This Post Has Been Brought To You By The Letter “S”

So, Erin did a post where she listed ten things she likes that started with the letter “M”.  Not to be outdone, I asked her to assign me a letter so I could do a post of my own.  She gave me “S”…so, without further adieu, here are ten things I like starting with the letter “S”:

10. Science: It might not have been my best subject in school–I was more of an English and History kid–but I love science with a passion.  I really enjoy theoretical physics, paleontology, forensics, and evolutionary biology.

9. Sneakers: I like sneakers.  They’re comfortable.  I walk a lot and I think I might have some odd foot-related issues, so a comfy sneaker is the way to go.  I like nice, simple sneakers like Chucks, Vans or Airwalks, as opposed to the bulkier “space boot” sneakers.  I also like the Robert Redford/Ben Kingsley film Sneakers.

8. Superheroes: I like comic books, but that term gets wider and wider every year.  If I’m going to read a comic book, it better have superheroes.  There’s nothing I like more than reading (or watching or writing) stories about people who have extraordinary skills that they use to help people and/or fight evil.  Call me a sap, but I’m a sucker for that kind of concrete, black-and-white morality.

7. Stephen King: There are a bunch of reasons why I like Uncle Stevie.  First, he’s damned prolific.  Any writer would consider themselves lucky to publish a small fraction of the number of books and short stories that King has published.  Second, he loves his job.  The man writes because he likes it (when he “retired”, King said he’d still write every day, even if he didn’t publish any of it).  But, most of all, I like Stephen King because he proves that you can enjoy “highbrow” culture and “popular” culture equally.

6. Supernatural: As much as I like science, I think I like the other side of the coin a great deal more.  I love stories about ghosts, demons, witches, vampires, werewolves, and zombies–whether they’re straight fiction or historical documentaries about supernatural beliefs across different time periods and cultures (this is why I love Halloween so much, an endless supply of these shows on The History Channel).

5. Speculative Fiction: I almost never use this term myself, but it is a pretty good blanket term for the kinds of books, TV shows, and movies I like.  Plus, I don’t think it has the snobby, pretentious, douche-baggy tone that the phrase “genre fiction” has.

4. Star Wars: Given when I was born, I have a very strong childhood connection to Star Wars.  It was the first movie I remember seeing (I was actually allowed to stay up late and watch it on WHT…remember WHT?).  My earliest memory of Christmas involves Star Wars toys.  It was also my first exposure to world building.  And, even though I didn’t much care for the second trilogy, I’m still the first one to run out and buy the newest post-Jedi novel.

3. Spider-Man: There are two comic book characters I can recall liking since I was a wee little nipper.  One was Batman, the other was Spider-Man.  Somewhere, my mother has pictures of a 6-year-old me dressed as both (umm, separate pictures, not one picture where I’m dressed as Bat-Spider-Man…that would be weird).  Anyway, other than the fact that “Spider-Man” starts with an “S” and “Batman” doesn’t, the reason Spidey makes this list is because he is a geeky little kid who used his powers to fight evil (see #8 ) and Batman is a suave billionaire playboy…and, last time I checked, I was neither suave nor a billionaire.

2. Soup: I love soup.  There really isn’t a lot more I can add to that statement.  Doesn’t matter where it comes from: fancy restaurants, cheap delis, cans, pouches…I love soup, plain and simple.

1. Sherlock Holmes: I really wasn’t a big reader as a kid.  But, the first “adult” novel I ever read was The Hound of the Baskervilles.  It wasn’t long before I was reading every novel and story that Doyle wrote about “the world’s greatest consulting detective.”  I think I’ve read and re-read the Holmes stories more than anything else.  I also point to ol’ Sherlock as the genesis of my love (obsession?) with highly rational, yet socially retarded characters.

There you have it.  Want your own letter?  Just ask.