• music (duh)
• photography
• artificial languages (especially Sindarin)
• Synchronicity
• Botany
• New York Times crossword puzzles

• Harold and Maude
• Welcome to the Dollhouse
• Nightmare Before Christmas

• Chinese checkers
• Othello
• Scrabble
• Boggle
• Miniature golf

• Geek Love (Katherine Dunn)
• The Virgin Suicides (Jeffrey Eugenides)
• Willard and His Bowling Trophies (Richard Brautigan)

• Green
• Black

• Thai

Solvent – Elevators and Oscillators
If you enjoy Dntel or hollAnd, this is probably right up your alley. “Elevators and Oscillators” is Kraftwerkian synth-pop at its finest from Toronto-based Jason Amm, better known as Solvent. You will love #5 “My Radio,” and #13 “Elevators and Oscillators.”

Caesars – Paper Tigers
If you allow yourself one “fun album” for the car (or, of course, the ipod) this summer, please please please let “Paper Tigers” be it. Yes, it even has that song on it. You know you love it. The surprise here, though, is that the rest of the album is just as good. Enjoy #7, “Paper Tigers,” and of course, #4 “Jerk It Out.”

Kaiser Chiefs – Employment
The magic of producer Stephen Street is immediately evident here. The Kaiser Chiefs bound onto the scene with a practically flawless Brit-pop album. Vocalist Ricky Wilson reminds me of a pre-simianesque Damon Albarn. Highlights include track #2, the irresistible single “I Predict A Riot,” and track #4, the aptly-titled “Na Na Na Na Naa.”

Decemberists – Picaresque
Packed with more scholarly lines than you can shake a stick at, “Picaresque” is a good time for the learned. Very reminiscent of early Smiths. Sample tracks #2 “We Both Go Down Together,” and #4 “The Sporting Life.”

Brian Jonestown Massacer - Dig the Movie DVD
This documentary chronicles the relationship between the Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre. During the course of the film, interactions between the bands disintegrate from good-natured friendship to threats of violence and restraining orders. In addition to all the live footage of both bands in the actual documentary, a bonus DVD of extra footage and videos makes this too good for fans of either band to pass up.