Nick Hart
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Travel
My biggest passion is travel. I love getting out of the US and experiencing other cultures, their food, art and history in person. My first trip abroad was to visit relatives in the UK when I was 16. The following year I took part in a month-long trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands organized by my high school science department. It was beautiful, fascinating, and a little sobering for one used to the comfort and luxuries of the United States. Visiting a developing nation is an experience I think all children in the US should have.
After I graduated from the UW in 1996 a good friend and I took a trip back to the UK. We rented a car, drove all around Britain on the wrong side of the road (and the wrong side of the car), stayed at bed and breakfasts, dined at pubs and visited old castles and museums. In 1999 I spent two weeks in India and Nepal, as part of a trip to see a colleague's wedding. In 2000 I spent two weeks in Italy with my parents. In 2004 I traveled to Amsterdam and Paris, then took part in a Rick Steves tour of France. I returned with my parents just last year and we also visited Bruges, Lyon and an interesting city named Nancy (which was a center for the art nouveau movement).
France
I'm a Francophile. I took French in high school but never really practiced or became fluent—something I now regret and am working on. In 2004 on my first trip to France I fell in love with Paris and the French lifestyle. I currently take French classes at the Alliance Française de Seattle and took a trip back to France in September 2008. Paris is my favorite city and I'd like to live there someday.
Books
I've always got a book packed in my messenger bag—sometimes fiction, often non-fiction. I've got an enormous collection of books on politics and history, acquired during my days as an active socialist.
One of my favorite books, and one which I recommend every US citizen read, is Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States. I don't know about you, but I was lied to by the insipid textbooks forced on me as a student in public school. Zinn presents a real history of the world's most powerful empire from the perspective of the masses of people who struggled and fought for the freedoms and privileges many of us (but not all) share today.
One of my favorite works of fiction is Catch 22. It's a great satire of the absurd tragedy of warfare. I'm quite partial to Kurt Vonnegut, particularly Cat's Cradle, Breakfast of Champions and Slaughterhouse Five (another great antiwar novel). On occasion I'll pick up some sci-fi or fantasy if I feel like some light reading. One book in the genre I recommend is Dune, although it is most definitely not light reading.
Music
The very first concert I ever attended was Kiss at the Coliseum in Seattle (now called "Key Arena"). My Dad took me to see them when I was only five years old! What can I say—I had bad taste in music back then, and I thought all the makeup, costumes and pyrotechnics were pretty cool. I like going out to see live music, but the last show I went to was a year ago: The Polyphonic Spree at The Showbox.
I don't usually pay attention to the music scene, so ordinarily I need someone to tell me when an excellent show is coming up. However, one good resource I've found is KEXP's recommended events. It can be fun to pick a random show and just go.
Here's what's on my Sansa this week: Arcade Fire, Cat Stevens, Devotchka, Flight of the Conchords, Guided by Voices, Jay Farrar, Jeff Buckley, Ladytron, Lush, Massive Attack, Mr. Lif, Neutral Milk Hotel, Silversun Pickups, Sonic Youth, Stereolab, Sufjan Stevens, The Beta Band, The Polyphonic Spree, The Saturday Knights, The Shins, The Verve, White Stripes, Wu-Tang Clan, and Zero 7.
Film
Some recent highlights of my Netflix queue: The Wire Season 5, Flight of the Conchords, Super High Me, Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, Lars and the Real Girl, Sunshine, The Fountain, Paris, Je T'aime, Angel-A, and Weeds Season 3.
Some of my all-time favorite films are: Dr. Strangelove (a hilarious satire of war), Amelie, The Usual Suspects, The City of Lost Children, Delicatessen, Brazil, No Country for Old Men, The Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona, Dogfight, Best in Show, Fargo, The Man Who Wasn't There, The Hudsucker Proxy, and of course The Shawshank Redemption.
You'll notice a preponderance of films by Joel and Ethan Coen in that list. That's because they're good as hell at what they do.
Television
I don't watch a whole lot of television, but I will admit to being a Lost junkie. I was originally sucked in to the show because of its positive ideas about society/humanity, but what hooked me is the mystery, complex interplay between the huge ensemble cast and the characters (whose personalities clearly evolve over the course of the series). I'm also fond of The Office—which is such an ironic indictment of the often banal life at work. I tried watching the BBC version once, but I think the American one is much funnier.
I do most of my TV watching via DVD these days. The Wire is one of the most compelling television dramas I've ever seen—it may be fiction, but it really shows what life is like in our nation's crumbling de-industrialized cities. I also enjoy Weeds, which has a great cast (remember Kevin Nealon from SNL?) and is an often hilarious satire of suburban life.
Other Interests
I often play card games with my guy friends. We're fond of hearts, hold 'em and an obscure 3-person game named Zolite (which my friends learned in college from some Latvian friends).
I'm a beer snob, though since I've been diagnosed with diabetes I've had to cut back on the stouts and porters (which used to be my favorite) and I've gained a new appreciation for lagers and pilsners—though not the typical domestic swills. My current favorites are Pilsner Urquell, Harp, Bitburger and a tasty local brew named Roger's Pilsner from the Georgetown Brewery in Seattle (their Nine Pound Porter is damn tasty too, though I can only treat myself to a schooner on occasion, due to the high carb count).
I enjoy cooking and baking, but to be honest I don't do it a whole lot (at least, nothing too complicated) when it's just me. I prefer an audience to appreciate my efforts. However, I do have the most kick-ass mac & cheese recipe in the world from my Mom (I put some blue cheese in the white sauce).
Politics
I am a socialist. I spent a couple years as an active member of the International Socialist Organization. It all started back in 2004 when my disillusionment for the Democrats became so great that I was forced to look for some answers to why the world is so messed up and what it will take to change it. That's when I learned what socialism means and why supporting the Democrats is futile.
I'm no longer an active member of the ISO, but I do some part-time activism for local campaigns. Recently I did some web and graphic design for the Seattle Divest from War and Occupation initiative and Aaron Dixon's 2006 Senate campaign. Democracy doesn't work unless the citizens participate. As the famous abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass once said: “If there is no struggle there is no progress... Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will”.
I am a proud supporter of the Campaign to End the Death Penalty, Iraq Veterans Against the War and Haymarket Books.