7,345

79,474

25

Dec 6, 2005

3 weeks ago

62

United States

Primarily: Piano, video games, movies, movie soundtracks, most music, anime, and foreign languages and cultures. I've seen almost all of the Ghibli films, and I absolutely love everything Miyazaki's ever done, though Princess Mononoke and Laputa: Castle in the Sky are my absolute favorites. I love all types of dance simulation games: DDR, In the Groove, and Pump it Up (my user name comes from a Pump it Up song). I've been playing these games for almost three years now (you may know me as the_peacemaker from PumpHaven). I've been playing piano since I was 5, and recently performed Liszt's concert etude, _Un Sospiro_. As for games: Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals is the most wonderful game I've ever played. I cannot play through it, read the transcript, listen to the soundtrack, or even talk or write about it without a huge lump in my throat. With a storyline filled of tremendous love and emotion, it is a game that swept me away for four years of my life, and the ending is so tragic, but so incredibly beautiful that I've become more attached to it than any movie I've ever seen. Here, look at the "website" link...this is my review for the game that I left on Gamefaqs. THIS is how much I love this game. I will gladly pour my heart out into telling EVERYONE I know about this wonderful game. It is not only a game to me...it has changed my life. It is a story to mourn by, to grieve by...and ultimately, to live by.

Favorite movies? That's a really long list. The Matrix (only the first one), Princess Mononoke, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, City of God, The Pianist, American Beauty, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Requiem for a Dream, October Sky, Frequency, Whisper of the Heart, Pan's Labyrinth, The Cat Returns, Spellbound (the documentary on the spelling bee), Run Lola Run, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Millennium Actress, 12 Monkeys, Ghost World, The Sixth Sense, 12 Angry Men, Touching the Void, The Mighty, Billy Elliot, Perfect Blue, Identity, Catch Me If You Can, Shrek, Spirited Away, 21 Grams, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Se7en, Smoke Signals, Heat, Mean Creek, The Piano (nothing to do with The Pianist), Toy Story, Million Dollar Baby, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, One Hour Photo...the list goes on and on and on. Those weren't in any particular order, except that the first 10 or so are the ones that I will love forever because they're just so precious to me. For shows, I love The Amazing Race, Top Chef, and Whose Line is it Anyway?. I love anime, and my favorite series include Clannad/After Story, Angel Beats, and Gunslinger Girl. All beautifully realistic yet simple, with great storytelling, lots of emotions, adorable characters I can relate to so well, and just so much charm. I also do watch Galaxy Angel when I want something mindless and funny but not insulting.

I listen to video game music all the time, especially from DDR, In The Groove, and Pump It Up. My absolute favorite song from any video game is Fleadh Uncut from In the Groove 2, a Riverdance techno song. Think _Reel Around the Sun_ with a modern drum beat. Yeah...I love all kinds of Celtic music (especially if it sounds like Riverdance). I also love classical music (anything other than opera), New Age music (Enya, Enigma, Loreena McKennitt, etc.), trip-hop (Massive Attack especially), contemporary Christian music (Jars of Clay is AWESOME), alternative rock (Radiohead's pretty cool), gothic metal (Evanescence isn't bad, though Nightwish is just GREAT), Weird Al, electronica (Moby, Orbital, etc.), movie soundtracks (Princess Mononoke and Requiem for a Dream are the BEST MOVIE SOUNDTRACKS OF ALL TIME)...basically anything that isn't crappy mainstream pop.

Mostly the middle school/high school books I've been teaching. Freak the Mighty, The Westing Game, Heartlight, I Am the Cheese, Call of the Wild, And Then There Were None, Animal Farm, Lord of the Flies, Night, Candide, Hiroshima...all great reads. And, while I don't read a whole lot of books, I have to say I absolutely adore the ENTIRE Hunger Games trilogy. Incredible series.