Gettysburg, The Princess Bride, Men in Black, about anything by Mel Brooks or Monty Python. Love mindless comedy and sex, hate gratuitous violence.

Weird mix of 60's rock and southern gospel: These folks wouldn't recognize each other, but - Grateful Dead, Blackwood Brothers, Jefferson Airplane/Starship, Statesmen. The key is musicality. Oh, yeah: Beethoven, Mozart, and their buds, but I'm not a classical geek.

Hardly have finished any since "Gods and Generals". I read and write so much for a living that picking up a book at night has little appeal. Sorry. I'm not a barbarian, just not a book reader. Although, with retirement about to happen, that, too, will change.

Shooting sports, mainly the North-South Skirmish Assn ( www.n-ssa.org )

I'm a pundit, a pappa, a preacher of sorts and an orgained clergyperson. I am Libertarian in philosophy and ballot, larger than I ought to be, older than I realize and oddly happy with the way life has turned out for the blacksmith's kid from Ashtabula. Ask me, I'll tell you what you want -- or don't want -- to know.

Waking up in the morning, discovering my office ID card still lets me in the door, writing something with which I am happy. Seeing my kids - blood and otherwise - succeed. The sound of good music, the taste of fine Tennessee sour mash, the aroma of a good cigar, a well-turned ankle, an intelligent conversation.

Rudeness, tardiness, junk e-mails relayed by friends.