I am a person who has too many interests, most of which can be categorized as nerdy. I am forever distressed that my life is too short to fully plumb all of their depths.
Anime & Animation
I am a tremendous fan of animation. When I still watched television, the majority of what I watched was cartoons. I tend to prefer movies and shows that involve more advanced storytelling that does not appear in other media. This is more often seen in anime, especially in movies and older series. My all time favorite is Super Dimension Fortress: Macross, and nothing hits quite like the works of Leiji Matsumoto, especially Galaxy Express 999. I hope I don’t need to mention masterpieces like Akira or the works of Hayao Miyazaki.
Baking
I loved baking from the moment I tasted a Toll House cookie. I think I mostly just love eating baked goods, and the ones you bake yourself are often better than anything you can buy. No bakery will ever give you raw cookie dough. I only bake a limited range of things that require lower effort, prioritizing flavor over appearance. When the occasion calls for it, I can deliver bread, cookies, or even full cakes.
Bicycling
I love to ride my bicycles. I do not do it for competition, fitness, or thrills. I just love to explore the world and see many places that can not be reached easily by any other means of transportation. I prefer to bike slowly over long distances on paved surfaces. A hundred miles in eight or nine hours is a great ride.
Comics & Manga
As a child I read almost exclusively Marvel comics especially Spider-Man 2099, X-Men, and cosmic tales involving Adam Warlock and the Infinity Gems. In college I read more manga as it began to become available in English. After becoming an adult with disposable income I ravenously consumed an enormous amount of comics, in particular the works of Will Eisner, Osamu Tezuka, Naoki Urasawa, Alan Moore, and many independent creators who were big at the time. The indie comics publishing industry sadly declined. Most of the books I was reading ended, and fewer new ones appeared to grab my attention. I still very much enjoy comics, but the quantity I read has decreased dramatically.
Computers and Technology
I have loved computers since I first encountered an Apple //e in Kindergarten. I have somehow managed to remain in love with them despite making them my profession. However, I have found myself out of place amongst the tech community, as I have never been a fan of popular industry trends. Philosophically I lean heavily towards open source and vintage computing, but find myself mostly in the Apple ecosystem in order to more easily function in society. What I really enjoy the most about technology is building mental models of systems architecture, and then solving problems within those constraints.
Film and Cinema
I am a big movie fan, but not nearly as big as others I know. I mostly enjoy classic, foreign, and nerdy films. My favorite film of all time is Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, but I also love the works of Akira Kurosawa, especially High and Low and The 7 Samurai. Some other favorites include Yi Yi, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and of course the original Star Wars trilogy.
Gunpla
I very much enjoy building Gunpla. Despite a moderate effort, I have never been good at painting or customziing. I lack the required patience, and the time required to practice. Instead, I will continue to slowly finish building the models I already own, without any fancy customizations. I will only buy new ones on extremely rare occasions, if ever.
Ice Hockey
I always moderately enjoyed watching various sports, but never enough to seek them out. That changed when we finally got cable telvision and I was able to watch ice hockey. I watched every NY Rangers game I could. When I got to college I switched to following our school’s team, attending all home games and even some away games. After graduating I fell out of hockey again due to lack of access. Eventually thanks to the advent of streaming, and also earning more money, I closely follow the NY Rangers and Sirens every season both via broadcast and live in-person.
Houseplants
When I lived in less urban locales I grew tomatoes outdoors. They were so delicious compared to anything you could buy in the store. In the big city that is very challenging. Instead, I grow houseplants on the windowsill. After I began working remotely I began to give them more attention and provide better care.
KPop
I do enjoy a lot of KPop music, but the genre is bigger than just music. There is a whole world surrounding it that I pay more or less attention to depending on whether groups I like are active, and if the current musical styles suit my interest.
Music
I enjoy music from far too many disparate genres and artists. The one thing that most songs I enjoy have in common is that they have some element which is emotionally powerful. I love the hard drop of an EDM banger, the earworm of a Broadway showtune, a relentless heavy metal double bass drum, a melodromatic aria of a classical opera, and so many others. The only songs I don’t like are meandinering nothings that aren’t fit for an elevator.
Music Production
I have all but forgotten how to play the instruments I learned earlier in life. I have no aspirations to publish any music for any purpose. However, I do have an assortment of musical hardware devices and freely available software programs that I doodle around with on occasion solely for the pure enjoyment of making a beep boop.
New York City
I was born in the greatest city on Earth. Despite not growing up here, this has been my home longer than anywhere else. When I lived elsewhere I would go on trips and be disappointed when it was time to go home. Even though I love to travel, returning home to NYC is one of the greatest feelings I know. Some other places are terrific, but only NYC has everything. Living anywhere else on a permanent basis is unthinkable.
Photography
Usually I buy fancy equipment for a hobby and feel guilty when I do not make much use of it. Photography is the one instance where buying a better camera spurred my interest in the hobby. I don’t take photos as much as I would like, but I am always ready with a digital or analog camera as the need arises.
Reading Novels
I read for pleasure very often, but almost exclusively fiction. I read non-fiction on the web most hours of most days, so it gives me little pleasure to read non-fiction books. I mostly enjoy science fiction and fantasy genres, but also delve into mystery and others on occasion. My favorite book of all time is The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay.
Tabletop Games
I have loved board games and card games for as long as I can remember. I was able to play a lot of card games and backgammon with my grandparents, but other games not as much as I would have liked. Even when I was briefly into Magic: The Gathering I played it relatively little. In college I finally found players and became exposed to the world of Eurogames.
Since moving to NYC I have tried to keep up with board gaming, but I could not find the right group. Instead I played Android: Netrunner quite seriously for several years. Since that ended I have mostly played games at conventions and a few other nerdy gatherings. Lately I find myself more attracted to smaller trick-taking card games than board games. I also greatly enjoy 18XX online with friends.
Tabletop Role Playing Games
I did not play or understand tabletop role playing games(TTRPGs) until playing Dungeons & Dragons at summer camp. I did not play it again until college. Upon discovering indie TTRPGs I abandoned D&D entirely. I do not play TTRPGs very often, but I very much enjoy the few opportunities I do have.
Video Games
I have played video games since before I had a fully developed memory. I have changed my video gaming focus in phases over the years. I started in the NES and 16-bit eras. Then I moved to serious PC gaming, including multiplayer fpses like Counter-Strike. I created my Steam account the day the service went live. I also went very deep into mobile gaming with the GameBoy Advance and Nintendo DS, which were supplanted by mobile gaming on iOS. Nowadays I play mostly indie games on Steam and major Nintendo titles on Switch.