Bicycling--just touring around--not racing or staring up some guys butt in a paceline.
Photography, though not too fancy. Most of my pictures are documentation more than they can ever hope to be art.
Music
I like a lot of the stuff that was a precursor to today's Alternative. Bands like Roxy Music, Talking Heads, Television, Patti Smith, REM.
More interesting people from the last decade or so like Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Tori Amos, Interpol, PJ Harvey.
There were a lot of favorites from the 70s and 80s--the good stuff that wasn't getting played on the radio while the shit that now shows up as "Classic Rock" hogged the airwaves.
People like Graham Parker & the Rumour, John Cale, Joan Armatrading, T. Rex, Van Morrison, Cheap Trick, Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed, Ian Hunter, Sam Phillips, Richard Thompson.
Alt-Country people like Lucinda Williams, Pete Droge, Carlene Carter, Emmylou Harris.
There are older mainstream bands that I enjoy like the Rolling Stones, Badfinger and The Who.
I have old favorites like Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and U2 who just need to give up the tired crap they're doing these days and retire already.
An exception to the rule of aging rockers is Robbie Robertson. Despite a career in the music business spanning over 40 years, his work has only gotten better and better as time goes by. Maybe it's because he's been so sparing and spends five or more years between releases.
I'm tempted to sound like a snob and say I just like music that makes you think, but then how do I explain the Ramones and the New York Dolls? I like very little country music, very little rap/hip-hop. I can get into some electronica, but don't really know the bands.
Movies
Again, I'd like to say that I just like stuff that makes you think, but I'm a sucker for stuff like There's Something About Mary and Harold and Kumar Go To Whitecastle.
I enjoy a lot of John Sayle's work--Lonestar and Matewan in particular. Same for lots of David Lynch stuff--Mulholland Drive is a real favorite that I've watched multiple times. (I love that scene at Silencio where the singer collapses.)
I like Russell Crowe, Kristin Scott Thomas, Renee Zellweger; Robert Duvall still gives a good performance now and then, and it's hard to beat him in Tender Mercies. In old movies I really liked Jimmy Stewart and Henry Fonda.
For comedy I'll take Clerks, Kingpin and Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. Slaughterhouse Five and American Beauty are a couple of my other favorites that spring to mind. And I like the X-Men movies. I really hate the Shrek, Austin Powers and Napoleon Dynamite movies. If fitting in requires me to like that lame crap I'd rather be a hermit.
Television
There is something about internet websites that makes people act as if they never watch television and like there is nothing good on. I can't say that there is a lot that I watch on TV (I just get the local channels on my antenna), but I really like a good episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. I also like the regular Law & Order. From the new 09-10 shows I'm enjoying Flashforward. I'm just pulling the free signal off of an antenna, so I don't have all those cable channels--not even Comedy Central. (Of course, there's HULU for catching some of that stuff on the internet.)
There are a lot of shows that started out good but quickly succumbed to formula and imitation and blow-em-up and went down the toilet. I used to enjoy 24, Lost and Heroes. A few old shows that I'd given up on seem to be re-finding their strengths. House and CSI: Miami both look stronger this year.
Dish Network and DirecTv carry a station called FreeSpeechTV that broadcasts Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman (if you're on satellite). It's a drier newscast, but doesn't rely on soundbites, and is apt to carry many more stories not found on the network news.
Books
I read too much internet news (and now MySpace blogs) to have a lot of time left for books. When I was younger I was a Kurt Vonnegut fan. About the only other fiction author I read regularly is Jim Harrison (he wrote Legends of the Fall). Charles Dickens is a favorite, and I suppose I picked up my habit of throwing relevant asides into my sentences from him. The Griffin and Sabine series by Nick Bantok was fun. My bookshelves are filled with unread and partially read non-fiction books about various indigenous peoples and historic Americans.
Most of the stuff I've read lately has been non-fiction stuff on the great divide in the economy that is creating a world of haves and have-nots. (I see myself falling into the latter group.)
Heroes
I don't understand the need to idolize people.
Troy, the Anti-Social Socialist's Details
Status:
Single
Here for:
Friends
Orientation:
Straight
Hometown:
Never really had one.
Body type:
5' 11"
Ethnicity:
White / Caucasian
Religion:
Atheist
Zodiac Sign:
Gemini
Children:
Proud parent
Education:
High school
Occupation:
You mean, like WORK?
Income:
Less than $30,000
Troy, the Anti-Social Socialist's Schools
Bentonville High School
Bentonville,Arkansas
Graduated: 1976
Student status: Alumni
Degree: High School Diploma
Clubs: To quote Groucho Marx--I don't want to belong to any club that would accept me as a member.
I find myself on this site where style over substance is the rule, yet I lack style.
I ride a bicycle. A lot. I usually ride twice a week--a short one in the middle of the week and a long one on Sunday morning/afternoon. It's safest on Sunday morning when the church people are all occupied and off the roads, and all you subversive substance abusers are still sleeping off Saturday night, or crawling home. I take a weeklong bike vacation just about every year, and it's gotten me to some neat places (Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin) that are as nice as Arkansas, but get way too cold in winter. So I stay here. I don't look like those other guys on bicycles--I wear mountain bike shorts instead of spandex; I wear cotton t-shirts instead of fluorescent jerseys; my bike weighs a ton because I lug around a lot of shit instead of having a lightweight titanium bike. To the average person it's amazing how much and how far I ride. To the people who are really serious about it, I'm kind of a joke.
I like women. Always have. I'd prefer to hang out with them than men anyday. I don't want to talk about football--I don't care who did what in Sunday's game--I was out riding my bike, not watching a bunch of sweaty guys bump into each other and slap each other on the ass. I don't care about hunting and fishing and you'll never see me working on my car--it just pisses me off and I don't like to be pissed off, so I just own a reliable little Suzuki.
When I was younger I was consumed by music. But I was lucky enough to be there in the 70s and 80s when there was a lot more envelope-pushing going on. There were fewer bands but more big ideas. I know that sounds like an old guy glorifying his youth, but I can read the band lists on the profiles here. I see Talking Heads and REM and Bowie on some lists. I didn't roll over and die and start listening to Classic Rock or switch to country when I got older--I've just found fewer interesting bands, so not as much of my time is taken up by music as it used to be. I like to go out every now and then to hear something live. We don't get all that much in the way of name-brand entertainment in our area (i.e. the boonies). Fortunately, DVD concerts are getting better and there are more of them out there. A lot of my favorites--Tori Amos, Neil Finn, Nick Cave, Roxy Music--have had good shows out in the last few years. It makes living in the sticks a little more enjoyable.
There are other things, too. I take care of the house, have a digital camera, do stuff with my son. I'm fairly political and can't stand the Republicans or the Centrists that are in charge of the Democratic party. My leanings are Socialist, but I don't think there has been a completely successful Socialist model any more than there has been a successful Capitalist one, so maybe we need to find something in the middle, beginning with some good old socialized medicine in this country so people can quit dying just because they're poor.
Economically speaking, I consider myself to be upper-lowerclass. Most of my blogging relates to this. My outdoor pictures are a way of sharing how we can enjoy the world even when we're broke. My home projects and cooking blogs aren't so much a "look at me, ma!" thing as they are an encouragement for others to try out some home projects of their own so they can know a little self-satisfaction from it. I'm no expert on any of this stuff, so it's mostly an invitation for you to join me as I stumble through my daily life.
Who I'd like to meet: Whoever shows up. If that's someone that likes the same bands--fine. If it's someone who wants to ride their bike in Benton County and wants to know some new routes--fine. If you voted for Nader or Kucinich--fine. Photobloggers and virtual tourists--fine. Most of the people that I connect with on here are the unpretentious bloggers who like to analyze the minutiae and comedy of daily life.
I fit in better with people who are comfortable with themselves and don't define themselves with every new fad that comes around. (Rebelling by doing something that everyone else is doing seems anti-climactic to me.) Of course, that's not the only thing I'm going to consider about a person. If you're witty and make me laugh the rest doesn't matter nearly as much.
My exchanges are often blunt, not because I'm mean or spiteful, but because I don't think that grown-ups should waste all of their time trying to pretty things up just so somebody doesn't get their feelings hurt. Too many people on here grew up being told that they're special and perfect and think that the world revolves around people kissing their asses. Sorry. And I don't want you to kiss my ass, either. If you think that I'm negative, do an actual count on the things that I say and you'll see that I spread compliments around as well. I call it "balance". Part of the responsibility of being an adult is to look at things that offend you and see if there might be a different perspective that will help broaden your world view. I can't see the point in interaction if all you're going to do is tell each other how absolutely wonderful you are. I can tell myself that.
Troy, the Anti-Social Socialist's Friend Space (Top 40)
Thank you for the photo comment. Yeah it was sometime during summer I took that, it was absolutely beautfiful outside it sucks that it only lasted a few minutes.
your bird pictures are wonderful! could you find some cardinals and take pictures for me??? i miss them. we don't have them here. tennessee winters were so much prettier because of those beautiful birds. :-)
sorry to hear about the "single" thing... BUT am glad to hear no hard feelings and that sort of thing. being companions doesn't always last forever, but while it lasts it sure can be nice, huh? wishing you smiles... ~k
Sorry I haven't been around here much this summer. Just wanted you to know that even in my absence I have thought of you. In fact, here are some pics I took with you in mind. I went hiking up at the Mohican SP with Martin's friend, John and his son, Dan. Then I went over to Cuyahoga Valley National Forest on my own.
Barn at Stanford House Hostel (disregard date it was a new camera not programmed)
Do you know Lloyd Kahn's books--Shelter, Home Work? He is the MAN and his books on handbuilt shelters and homes are amazing. I have Home Work and page through it weekly.
