In which some stuff about me boils over in no particular order

Which will be a theme, by the way: "in no particular order."

Grew up on Long Island. Went to Queens College (no sniggering--OK, a *minimum* of sniggering) and University at Buffalo. English major. Lived in the country for almost 7 years. Tried to fit in, but it really didn't suit me. Neither did the burbs. So I moved to Manhattan.

At last--a place where you can get ANYTHING delivered at ANY time. I'm so home. (Have made some great friends, too.)

Live in the East Village now. I sort-of write (scripts, plays, essays), but have an office day job. Commute to Jersey City.

Definitely going back to school... y'know, someday soon.

Animal-lover. I've always had dogs--labs growing up, then a beagle in college, now 2 Westies. They live on LI (having rebelled against my fifth floor walkup). I see them on Sundays.

Big-time beach person, but have never been to P-Town. It's high on the list of things to do, Smmer 06.

Anglophile. (Spaced is the funniest sitcom in the history of funny sitcoms--and it's finally coming to BBCAmerica. If you liked Shaun of the Dead... and who didn't like Shaun of the Dead?... you will LOVE Spaced. It seriously gives the best of AbFab a run for its money.)

Geek. (Is that implied by anglophile? Whatever).

Pretty much addicted to--well, *all* media, but mainly TV (*good* TV--none of that oxymoronically-named "reality television:" cockroach eating, wife-swapping, general humiliation. What's next? Snuff films? Cause, friends, that's all that's left. (OK--I stole that line from Aaron Sorkin, but it was too good not to.)

Must admit, though, after 5 years, I recently sat through an episode of American Idol. Am I a traitor to... all that is good and holy... if I admit I kinda dig it? (Fuck).

Currently consuming (TV): The Sopranos. (That knifing--madonn!) And Dr. Who--Series Two (Underwhelmed: three bad ones --"School Reunion," the Cybermen 2 parter; 2 good ones--"New Earth," "Tooth & Claw;" and only one so far that was truly excellent--"The Girl in the Fireplace." I expect a better ratio of hit:miss from Russell T. Davies and his staff. Do like David Tennant, but not as much as Christopher Eccleston.)

Anticipating (TV): the third (and sadly, final) season of Deadwood (ah, Deadwood--fuckin Deadwood... Cut down in your motherfuckin, cocksuckin prime--Bitches!)

*Totally* done with: Lost, Galactica. (OK, probably not.)

RIP--Six Feet Under, Joss Whedon shows :(

Best. Show. Ever: the first four years of The West Wing. Best show upcoming: Sorkin's new one, (the one I stole the line from), Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Look for it Mondays at 10 this fall. (And if Anyone has, like, an on-line copy laying around--via whatever means, I don't want to know... nor do I much care...--maybe they'd be willing to share it with me? I have the script, saw the six-minute promo shown at the Upfronts... now I need the actual *thing*.)

Recently seen (movies): Mission Impossible III--Awesome, if you can stomach Tom Cruise (and I can, not cause I think he's a good actor--chills, chills--but cause I don't pay attention to his bullshit). MI:III is smargt, suspenseful, well-written and brilliantly directed. Philip Seymour Hoffman is a great heavy. He should slum in the genres more often. (How amazing would he have been in the Jack Black part in King Kong? Maybe good enough to save it? OK, probably not that.)

I can't wait to see what these guys do with Star Trek and an MI:III-sized budget.

Also anticipating: Superman Returns--the trailers are giving me fucking goosebumps. Another great script from Singer, Harris & Dougherty, whose X-Men 2 is, like, the best superhero film ever made... a title I expect it to hold for another ... 5 weeks.

Dreading: Singer-less X-Men 3, which I will probably see this weekend despite the bad reviews, just so I know what I'm bitching about :).

Recently seen (theater): Sweeney Todd--Breathtaking. The best thing I've ever seen on stage. I'm kind of obsessed with it. Anticipating: The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Drowsey Chaperone, History Boys. (And Mary Poppins next October--It got good reviews in London. Aaron Sorkin's got a new play--The Farnsworth Invention--opening in La Jolla soon. If it does well, I hope to see that come to Broadway, too.))

At 34 years of age, still go to the comic book store most Wednesdays (which must come as QUITE a shock after the last few paragraphs), and am always in the middle of readin'... something. Favorite comics writers: Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Brian K. Vaughan, Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar, Warren Ellis.

Favorite novelists: Chabon, Pullman, Updike, Philip K. Dick--many others. American Lit: it's all about Hawthorne (OK, not *all*--but ... y'know, *a lot*.)

The classics: Milton, Shakespeare, Chaucer (in the original middle-english--no translations, please!) Dickens... eh, not so much. Maybe I'm just not "getting" his charm.

About to start: Me and the Dead End Kid, the memoir by a cousin I don't know about his dad, an uncle I never knew, the Broadway and movie actor, Leo Gorcey. (His claim to fame these days is: he was the one person involved in the Beatles' Sgt Pepper's album cover shoot who was painted out... because he requested a fee. Yep. That's my family, all right.)

Soon to be acquiring beach reading (TBD) for the summer.

Also love my X-Box--wish I had, like, a lot more time to waste on it. It's basically just gathering dust now.

On the iPOD: actually, very little new stuff. Sweeney Todd--the revival; the new Pearl Jam (haven't decided if I like it--music usually has to sit with me for a while before I decide what I think about it). Loved the latest Kate Bush and Aimee Mann. Also: the last U2 and Green Day. Liked the latest NIN quite a bit. Didn't get: Madonna. (Maybe that should read "Don't get: Madonna.") :)

Generally into: classic rock (Doors, Zep, Rush... Do Bowie and Fleetwood Mac count as classic rock?)... 80s-90s: U2, REM, New Order, The Smiths, Nirvana. Bunch of the art-rock-y chicks: Aimee Mann, old Tori, old Sara MacLachlan, all Bjork to varying degrees. Love musicals. Becoming a pretty big Sondheim fan.

Little patience for: closet cases (cause I used to be one of you); stupid people (cause I frequently *am* one of you); scientologists (cause I -- *kidding*), creationists and a bunch of other -ists.

Also: tweakers (though I have enormous compassion--and respect--for those in recovery) and gay republicans (traitors of kind--no compassion, certainly no respect, for them). Straight republicans are no prize, either. Oh, and "straight acting"--just say "self-loathing," for God's sake.

Uh-hem. Where were we? Right. A caveat. Going forward, geek-like tendencies will not go amiss. Pop culture references will abound. There will be politics. And, as you can see, a high tolerance for incessant babble will probably come in handy.

Unless, y'know, I never write another entry.