 to 5 at a time. And later, I lament when they're going out of season and I end up with consecutive batches of dry, tasteless crap.


Commas. I vividly remember my teachers throughout my academic career marking up my work in red ink for what they deemed an excessive use of commas. What can I say? I love them. I love brief pauses. I even love the way they look.


Being Irish. Always have been. In fourth grade, when faced with the daunting task of making a panorama that reflected what I wanted to be as an adult, I was an Irish rugby player living in Ireland. I know, lame, but gimme a break, I was in fourth grade. This pride has actually been tempered to a degree by living in Boston where, in certain circles, being Irish means being a xenophobic bigot.


Disagreeing with people. Surely counterproductive in ways I don't yet fully understand, I've always jumped at the opportunity to disagree with people. This is actually one of the few parts of my profile I took seriously. I don't even know what else to say about it. Keep in mind, however, that if you say something about it, I'll probably say the opposite.


Music that is actually difficult to like. Though I've pontificated the subject before, I would be remiss if I didn't at least mention it.


Making noise: Composing and singing nonsensical songs, singing actual songs, singing songs from childhood, honing various impersonations, and making ridiculous noises that are inextricably without purpose or meaning. Just ask Moose. Some days I am sure I drive her to the brink of madness. Sad to say that it doesn't even particularly matter if anyone is around to hear me. My brother has the same disease actually. When together, we'll get into a zone where our antics are so obscenely over the top that we are undoubtedly the most annoying duo in the entire world. If we are together for too long, I start to annoy myself.


The End.