There are lots of things I enjoy in life, and many of them interact in interesting ways. Here's a short list:

• My family: I have two little girls and a wonderful wife. I don't know what I'd do without them
• Coffee: I am a serious caffeine addict, and there is nothing like my first cup of coffee in the morning. If left unchecked I would probably consume my own weight in coffeee every day.
• Music: A lifelong love that I indulge in whenever possible. My musical tastes vary widely, depending on a number of factors. I'm particularly fond of the Beatles, the Pixies, Pavement, Miles Davis, J. S. Bach, Igor Stravinsky, Spoon, Paul Simon, Electric Company, and Tom Waits. I get into lots of other stuff, but those are my mainstays lately.
• Books: When I was a younger man with less responsibility I used to consume about a book or two a week. I read a lot of Philip K. Dick, Jorge Luis Borges, Ray Bradbury, Roger Zelazny, Hunter S. Thompson, and Robert Anton Wilson. I still enjoy reading, but I find that most of my reading these days is news from the Internet and technical writing.
• Politics: I've always been interested in politics; I honed my early reading skills on the Time magazine coverage of the Watergate scandal and subsequent downfall of the Nixon presidency. The thing that really made me a political junkie, though, was reading Hunter S. Thompson's political coverage of the early 1970's, particularly in Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72.
• Computers: I have been hacking around on computers for literally about 80% of my entire life. I've both worked on them as a hobby and worked on them professionally in a variety of capacities. I especially enjoy programming because it feeds my desire to solve puzzles.
• Chess: My wife refuses to play chess, so I'm horribly out of practice now, but I found back when I was reasonably good that a game of chess with a well matched opponent is almost like a piece of performance art. You can tell all kinds of things about a person's mood, their state of mind, and where their attention is just by watching how they play. Chess is delightful because the puzzle of the game is someone else's mind.
• Beer: Although I drank beer when I was younger I didn't really develop a taste for it until I came into contact with craft beers later on. I lean towards dark, malty beers; porters are my favorite in general, but I also love doppelbocks, Belgian ales, and stouts. I'll try just about anything, and have been pleasantly surprised by some beers I didn't think I'd enjoy (I remember a chili pepper-based beer that was outstanding!).
• Comedy: I have been a fan of Steve Martin as long as I can remember. I enjoy comedy of all sorts, but I particularly enjoy Martin because of the strong infusion of the bizarre, and I look for that in other comedy. I recently finished the woefully short single season of Snuff Box and was favorably impressed with the insanity in it, and I'm continuing to watch as much of Mitchell and Webb (That Mitchell and Webb Look and Peep Show) as I can locate and get my hands on.
• Movies: Movie watching has taken a back seat for the moment due to time restrictions, but I still manage to get one or two in each month. I take great delight in many of the old classics, especially Hitchcock films, but I enjoy all types. I've taken a much greater interest in documentaries in recent yearsk, which I couldn't have predicted when I was younger.
• Television: I don't have cable or satellite service, but I do subscribe to Netflix, and I see a decent amount of television there. In addition to some of the better international programming I've really enjoyed what some shows have done using a season as a long-form storytelling format. I've recently watched Dexter, Game of Thrones, and Breaking Bad.
• Bicycling: Another pasttime I haven't had enough time to pursue lately. Hopefully I'll be able to resume biking soon.