Jeez, so many things...
Movies- I've always had an active interest in cinema, whether it's watching movies or making them. I love horror films (especially black and white classics and 80's slasher flicks), dystopian science fiction, Spaghetti Westerns, samurai films, anything cult or exploitation, and film noir. However, my greatest love has always been and will always be action movies, especially martial arts action. It's such an underappreciated art form that I've always been drawn to, and at one point in my life I actually wanted and was training dilligently to become a stuntman. Whether it's a from the Golden Age of Hong Kong kung fu or a Douglas Fairbanks swashbuckling flick, good physical action is universal and eternal.
Exercise Science- Shortly after I graduated high school I began to take an interest in exercise science and physiology when I started working out with my older brother. When I began lifting, I weighed 130 pounds and couldn't bench press my own body weight, but now, less than half a decade later, I've reached my ideal weight range and the combined total one-rep weight of my "big three" lifts is over five times my current weight. I've still got a lot of improvement to make, but I enjoy working out and health and fitness is something I take very seriously. My personal philosophy is that the mind can't be strong if the body isn't strong
Music- Even though it's become a cliche, music really is an imporant aspect of my life. Everybody connects with music on some level, and it becomes a guiding force in the way one identifies and expresses their emotions. There are many genres that I enjoy, but I'm particularly partial to punk rock, and have been since I was old enough to really understand what music really means. There's a kind of raw, exposed, proud truth I feel from punk music that's almost unobtainable anywhere else, and it reminds me to never be satisfied with something if it can be corrected or improved.
Martial Arts (And Other Physical Disciplines)- I have many diverse interests these days, but I will always eat, sleep, and breathe martial arts. It's been ingrained on my psyche ever since I was old enough to throw a kick without falling down. As a child, I thought it was all about being dominant over another person, but as I matured I began to see the martial arts is really one of the ultimate forms of self-expression through physical movement. There are many goals in practicing martial arts and I think they are all equally important and beneficial to the practicioner. In following with the idea of physical freedom of expression, in recent years I've come also to embrace the practice of gymnastics, parkour, diving and even skateboarding as tools to erase my conceptions of physical limitations. I've never had more fun. Even as a spectator I enjoy classical demonstrations, modern kickboxing, Mixed Martial Arts, Western boxing, fencing, and any other discipline that allows the user to exemplify their philosophy through motion.
Reading/Writing- Books have always been a big part of my life. My dad possesses a library (literally, a goddamn library) and always encouraged my siblings and I to read when we were young. Luckily, this habit stuck with me as I grew up, and I consider myself fortunate to be involved in the literary arts, especially in an age when so many people are blind to them. I'll read anything that interests me, but my true love (of course) is fiction; I'm particularly partial to pulp detective novels, gothic mystery, classical adventure, and anything offbeat or unique. I've recently decided that I'd like to pursue writing as a career (nobody said writers were necessarily smart) and as a result I've been expanding my knowledge of the art by working on several short stories, a novel, and a feature-length screenplay. I'm also currently in the process of getting my English degree with a concentration in creative writing.
That about covers the main stuff. I just realized I have the strangest list of anyone here.