You really care what my hobbies are? Why? I don't know. Well, since you asked for it ... here is more than you ever wanted to know!

Anything Outdoors! This includes backpacking, glacier climbing, hiking & scrambling, and most recently mountain biking and skiing! I love being outside. Being outdoors is the closest thing in my life to a religious experience. (If you live in Maryland be sure to check out the Mountain Club of Maryland. I've spent a good deal of time with these folks in the past and I still keep in touch with the club even though I now live thousands of miles from Maryland!)

Reading ... lots of reading. I love to read. This ranges from science fiction to history to the occult to world religions. (I am not at all religious but something with so much power over humanity fascinates me.) I have recently started reading more about evolutionary psychology in my continuing attempt to understand how the human mind works. (What I've been reading.)

Film. I love watching interesting and unusual movies though my primary areas of interest are horror, science fiction and anything silent. I own a fairly extensive collection of old horror and science fiction films, 1950s & 1960s 'B' movies, a number of classics, and a large number of silent films. I have a very special fondness for silent films and especially enjoy them with live accompaniment on the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ at Seattle's historic Paramount Theatre. Although I love film, I can't stand most TV programming so I stopped watching television altogether several years ago.

Music. I enjoy music live, recorded, and occasionally while attempting to play it myself. Although I love live music, I unfortunately don't get to as many live shows as I would like. I do have a large collection of live concerts, which serves as a somewhat satisfying substitute. (See my ROIO Trade List) My interest in recorded music covers a very large spectrum ranging from rock, folk, and bluegrass, to jazz, and Celtic. As with film I like almost any music that is unusual or different. This can really be in any genre. As for attempting to play music, I took several years of guitar lessons at the Musician's Institute of Baltimore but still have a long way to go before I am any good. (Check out one of my former teachers, Doug Mattingly)

Theatre. I have always loved live theatre but I admittedly know very little about it. I especially enjoy shows at two of Seattle's landmark theatres, The 5th Avenue and The Paramount.

Art. This is another area I know very little about. Even so I enjoy wandering through the occasional museum. Although I have visited some of the more famous museums like Le Louvre, I am usually more attracted by the more unusual museums like the American Visionary Arts Museum. I have been spending a good deal of time at the Seattle Art Museum since recently becoming a memeber. On the personal side I have dabbled in calligraphy and most recently black & white photography.

Collecting just about anything. This includes but is not limited to comics, coins, stamps, books, shot glasses, non-sports cards, art, curios, music, movies, and empty beer bottles (Which often occurs unintentionally!!). I truly believe collecting is a disease!