What am I interested in? Fountain pens, though I like normal, mainstream stuff, too.

Snowboarding, cycling, working-out, going out, dancing without caring if I look like an ass, golf, driving German cars, Tennis, reading, movies, Studying, finishing my MBA, Emailing and Texting, spending time with family and friends, Traveling, running, Xbox 360, live music...Foreign policy, International Relations, foreign affairs, foreign languages, foreign cultures, sport, travel, Formula 1, Art, Music, cinema, Literature, economics, diplomacy, political risk analysis, intelligence, anything that appears in The Economist (except for Bagehot), IWC watches, watch appreciation in general, fountain pens (admiring, writing with, and - when I had money, collecting), philosophy, not being pretentious, imagining what it would be like to have a Rhodesian Ridgeback, cycling, writing, relationship building, finding new reasons to wear my still-new tuxedo, creating opportunities to toast with champagne, reconciliation, poetry, knowing enough about Steelers football to be conversant, building sustainable relationships based on trust, not being a wuss, properly addressing text messages, Truthiness, Stand-up Comedy (because you have to be able to laugh at the end of the day), proverbs in foreign languages (but FFS - if you don't know what they mean, just ask me first, ok?), etc...

Seriously though, right now I really am back into fountain pens - writing with my old ones and admiring the newer ones that I'd like to own. Collecting them is a different story, and will require the completion of the MBA, and then the securing of a salary commensurate with an MBA-level position in a pre-meltdown economy, but I did make a list of the brands I want in my collection, and some specific models from each range. I bought my first pen in 1995, a Waterman something-or-other that I still have (Thanks, Kat Campbell!!), and own a few nice examples of German and Italian models. I like my Pelikan M800, which is *Claaaassic* (inside joke: say "Claaaassic" in your best Danny Chew voice), and I really like the green Aurora Optima that was the third pen I picked up (around 2000 or 2001). Pens are cool because I am a romantic, and sometimes I fancy myself a writer so, if not typing, the writing must be done with an implement, and a fountain pen is a pretty neat tool for the job that blends simple functionality with incredible aesthetics...and I love my aesthetics! Not me, personally, but I'm a fan of sensory or sensori-emotional values.

And Formula One Championship Edition for PS3 is funnnn!

Me drive fast.

But I'm definitely looking forward to Codemasters' new F1 game! And the guys who appear in the podcasts below are, too! (I love that it's OK to publicly admit to liking - and playing - car racing video games after age 15 - definitely one of the perks of being a guy)!

To bring it all back around, in case you were wondering, here is a picture of my first fountain pen, a Waterman something-or-other. Thanks, Kat!