From a family visit, I have discovered that I love stories. I love to read stories; listen to stories; tell stories; watch stories; create stories; dream stories; trade stories. That's what I did the entire time I was there. And I had a great time doing it. And from the love of stories come a wide assortment of my hobbies.

reading

Reading is by far my most favorite thing to do. I like Catherine Coulter, Jane Austen, Mercedes Lackey, Jude Deveraux. One of my old favorite series was the Xanth fantasy series by Piers Anthony. I'm sure if I really thought about it, I could come up with more.

I enjoy listening to music. I like many kinds of music: alternative, rock, pop, and latin music. Recently, I've gotten back into classical music. I like how I can combine listening to music with most other activities: studying, reading, walking, chatting, writing, sleeping.

I am addicted to my Tivo. When in my room, I rarely watch live tv anymore. There's no need! Not when I can zoom past the commercials. I still look for a good movie. There's not many tv shows that can hold my attention for too long, but those that do are: "House," "Rescue Me," "Ugly Betty," & "Nip/Tuck." But generally, I'm there for a movie. I like the story to be done and over with; not strung out for weeks.

This oddball notion popped into my head: to catalogue all the movies I've ever seen. That was nearly impossible until I got Netflix. I don't use Netflix as much since I got Tivo. Netflix is great for watching tv series that have already gone off the air, or to catch up to a current season.

Camping and kayaking don't have to go together, of course, but I still tend to think of them as being linked. Maybe because I was sleeping in my first tent when I kayaked for the first time. The following year I bought my kayak, a red Ocean Kayak drifter. With school and working weekends, I don't make out kayaking as often as I used to. I've actually been camping more this last year, even though that's still only been a couple of times.

I like talking and laughing with my friends. Occasionally, I enjoy a bike ride. I always enjoy spending time with the cat. Exploring can be lots of fun, just have to be careful I don't get too lost.