Identity

If you were to ask me what my interests were a decade ago I could easily list them. If you asked today, my first instinct would be rely on that old list; a list that was carefully crafted by twenty-something me to fully encapsulate who I was in short eight to ten point list. But I'm not so sure it would be a good reflection of me today.

So I think I should make a new list. Why? Simply as an exercise in self-reflection. I figure that the list was more important when I was single and dating because you're meeting tons of new people and you're trying to seem as attractive and interesting as possible. I don't have that issues anymore but I think it's still a good idea to reflect on who you are as now rather than relying on previous creating personas.

Here are the main three points from the old list (mid-twenties):

• Reading. I used to read lots of novels and non-fiction books. Today, not so much. I read probably just as much but it's online articles, opinion pieces, and such. Still read comic books, but don't spend hours or days just re-reading them (I've actually been thinking about what to do with my collection since it seems to be just sitting there. There's no real monetary value in them). I will say I'm probably more informed about current events than I was previously, but that's probably because of the Internet. 
• Music. I was OBSESSED with popular music. I still have opinions and like/dislike things but I don't spend nearly as much time listening to music. Two main causes - podcasts and communing. My listening habits have shifted to podcasts instead of music. Making dinner, doing laundry, etc now have a soundtrack of people talking rather musical instruments. Also I don't a long commune anymore so the 1-2 hours a day I'd spend in transit don't happen anymore. Also my job isn't headphone friendly (meaning I don't have hours in front of screen doing work that I can put background music on for). Add to the fact I don't spend all my free time seeking out new music means it's less of a factor in my life now. 
• Camping. I don't camp as much as I used to but I'm spending more time outdoors these days. Thought I was an indoor kid (re-writing personal history to delete all the time I spent outside in my childhood) but it seems I'm a hybrid indoor/outdoor kid. While in school (high school & university), I spent a lot of time camping. After that it was less and less. 
• Education. It was all I had known. Didn't have a career so academic status and culture were very important to me. Saw education as a sign of intelligence. Now, I know it isn't that. 

Ok, enough with the past. Let's see what my new list would look like.

1. Using Technology
2. Exploration (trying new foods, visiting new places, seeing what's around the corner)
3. Comic Book Culture (not general nerd culture; I'm focused on comic-related stuff)
4. Sharing Interests (telling stories, explaining a topic/subject)

I'm going to leave this as is right now. I'm need some more time to consider exactly what I'm saying with these points.