Re: OT-ish:Conlang Census

Okay, this is yet another act of open navel-gazing, but it's
a good excuse to waste time before I have to write the statement
of purpose for various fellowship-applications. So, here we go:

(14) Favorite color:   I realized after writing that I basically
always wear earth-tones of some kind.  So, I suppose my favorite
color would be a tie between oaky green and sandy-clayey-colored.

(15) Birthday:  26 Feb 1979 (almost 25)

(16) Conlanging since:  1995 or 1996, I think.  After I awoke from
the nightmare that is Esperanto, and started fiddling around with
ideas of my own.

(17) Other hobbies:  when I'm not obliged to read for classes and
my research, I read mostly world history of various kinds, especially
early modern Europe, late antiquity, Imperial China, Mesoamerica,
Texas history. I used to do College-Bowl, but it was taking up too
much time and I grew philosophically opposed to it.  I like foreign
films a lot: Kurosawa, Bergman, and then a whole slew of Italians,
in that order.  When I get the chance, I write reviews of books
I read and films I see and publish it on my blog:

<http://trwier.blogspot.com/>

I'm also cited for one other hobby:  being obnoxious, as others
here may attest :)

(18)  Favorite music/artists-  in descending order: Baroque (Bach,
Telemann, Haendel, Boismortier, Clerambault), High Classical (Mozart,
Haydn), Minimalism (Aarvo Part, Lou Harrison, Philip Glass). As for
Jazz, I've recently rediscovered Thelonious Monk.  I listen to a lot
of Industrial and 90s alternative stuff, but usually while doing
something else.

(19) Favorite book:  Difficult to say.  Probably my favorite recent
books on history were a 900 page tome on various Chinese empires'
relations with the Steppe-peoples, and a history of Venice.  Reading
a book on Generalissimos of the late Roman Empire now.

(20) How'd I get to the list?  Don't quite remember; been a member,
off and on, since 1998.

(21) Beard/Glasses? No beard; usually need to shave every other
day to keep it that way.  Had a goatee last year, but tired of
it.  Worn glasses since I was about 4.

(22) Smoker/Alcoholic?  Never was a smoker, though I've had smoked
a few here and there.  Not an alcoholic, though my imbibing of
wine at the weekly departmental Teas can be quite a sight. Never,
ever, drink Californian wine, unless there's no other wine to drink,
but usually not French or German wine either: Chilean, Argentine
for everyday use (they are frequently cheaper here for comparable quality
European wines). I prefer dry, full bodied reds with oaky flavors:
"Wine has but one duty, and that is to be red", as the saying goes :)
Usually do not drink heavier drinks unless others provide them free
of charge.  (Don't have the budget to buy, e.g., decent Port.) I also
drink tea,  preferably not in bags as doth the Barbarian, usually
Persian since my Russian friends have lots of it, but I have no well
developed palate yet.

(23) I'm rather like Andreas in being able to visualize things
and cite facts from memory like that.  I remember recently really
scaring a guy in my department when somehow I mentioned that Bangladesh
gets most of its income from jute, which is why they are so poor, because
nobody cares about jute.

 =========================================================================
Thomas Wier            "I find it useful to meet my subjects personally,
Dept. of Linguistics    because our secret police don't get it right
University of Chicago   half the time." -- octogenarian Sheikh Zayed of
1010 E. 59th Street     Abu Dhabi, to a French reporter.
Chicago, IL 60637

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