Get To Know Me: An Introduction

One of my least favorite things about any social event is icebreakers. I like meeting new people and learning things about them, asking questions and exchanging anecdotes. It's the awkward and tedious activities that come with icebreakers that make me uneasy. I don't really want to be forced to know if someone has a birthday in the same month as me or has an older brother or has never seen Titanic, you know? I'd rather have that come up on its own in actual conversation.

That being said, this introductory post is for friends, family, future employers, and anyone else who comes across my blog and wants to know what I'm about. I find that the best way to remember who someone is is to remember what they enjoy. I've got friends who love cars, horror movies, anime, dogs. Those who thrive when running, dancing, making art, telling stories. One of my friends likes the same TV shows as me, while another has the same taste in movies. Listening to people enthuse about the things they love is a simple joy and a great conversation starter. So, I'm going to indulge by sharing some of my personal favorites as of right now.

To learn more about my education, career, skills, and qualifications, please visit my About page and/or my portfolio.

MY FAVORITE MOVIES

You are probably going to be a very successful computer person. But you're going to go through life thinking that girls don't like you because you're a nerd. And I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, that that won't be true. It'll be because you're an asshole.
The Social Network (2010), David Fincher

Everything I think and everything I do is wrong. I was wrong about Elton, I was wrong about Christian, and now, Josh hated me. It all boiled down to one inevitable conclusion - I was just totally clueless.
Clueless (1995), Amy Heckerling

God forbid we lose the ancient Chinese tradition of guilting your children.
Crazy Rich Asians (2018), Jon M. Chu

I know I'm asking a lot. But the price of freedom is high. It always has been. And it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Anthony & Joe Russo

Well, it's easy. It's because you are the weirdest, most beautiful person that I've ever met in my whole entire life.
Short Term 12 (2013), Destin Daniel Cretton

MY FAVORITE TELEVISION SHOWS

Everything we do is a choice. Oatmeal or cereal. Highway or side streets. Kiss her or keep her. We make choices and we live with the consequences. If someone gets hurt along the way we ask for forgiveness. It's the best anyone can do.
Pushing Daisies (2007 - 2009), Bryan Fuller

A bug is never just a mistake. It represents something bigger. An error of thinking that makes you who you are.
Mr. Robot (2015 - 2019), Sam Esmail

That’s just how it is sometimes. Life. You know, you go to bed unsatisfied. They’re calling lottery numbers on the TV, and you get the first few, and already in your mind, you’re buying a jet or a fjord or whatever, but it’s just not meant to be. It’s just not meant to be.
Fargo (2014 - present), Noah Hawley

You are still a machine. Designed and built. No god made you. Faith is a story of order humans imposed on the chaos of their existence so their soft brains can bear it.
Humans (2014 - 2018), Sam Vincent & Jonathan Brackley

I survived you. We survived you. Me and my sisters together. This is evolution.
Orphan Black (2013 - 2017), Graeme Manson & John Fawcett

MY FAVORITE ALBUMS

But if I was to say I regret it, would it mean a thing?
'Cause every time I think (I think) think about it, memories take me back to all of the wildest times
Days Are Gone (2013), HAIM

Primadonna girl, yeah, all I ever wanted was the world
I can't help that I need it all, the primadonna life, the rise and fall
Electra Heart (2012), Marina and the Diamonds

Stick like toffee, sip like coffee, wake up, change your mind, and drop me
Love to hate me, crazy, shady, spit me out like hot wasabi
LM5 (2018), Little Mix

I caught you watching me under the light, can I realign?
They say it’s easy to leave you behind, I don’t wanna try
Communion (2012), Years & Years

She sits beside me like a silhouette, hard candy dripping on me 'til my feet are wet
And now she's all over me, it's like I paid for it, it's like I paid for it, I'm gonna pay for this
Harry Styles (2017), Harry Styles

MY FAVORITE PODCASTS

Design is everywhere in our lives, perhaps most importantly in the places where we've just stopped noticing. 99% Invisible is a weekly exploration of the process and power of design and architecture.
99% Invisible (2010 - present), Roman Mars

Lifelong fans of true crime stories tell each other their favorite tales of murder and hear hometown crime stories from friends and fans.
My Favorite Murder (2016 - present), Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark

Criminal is a podcast about crime. Not so much the "if it bleeds, it leads," kind of crime. Something a little more complex. Stories of people who've done wrong, been wronged, and/or gotten caught somewhere in the middle.
Criminal (2014 - present), Phoebe Judge

Free advice from three of the world's most qualified, most related experts.
My Brother, My Brother And Me (2010 - present), Justin, Travis, & Griffin McElroy

Fashion history is about more than pretty clothes. Dressed explores the incredibly rich and complex history behind the clothes we wear.
Dressed: The History of Fashion (2018 - present), April Calahan & Cassidy Zachary

MY FAVORITE BOOKS

That's the problem. We let people say stuff, and they say it so much that it becomes okay to them and normal for us. What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?
The Hate U Give (2017), Angie Thomas

Scared is what you're feeling. Brave is what you're doing.
Room (2010), Emma Donoghue

Fortune favors the prepared mind. Beauty seeks attention. Intelligence commands it.
The Witches of New York (2014), Ami McKay

Even on this most terrible days, even when the worst of us are all we can think of, I am proud to be a human.
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing (2018), Hank Green

You have to pretend you get an endgame. You have to carry on like you will; otherwise, you can't carry on at all.
Carry On (2015), Rainbow Rowell

MY FAVORITE VIDEO GAMES

If you're reading this, you must be in dire need of a change. The same thing happened to me, long ago. I'd lost sight of what mattered most in life...real connections with other people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong.
Stardew Valley (2014), Eric Barone

It’s only natural for living creatures to fight to protect their own lives. But what makes us human is that we fight for others. But who do you fight for? How hard must you fight…? That’s the true measure of what human life is worth. We defense attorneys are warriors who are constantly challenged by that question. Even when the battle is over, and the bonds that connect us are severed…we always return…time and time again.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (2001 - 2004), Shu Takumi

I believe in a universe that doesn’t care, and people who do.
Night In The Woods (2017), Alec Holowka & Scott Benson

Yeah, living on your own, being free. It feels great. But living by yourself can be a real drag, too. Still, if you've got some really tight friends somewhere nearby, then you know it'll all work out.
Animal Crossing: Wild World (2005), Hisashi Nogami

It all started with a letter...I hadn't gotten a letter in a long time. It was in a bright red envelope and it was from the daughter of an old friend. She wrote about her life in the city and asked all kinds of questions about the farm. On the last line, she said this..."I want to try working on the farm". To a city girl, a place like Forget-Me-Not Valley must be interesting, I guess. While I was thinking that, I was reminded of my old friend. Of his face...
Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life (2005), Takeshi Ogura