Leo Babauta: 33 things you didn’t know about me

1. When I was a teen-ager, I was madly in love with Madonna and Alyssa Milano. I still am.

2. I tend to eat too much on social occasions. It’s one of my worst eating habits.

3. I also tend to drink too much on said occasions. Beer, wine, and lately cocktails.

4. I love the San Francisco Giants. I’ve gone to lots of games. When I was a kid, Will Clark and Matt Williams were my heroes on the Giants.

5. For many years, I was a baseball stats geek. Bill James was my god.

6. I am shy.

7. I love coffee. I’m embarrassed to say that I have a coffee pot, a cone-burr coffee grinder, a French press, a Chemex, and an Aeropress. I can no longer drink bad coffee, including Starbucks.

8. I am an anarchist. A non-violent one, in case you think anarchists are violent. I believe we’ve given up too many freedoms for convenience, and that we submit to totalitarian styles of authority – especially in the private sector.

9. I hope never to get into debt again. I’ve been debt-free for about 5 years. I will probably buy a house eventually, on cash.

10. I’m a huge fan of open-source software. I’ve used a lot of it.

11. Pizza is my weakness. Especially good pizza – Neopolitan style is my favorite.

12. I’ve always wanted to do an Ironman triathlon someday. I don’t know if I’ll ever do one, though, as it would require more goal-oriented training.

13. I think I’m a good writer. I don’t think I’m a good fiction writer, and that’s something I’ve always wanted to be.

14. I love reading novels, good or trashy, doesn’t matter. Favorite current authors include Jonathan Lethem, William Gibson, Ann Patchett, Nick Hornby, John Grisham.

15. I secretly want to be a programmer. And good at vim.

16. I also have a weakness for sweets. Apple pie. Chocolate chip cookies. Vegan ice cream.

17. I would love to see a car-free city someday. I imagine a city where people walk the streets like they’re parks, kids run around without fear of cars, where it feels safe and free of fumes and livable.

18. It sounds corny, but I love every person on Earth. Yes, even the rude ones, the racist ones, the mean ones. I don’t always like their actions. I believe it is transformative when you start from a place of loving someone, no matter what irritating or disagreeable things they might do.

19. I get lazy, a lot.

20. I am grateful for incognito browsing.

21. I love sprinting up hills. I do it when walking around with the family – if there’s a hill, I’ll usually race up it. I also hang from tree branches and monkeybars.

22. I love board games. I don’t play them a lot these days, but I love Risk, Clue, Scotland Yard, Pictionary, and other mystery and strategy games you might not know.

23. I get very tired of online marketers. I get even more tired of them approaching me. I wish Google would invent a filter where no online marketers would appear in your browser, through email, social networks, blog comments, websites.

24. I am allergic to hype. I dislike the way most people online use mailing lists to get their “list” excited about launches and products. I would rather they let the quality of their work speak for itself.

25. Half of me would love to give up paper books for ebooks, completely. The other half of me loves paper books too much.

26. I am divorced. My first two kids only live with me on the weekends. Two of my other kids are stepkids from my wife’s previous relationship.

27. I’m a truly horrible singer. I can’t sing in tune. I sing a lot, though, in private, and my angel of a wife says she likes my voice. She’s either a really good liar or hopelessly in love. I pray for the latter.

28. I’m competitive. I try not to be most of the time, but when I’m playing sports my competitive side often comes out. My kids will tell you – I don’t let them win.

29. I am the most inflexible person I’ve ever met – not only can’t I touch my toes, but I don’t even come close. My version of the splits has my feet barely wider than shoulder width. I should probably do more yoga.

30. Despite claiming to be a minimalist, I give in to impulse buying urges now and then. I’m not proud of that fact. One example is an LCD projector I bought to have “movie days” with Eva and the kids (we don’t have a TV).

31. I’m the largest collector in the world of my dad’s artwork. He’s a great artist, though relatively unknown as he lives, works and teaches on Guam. I own six of his paintings, one of them really large.

32. I can roll my stomach, and wiggle my ears.

33. I am dumbfounded that I’ve reached so many readers. I’m deeply grateful, but also in wonder: how can so many people want to read my stuff? I’m scared everyone will figure me out and stop reading, but moved to tears by the incredible feedback I’ve gotten so far.

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