the basics on bo

• I'm into animals (both wild & domesticated), oaks & redwood trees, rolling hills, bodies of water, exercise, gritty cop dramas, bookstores, old-fashioned hardware stores, American history & culture, vintage crate labels and other retro/kitsch stuff (from the late 19th to mid 20th centuries), ghost towns, rustic furniture, road trips, barbecue, R&B, hard bop, and the blues.
• Although I was born toward the end of the "baby boom," I pretty much identify as a boomer; generation-X culture is foreign to me, and I don't much care for the zeitgeist of the 1980s.
• I dig karma, holism, ecology...ya know, the "big picture."  I am a champion of environmental & endangered species protection and open space preservation.
• I support same-sex marriage, animal rights, anti-imperialism, jury reform, election reform, the death penalty, gun ownership, and the development of alternative energy (including nuclear).
• I believe in the United States Constitution, including all ten amendments that formulate the Bill of Rights.
• I am a staunch advocate of the COMPLETE SEPARATION OF CHURCH & STATE.  I respect everyone's freedom of/from religion...but feel that anything government-related (currency, the pledge of allegiance, oaths of office, legal proceedings, taxation, and especially policymaking!) should be god-free.
• I value such old-fashioned virtues as personal responsibility, honesty, humility, common courtesy, hard work, and fair play...and just plain old consideration for others.
• I appreciate people who are friendly, well-mannered, and down-to-earth. Intellectual snobs and strident loud-mouths annoy me.
• I'd rather patronize small local businesses than chain stores or other large corporate concerns.
• I am really big on personal responsibility.  I have no use for lazy freeloading users who want something for nothing and don't pull their own weight.  And I am contemptuous of those who blame others for their own mistakes, poor judgment, and/or lack of common sense.  Frivolous lawsuits are one of my pet peeves.
• I abhor racism, homophobia, animal cruelty, greed, wastefulness, narcissism, stubborn ignorance, bad coffee, commuting, unrelenting rain, garlic, kasha, Ikea, and "popcorn" ceilings.
• I am fascinated by sociopathy.  I try not to forget that 1 person out of every 25 may be a sociopath—with no conscience, no ability to empathize with others, and no ability to feel guilt, shame, or remorse.
• My spirituality is essentially pantheist; I revere science and nature, but also believe in eternal spiritual existence, metaphysics, and the transmigration of souls.  My totem/power animals are deer and bobcat (and, intermittently, rattlesnake).
• If you hand me a map, or set me loose in a hardware store, book store, or natural history museum, I can amuse myself for hours.
• Among my heroes are:  1) Alice Walker (Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and animal activist); 2) George Gershwin (gifted composer of show tunes, pop standards, and classical music); 3) John Adams (American revolutionary, founding father, and 2nd president of the U.S.); and 4) César Chávez (20th century labor leader and civil rights activist).
• My newest hero is NBC/MSNBC Political Director Chuck Todd.
• I'm basically down to earth, but I can be quite the snob when it comes to coffee, musical theatre, and home design/decorating.
• I am deathly afraid of bees.
• I have had a potty mouth since the age of 10, and I'm completely unapologetic about it.
• I think that Nat 'King' Cole, Johnny Hartman, and Donny Hathaway are the three greatest singers of all time.  Also, I consider "If I Loved You" by Rodgers & Hammerstein to be the most perfect song ever written.
• My five favorite TV shows are:  1) Homicide: Life on the Street; 2) The Days & Nights of Molly Dodd; 3) The Fugitive (original recipe, with David Janssen); 4) Law & Order: Criminal Intent; and 5) Degrassi Junior High/Degrassi High.
• I've had crushes on actors Robert Forster and Victor Garber since I was about 14.
• I ship Goren & Eames of Law & Order: CI...as well as Joey Jeremiah & Caitlin Ryan of the Degrassi franchise.  Did I mention that I'm nearly five decades old? ;)
• I believe that garlic is evil.  Likewise, I feel that sharp cheeses, as well as all food items with a sour flavor, should be against the law.  My favorite ethnic cuisines are Mexican and Vietnamese.  Carnitas is from the gods; carnitas topped with chopped cilantro and enveloped in a fresh, hot, hand-made corn tortilla is transcendent. :)
• At some point in my life, I would really like to own a bitchin' pickup truck (and maybe even a 1960s Ford Mustang).
• I am pissy as all hell over my doctor's instructions to stop drinking coffee.  I don't like anyone telling me what to do. ;)
• I am a self-employed technical editor and document specialist, providing document quality control services to Environmental, Geoscience, Engineering, and Health & Safety consulting firms.  This work does not define me, although I am proud of what I do.