I have become a big economy dork. I'm constantly checking blogs, newspapers, anything I can find for more information.

This has come as a shock to everyone who knows me, as I am remarkably bad at math. Really, shockingly bad. And, if you asked me to explain all the numbers behind what's going on, I would probably fail.

But I like to think that I have a pretty firm grasp on the concepts. So, now, instead of riding the subway listening to my favorite new album, about half of my iPod is devoted to various economic podcasts.

I am obsessed with DVD commentaries. I love all the DVD extra features. There have even been times when I see a trailer and my first thought is, "Man. That DVD is going to be awesome." I will watch commentaries over and over. My personal favorites: ALIAS (specifically season 3), both MUMMY movies, and, of course, THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy.

I love getting presents. My birthday was last week, so this is on my mind. I will unabashedly ask everyone--friends, family, strangers--to give me presents. But I'm very reasonable. Really, all you have to do is tell me it's a present, and I'm happy.

Case in point: I recently asked for (...all right, demanded) a present from my roommate. So she picked up a bag of candy from our coffee table, got an old gift bag from her room, dropped the candy in, and handed it over. I was delighted, she wasn't out anything but a tiny bit of energy; everybody wins.